
Mykonos Castle
Ruined hilltop fortress whose broken towers and sea wall once sheltered an island that later sheltered pirates.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Mykonos Castle starts in 1759, when islanders tow a wrecked ship home to repair it, only for its captain to turn out to be a pirate they patch up anyway. From there it traces the fortress the Venetian Ghisi brothers raised after 1207, three centuries of walls, towers and churches meant to keep raiders out, and the moment in 1537 those defenses gave way to the Ottoman admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa. You'll hear how the town's relationship with the sea's outlaws shifted over the following centuries. Look for the whitewashed church marking where the castle's side gate once stood.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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