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From Sangri the road twists northeast into the Tragea region, scattered with olive trees and occupying a vast highland valley. It's a good jumping-off point for all sorts of exploratory rambling, and HALKI is a fine introduction to what is to come. Set high up, 16km from the port, it's a noble and silent town with some lovely churches. The Panayia Protothronis church, with its eleventh-to thirteenth-century frescoes, and the romantic Grazia (Frangopoulos) Pyrgos , are open to visitors, but only in the morning. Tourists wanting to stay here are still something of a rarity, although you can usually get a room in someone's house by asking at the store. Yiannis taverna is the focal point of village activity and has a good selection of fresh mezedhes to enjoy with a glass of ouzo. Nearby is the distillery and shop of Vallindras Naxos Citron, whose charming proprietors explain the process of producing this speciality citrus liqueur ( kitron ), followed by a little tasting session. The olive and citrus plantations surrounding Halki are crisscrossed by paths and tracks, the groves dotted with numerous Byzantine chapels and the ruins of fortified pyrgi or Venetian mansions. Between Halki and Akadhimi, but closer to the latter, sits the peculiar twelfth-century "piggyback" church of Ayii Apostoli , with a tiny chapel (where the ennobled donors worshipped in private) perched above the narthex; there are brilliant thirteenth-century frescoes as well. The road from Halki heads north to MONI . Just before the village, you pass the sixth-century monastery of Panayia Dhrossiani , a group of stark, greystone buildings with some excellent frescoes; the monks allow visits at any time, though you may have to contend with coach tours from Naxos Town. Moni itself enjoys an outstanding view of the Tragea and surrounding mountains, and has four tavernas, plus some rooms. The main road leads on to Kinidharos, with an old marble quarry above the village; a few kilometres beyond, a signpost points you down a rough track to the left, to FLERIO (commonly called Melanes). The most interesting of the ancient marble quarries on Naxos, this is home to two famous kouri , dating from the sixth century BC, that were left recumbent and unfinished because of flaws in the material. Even so, they're finely detailed figures, over five metres in length. One of the statues lies in a private, irrigated orchard; the other is up a hillside some distance above, and you will need to seek local guidance to find it. From Flerio you could retrace your steps to the road and head back to Hora via Myli and the ruined Venetian castle at Kouronohori, both pretty hamlets connected by footpaths. If you're feeling more adventurous, ask to be directed south to the footpath which leads over the hill to the Potamia villages. The first of these, ANO POTAMIA , has a fine taverna and a rocky track back towards the Tragea. Once past the valley the landscape becomes craggy and barren, the forbidding Venetian fortress of Apano Kastro perched on a peak just south of the path. This is believed to have been Sanudo's summer home, but the fortified site goes back further, if the Mycenaean tombs found nearby are any indication. From the fort, paths lead back to Halki in around an hour. Alternatively, you can continue further southwest down the Potamia valley towards Hora, passing first the ruined Cocco Pyrgos - said to be haunted by one Constantine Cocco, the victim of a seventeenth-century clan feud - on the way to MESO POTAMIA , joined by some isolated dwellings with its twin village KATO POTAMIA , nestling almost invisibly among the greenery flanking the creek. At the far end of the gorgeous Tragea valley, FILOTI , the largest village in the region, lies on the slopes of Mount Zas (or Zeus) which, at 1000m, is the highest point in the Cyclades. Under the shade of the plane trees on the main platia are several pleasant kafenia, as well as Babulas Grill-Restaurant (tel 02850/31 426; up to ?24), which has the best rooms in the village. To get an idea of the old village, climb the steps up the hill starting at the platia. A turning at the southern end of the village is signposted to the Pyrgos Himarou , a remote twenty-metre Hellenistic watchtower, and Kalandou beach on the south coast; beyond the turning the road is unpaved. There are no villages in this part of the island, so bring supplies if you're planning to camp. From the village, it's a round-trip walk of three to four hours to the summit of Zas, a climb which rewards you with an astounding panorama of virtually the whole of Naxos and its Cycladic neighbours. From the main Filoti-Apollon road, take the side road towards Dhanakos until you reach a small chapel on the right, just beside the start of the waymarked final approach trail. (Save yourself the rather tedious walk along the tarmac road by taking the bus towards Apollon and asking the driver to let you off at the Dhanakos turning. There is a sign before the turnoff to the Zas Cave, a pleasant place for a picnic, but not a good point from which to tackle the steep ascent to the summit.) APIRANTHOS , a hilly, winding 10km beyond, shows the most Cretan influence of all the interior villages. There are four small museums and two Venetian fortified mansions, while the square contains a miniature church with a three-tiered bell tower. Ask to be pointed to the start of the spectacular path up over the ridge behind; this ends either in Moni or Kaloxilos, depending on whether you fork right or left respectively at the top. Cafes and tavernas on the main street look out over a terraced valley below. Rooms are available but are not advertised - ask in the cafes or in the embroidery shop. Apiranthos is a good quiet place to stay for a few days, and being high in the mountains is noticeably cooler and greener than the coast. Apiranthos has a beach annexe of sorts at Moutsouna , 12km east. Emery mined near Apiranthos used to be transported here by means of an aerial funicular and then shipped out of the port. The industry collapsed in the 1980s, and the sandy cove beyond the dock now features a growing colony of holiday villas. An unpaved road heads south along the coast to a remote sandy beach at Psili Ammos - ideal for self-sufficient campers, but you must take enough water. From here a track carries on to Panormos beach in the southeastern corner of the island.
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