Panormos-Skopelos-Greece

1276…Knight Licario, commander of the Byzantine flee, takes over  Skopelos and drives out the Venetians. A long time of pirate raids begins for the island. The pirates use it for their anchor point since it is in the perfect place for raids.

Ships sailing from the port of Thessaloniki and headed south would pass either from the passage of Skopelos and Alonisos or east between Skiathos and Skopelos.

Panormos (see picture above) and Blo were places ideal to protect the sailors from the wind. This is where the pirates anchored their ships. Among them was the one and only pirate woman ever: Andrina, the terror of the northern Aegean sea.

The story that follows is true and it is kept alive by telling, until today. It speaks about the tragic end of the only female pirate that sailed the Greek seas.

Andrina and her companion had just stolen an Venetian ship full of gold. So they sailed to Blo and got ready to celebrate, as they usually did after a good raid. The pirates went to Skopelos to bring food and wine. Andrina stayed in the port alone to guard the ship and no local would go near there. The pirates made their way up to Mourtero, got past Alikia and the river and finally arrived to the little church of Holy Mary the fighter. It is a small church saved until today, built on the hill of Pefkia. The locals had a feast and at the time were dancing there. The pirates joined the dance and started singing a strange song. The locals that were not drunk enough heard the song and as soon as they understood it’s meaning they run away. The slaughter did not took long to begin. But as soon as the first local dropped dead the Holy Mary appeared with her sword and those that had enough courage left chased the pirates until they slaughtered them all. As soon as Andrina found out what had happened to her men, she took the treasure from the boat and sank it in Blo. It took her hours to hide the treasure and when she finished, she climbed on a rock near Panormos and she fell into the sea. The place there is called Andrina since then.

It is said that her treasure is very big. It also included a golden pig with her piglets, and many local people are still trying to find it as well as many others that come to the island for that purpose.
Source: Mama-mia-island

Skopelos is the second most developed tourist destination of the Sporades and one of the greenest islands in the Aegean Sea. The island is virtually full of pine forests that make it ideal for walking and hiking. That's why Skopelos was officially nominated in 1997 as “The Green and Blue Island” from the BIOPOLITICS INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION (B.I.O.)

Read more HERE