To wrap up our definitive tour of Aegean fortifications, we must visit Syros, the administrative capital of the Cyclades. Unlike other destinations where fortresses stand as isolated military ruins or coastal walls, on Syros, the castle is a fully inhabited medieval fortified town crowning the island’s highest hill.
- The Kastro of Ano Syros: Founded by the Venetians around the year 1200, this settlement was engineered with a purely defensive layout to protect the population from relentless Aegean pirate raids. The urban design is a concentric labyrinth: the white stone houses were built tightly pressed together facing inward, meaning their thick, windowless rear exterior walls formed the impenetrable defensive boundary of the castle itself.
- The Historic Gates: Because of its defensive design, wheeled vehicles were—and still are—completely banned inside the complex. Foot traffic flows entirely through steep stone stairways and covered vaulted tunnels known as stegadia. The kastro originally featured seven fortified entry gates. Today, three main gates survive, including the famous Portara (the grand main entrance) and the Kamara gate.
- The Cathedral of Saint George (Agios Georgios): Standing at the absolute summit of the fortified hill is the imposing Catholic Cathedral of Saint George. Established during the Venetian rule, it represents the deep-rooted Catholic heritage of Ano Syros' residents. From the courtyard of this church-fortress, you get a perfect military vantage point over the sea, stretching far enough to spot the fortress ruins of Xombourgo on Tinos and even the Kastro of Naxos on clear days.
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