Artemonas, the elegant village

Artemonas sits on the hill just north of Apollonia, a short walk along the lanes. It is the most elegant village on Sifnos: next to the white Cycladic houses stand neoclassical mansions with gardens and painted doorways, built by island families who made their money at sea and abroad. Above the village are the old windmills, and from the top you look down over the white villages, the fields 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. The poet Ioannis Gryparis was born on Sifnos, and the village's small folk exhibition keeps a few of his things.