Sifnos · Apollonia & the hill villages · Αρτεμώνας
Artemonas, the elegant village
Artemonas sits about 2 km north of Apollonia, a short walk along the lanes. It is the most elegant village on Sifnos: beside the white Cycladic houses stand neoclassical mansions with gardens and painted doorways, built by island families who made their money at sea and abroad, and the whole village has been protected as a traditional settlement since 1978. Above it are the old windmills, and from the top you look down over the white villages, the terraces and dovecotes to Kastro and the sea. It is quieter than Apollonia, with a small square, a much-loved bakery and a few good places to eat.
Mansions, windmills and old churches on the hill above the capital
The story of Artemonas
Its name is usually linked to Artemis, twin sister of the Apollo of Apollonia next door. Its oldest potteries were here and at Ano Petali, inland and out of sight of pirates, before the potters moved down to the coast once the seas were safe.
Look into the churches. Agios Konstantinos, probably from the first half of the 15th century, is a three-aisled vaulted basilica, a plan found nowhere else on Sifnos. Panagia tis Kochis has a marble templon and fine icons, and on 15 August its courtyard fills with music, dancing and treats. At Panagia tou Gourna, on the edge of Ano Petali just south, hangs the Wheel of Life, an icon by the island's priest-painter Defterevon.
Artemonas takes its turn with Apollonia as host of the Sifnian carnival on the last Sunday before Lent, when islanders act out sketches about local life and the year's news, and the best are given prizes. The poet Ioannis Gryparis was born on Sifnos, and the village's small folk exhibition keeps a few of his things.
Where to stay
Where you'll wake up in Artemonas
Artemonas
Count the stars from your veranda above Artemonas
Verina Astra · Boutique suites · €€€
Where to eat
Tables we love in Artemonas
Artemonas · Apollonia & the hill villages
Good to know
Before you go to Artemonas
Getting there
Walk from Apollonia along the lanes in about twenty minutes, or take the bus. The road on to Cherronisos and the empty north starts here.
When to go
Late afternoon, for the walk up to the windmills at sunset; or 15 August, for the feast at Panagia tis Kochis.
More of Sifnos
Villages you'll want to see next
Apollonia & the hill villages
Apollonia
Three white hills that ran together into a capital, with the Steno for a main street
Kastro & the east coast
Kastro
A medieval village whose houses are its walls, on a cliff lived on since antiquity
Kamares & the west
Kamares
The port in a deep bay, with potters on the shore and the sunset straight ahead
Fall for more of Sifnos
Every stay we recommend across Sifnos, from village guesthouses to rooms on the sea.
See all staysLast updated