Amorgos
In the summer of 1988 a French film crew landed on Amorgos to shoot the final sequences of Le Grand Bleu, Luc Besson's film about...
Updated 10 July 2026
Amorgos
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This season · July · Summer
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The story
The story of Amorgos
From the first Cycladic civilisations to the Venetian duchy
Amorgos was inhabited from the Bronze Age onward, as shown by the remains of proto-Cycladic settlements found on the island, but its period of greatest importance in antiquity coincides with the Archaic and Classical periods, when it was home to three autonomous city-states: Minoa, Arkesine and Aigiale, each with its own acropolis and port. In the Byzantine era the island took on a growing religious role, culminating in the founding of the Hozoviotissa monastery in the 11th century. With the Fourth Crusade and the birth of the Venetian Duchy of the Aegean, Amorgos passed under the control of the Ghisi family and later the Sanudo family, suffering, like all the minor Cyclades, raids by Barbary pirates, which for a long time forced the population to take refuge in the hilly interior rather than along the coasts.
The monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa
Founded, according to tradition, in 1088 by the will of the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos, the monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa is one of the oldest in Greece still active. It stands literally wedged into a limestone cliff face about three hundred metres above sea level, a tall, narrow white building of nine storeys that seems to extend the rock itself. Legend has it that its icon arrived by sea from the region of Chozeva, in Palestine, carried by the waves to the shore below. Today it is home to just a few monks, who welcome visitors while enforcing a strict dress code, offering a glass of local liqueur and telling the story of the place to those who climb the steep staircase leading to the entrance.
Chora, the capital hidden inside the Venetian castle
The Chora of Amorgos developed inside and around the remains of a 13th-century Venetian castle, perched on a rocky spur overlooking both Katapola and, in the distance, the Hozoviotissa monastery. The white houses crowd together in a maze of pedestrian lanes where a few stone windmills still rise, silent today but once crucial for grinding grain. The churches, extremely numerous for such a small town, dot every corner with their blue domes, while the shaded little squares become, at sunset, the natural gathering place for locals and visitors alike.
Katapola, the main port and ancient Minoa
Katapola stretches around a deep, sheltered bay, historically the island's most important port, with a waterfront of fish taverns and fishing boats moored side by side with small yachts. Behind it, on Moudoulia hill, lie the remains of the ancient city of Minoa, founded by Cretan colonists and active until Roman times: today traces of its walls, a gymnasium and a temple dedicated to Apollo Pythios survive, in a scenic site that few visitors reach despite its closeness to the village.
Aigiali and the mountain villages of Tholaria and Langada
On the island's north-eastern side lies Aigiali, Amorgos's second port, with a sandy beach wider than Katapola's and a more informal atmosphere. From here a network of paths climbs towards Tholaria and Langada, two mountain villages built in terraces on the slopes overlooking the bay, linked by a hiking trail that crosses olive groves and small white chapels. These are places where time seems to have stopped a few decades ago, with elderly people sitting outside their front doors and family-run taverns serving whatever they have cooked that day.
Agia Anna and the filming of Le Grand Bleu
At the foot of the path descending from the Hozoviotissa monastery lies the small beach of Agia Anna, a handkerchief of pebbles and turquoise water wedged between the rocks, made famous by the underwater scenes of Luc Besson's Le Grand Bleu. It was here that the crew set part of the filming dedicated to the character inspired by free-diver Jacques Mayol, taking advantage of the clarity and immediate depth of the surrounding waters. The beach remains small and has no facilities, reachable on foot via the monastery path or by boat from Katapola, but it continues to attract fans of the film every year, in search of the atmosphere seen on screen.
The wreck of the Olympia
Off the coast, not far from the islet of Nikouria, lies the wreck of the Olympia, a small cargo ship that sank in the late 1970s and has, over the years, become one of the best-known underwater attractions in the Aegean, made even more famous by its use in the diving sequences of Besson's film. Resting on a relatively accessible seabed, the wreck is today a destination for boat trips and dives organised by local diving centres, which take visitors to explore the structure, now colonised by sponges and small fish, in waters that remain among the clearest in the Cyclades.
Mountains plunging into the sea: the landscape of Amorgos
Amorgos is dominated by Mount Krikelas, which rises above eight hundred metres and drops almost vertically into the sea along the northern coast, creating a mountainous profile rare among the Cycladic islands, which are usually lower and gentler. The coastline alternates imposing cliffs with small sandy bays, often reachable only by sea or via steep goat paths. The interior, arid and windswept, is home to flocks of semi-wild goats, while along the famous E4 trail, which crosses the island from north to south, one comes across abandoned terraces, isolated chapels and views stretching as far as the nearby minor islands of Nikouria, Gramvousa and Anydros.
Flavours of the island: rakomelo, cheeses and patatato
Amorgos's cuisine is the essential fare of pastoral islands: goat meat stewed with potatoes (the famous patatato), fresh goat and sheep cheeses made in small family-run dairies, and rakomelo, a grape-marc spirit warmed with honey and spices, served especially in the colder months. In mountain villages such as Langada and Tholaria, wood-fired ovens where traditional bread is still baked can be found, while the taverns of Katapola and Aigiali serve freshly caught fish, often simply grilled with oil and wild oregano gathered on the surrounding hillsides.
Experiences not to be missed on Amorgos
- A visit to the monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa, with the traditional welcome of liqueur offered by the monks
- Trekking between Aigiali, Tholaria and Langada along the mountain paths
- A boat trip to admire, or dive on, the wreck of the Olympia
- Swimming at Agia Anna beach, among the filming locations of Le Grand Bleu
- An evening stroll through the lanes of Chora and past its windmills
- Discovering the remains of ancient Minoa above Katapola
When to go to Amorgos
The season runs from May to October, with the best period concentrated between June and September, when all sea connections run at full capacity and the seasonal taverns are open. July and August are the hottest and busiest months, especially with hikers and diving enthusiasts, but even at the height of summer Amorgos remains less crowded than the more central Cyclades. May, June and September offer ideal temperatures for walking the mountain paths without excessive heat, while the sea remains swimmable until early October. In winter many connections are drastically reduced and several businesses close for the season.
FAQ
Come si arriva ad Amorgos?
Meglio arrivare a Katapola o ad Aigiali?
Quanti giorni servono per visitare Amorgos?
Si può visitare il monastero in qualsiasi orario?
L'isola è adatta a chi non ama camminare?
Dove si trova parcheggio a Katapola e Aigiali?
Getting there
- Nessun aeroporto sull'isola; i più vicini con voli da Atene sono quelli di Naxos e Santorini, da cui si prosegue in traghetto
- Si raggiunge esclusivamente via mare, con traghetti dal Pireo verso i porti di Katapola o Aigiali, oppure con collegamenti stagionali più brevi da Naxos, Paros e Santorini.
- Scegliere il porto di sbarco in base alla zona dell'isola che si vuole visitare per prima: Katapola per il monastero e la Chora, Aigiali per i sentieri di montagna.
Perfect for
Sentieri di montagna collegano villaggi, monastero e coste, tra i più suggestivi delle Cicladi per chi ama camminare.
L'isola del monastero di Hozoviotissa e delle location de Le Grand Bleu, per chi cerca atmosfere cinematografiche autentiche.
Acque profonde e limpide, relitti come la Olympia e fondali ricchi rendono Amorgos una meta per subacquei esperti.
Villaggi di montagna come Tholaria e Langada custodiscono un modo di vivere lontano dal turismo di massa.
To see
What to see in Amorgos
Routes · Trovido Route
