The volcanic island where Venus was found — 70 beaches, kaleidoscopic Klima boathouses, and the best saganaki in the Cyclades
Milos is a volcanic Cycladic island in the southwestern Aegean (151 km², population 5,000) shaped by the most dramatic geology in the Greek islands — the horseshoe bay that forms the harbour is the caldera of an ancient collapsed volcano, and the coastline is carved into extraordinary formations: the white pumice cliffs of Sarakiniko (the moonscape), the coloured volcanic rocks of Fyriplaka, the sea caves of Kleftiko accessible only by boat. The fishing village of Klima (below the main village of Plaka) has syrmata — stone boathouses with coloured wooden doors built directly at sea level, the…
Milos has been inhabited since at least 3000 BCE — its obsidian (volcanic glass from the island's ancient eruptions) was the most sought-after cutting material in the prehistoric Aegean, traded throughout the Mediterranean in a network that predates the Bronze Age. The island's famous Aphrodite (Venus de Milo) was carved in the 2nd century BCE and discovered in 1820 by farmer Yorgos Kentrotas while ploughing; French officers acquired it for France and it entered the Louvre's collection in 1821. During World War II Milos served as a German submarine base; the island was liberated by British fo…