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The route through the mountains from Apiranthos to Apollon is very scenic, and the road surface is in good condition all the way. Jagged ranges and hairpin bends confront you before reaching Koronos, the halfway point, where a road off to the right threads through a wooded valley to Lionas , a tiny and very Greek port with a pebble beach. You'd do better to continue, past Skadho, to the remote, emery-miners' village of KOMIAKI which is a pleasing, vine-covered settlement - the highest village in the island and the original home of kitron liqueur. Back on the main road, a series of slightly less hairy bends leads down a long valley to APOLLON (Apollonas), a small resort with two beaches: a tiny and crowded stretch of sand backed by cafes and restaurants, and a longer and quieter stretch of shingle, popular mainly with Greek families. If you are staying, try the friendly rooms of Maria (tel 02850/67 106; ?24-33) behind the harbour. The only major attraction is a kouros , approached by a path from the main road just above the village. Lying in situ at a former marble quarry, this largest of Naxos's abandoned stone figures is just over ten metres long, but, compared with those at Flerio, disappointingly lacking in detail. Here since 600 BC, it serves as a singular reminder of the Naxians' traditional skill; the famous Delian lions are also made of Apollonian marble. Not surprisingly, bus tours descend upon the village during the day, and Apollon is now quite a popular little place. The local festival, celebrated on August 28-29, is one of Naxos's best. From Naxos town there is now a daily bus service direct to Apollon (taking about an hour). It's easy to make a round trip of the north coast and inland villages by bus in either direction. The coastal road is spectacularly beautiful, going high above the sea for most of the way - it's more like parts of Crete or the mainland than other islands. Ten kilometres past the northern cape sprouts the beautiful Ayia pyrgos , or tower, another foundation (in 1717) of the Cocco family. There's a tiny hamlet nearby, and, 7km further along, a track leads off to Abrami beach, an idyllic spot with a highly recommended family-run taverna and rooms to let, Pension and Restaurant Efthimios (tel 02850/63 244; ?24-33). Just beyond the hamlet of Hilia Vryssi is the abandoned monastery of Faneromenis , built in 1606. Carrying on along the coastal road you will reach Engares valley, at the foot of which is another quiet beach, Amiti , which can be reached via one of two dirt tracks, the most obvious being the one leading down from Galini, only 6km from Hora. On the final stretch back to the port you pass a unique eighteenth-century Turkish fountain-house and the fortified monastery of Ayiou Ioannou Khryssostomou , where a couple of aged nuns are still in residence. A footpath from the monastery and the road below lead straight back to town.
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