Syros' Paths final- EN

He pioneered the revival of a network of trails in 21 Cycladic islands, actively contributing to the protection of the environment and the promotion of cultural heritage.

"Is it the same to reach the city of ancient Thira from the cobblestones that starts from the medieval village of Pyrgos and goes up to Profitis Ilias, by following the concrete road that, from the tourist resort of Kamari, ends at the same place?" says Tassos Anastasiou, a man who dedicated 25 years of his life to reviving the paths in the Cyclades. An employee of the Prefecture of Cyclades, he contributed to the restoration of the Cycladic paths and their emergence in routes of cultural interest, which now exceed 600 km in 21 of the 24 Cycladic islands.

Result? Off-season tourism is constantly increasing, the islands are finding a new way to strengthen the local economy and the environment is being protected in the most effective way.

On what occasion did you deal with the trails? At a younger age, traveling to islands for holidays, where I was walking. At some point, I realized that the history of the islands was recorded in their own paths. So, while I was studying Law, I decided not to take up the profession and in 1984, at the age of 26, I settled in Syros. There was no reason. I just wanted to be in my living space, the islands. I started working in the press office of the prefecture and in the summer of 1995, as the head of the Culture Department of the Prefecture of Cyclades, the first actions for the restoration and promotion of the paths began. A good circumstance was that the students of the Departments of Environment and Social Anthropology of the Universities of the Aegean and Crete asked us to do a summer internship in the Cyclades.

Why do you consider it important to restore the paths of the Cyclades? The path is not a museum-preserved communication path of other times, it is the passage that leads to what nature hides as historically and truly significant. And we, from classic tourists, become travelers, interpret and experience the landscape, in its secret, invisible side.

Where can we walk today?  We have managed to characterize as routes of cultural interest over 600 kilometers in 21 of the 24 islands of the Cyclades. More specifically, there are now complete touring networks on the islands of Andros, Tinos, Kea, Amorgos and Irakleia. At the same time, the promotion actions in the networks of Santorini and Anafi are completed. The other islands follow.

What does it mean, in practice, to "restore paths"?  Some connections between settlements are selected, accesses to shores or points of interest that are inaccessible by road and are cleared of vegetation and debris, stone structures and paving restorations, and signage.

The restoration process seems simple, but 15 years have passed since the first pilot application and the projects have not been completed yet. What are the difficulties? First of all, the distrust of the local authorities but also of the world itself. No one had believed in their value. Today we are at the opposite point, and from our characterization as ethereal, we have reached every island to have a group of people fighting for the trails. Secondly, many actions were carried out by road contractors, with the result that many works were not carried out in the traditional way, but through formal public works procedures, resulting in the improper execution of works. In Tinos, the paths were dismantled, in Amorgos a piece only 12 km long cost in 2000 14.3 million drachmas (ie 42,000 euros)! So, from 2006 we started working with local workshops and at the lowest possible cost, where the grandparents and fathers of the workers have inherited their experience,

How do the locals themselves deal with the revival of the trails? From two sides. On the one hand, there is the fear that data will be created so that they can not build and invest themselves and, on the other hand, they see the attraction of people and become environmentally aware through the workshops and the tourist promotion. It is a process of awareness at a slow pace.

After all, are the visitors, to whom the paths are now addressed, walking?  An ever-increasing interest has begun to be observed. The slogan "Sun and sea" no longer exists. In the company there is a discussion about whether they will take the car to go to the beach or will go on foot. But the numbers speak for themselves. In Kea, Amorgos, and even Andros, the mobility of off-season tourism is constantly increasing.

Aren't you afraid that eventually the paths, instead of contributing to the protection of the environment, will alter the natural landscapes from the passage of the world? Reviving and protecting trails is one of our weapons to curb the reactions of local contractors and protect the natural environment. At the same time, the locals, seeing that the paths help in the development of tourism, become aware and are vigilant for any illegalities. The result is that with the revival of the paths, its natural peculiarities are highlighted and it develops gently in the long run.

Andros: Existence of a network of 10 marked routes and creation of the Cultural Travel Guide "Journey to Andros".
Tinos:  Creation of a network of 10 marked routes and the 20-page publication "Journey to Tinos".
Kea:  Network of 12 marked routes and simultaneous creation of the 20-page publication "Journey to Kea", a detailed tour map presenting the routes. Also, operation of an Information Center in Ioulida.
Amorgos:  Creation of a network of 8 marked routes and publication of the Cultural Travel Guide "Journey to Amorgos".
Irakleia:  Network of 8 marked routes.