Samos is one of the most easterly Aegean islands, just off the coast
of Asia Minor and is renowned for its wines, particularly the white Muscat
found nowhere else. The island has some of the highest mountains in the Aegean,
it name - Samos - means high in Phoenician. The varied landscape with lush
greenery and archaeological sites enthralls the visitor.
The birthplace of many a philosopher and mathematician in antiquity, as
Epikouros, Aristarches, Pythagoras and others. Samos achieved its greatest
prosperity during the reign of the tyrant Polycrates, becoming one of the most
powerful city-states of Ionia.
The capital, Samos Town, Vathi as it is locally known, is built on the green
slopes surrounding the deepest bay of the island and has retained its
characteristic appearance with its attractive neo classical houses, old mansions
with pastel facades. The town boasts of two major museums: the Archaeological
Museum with displays of ancient sculptures, including the celebrated Kouros of
Samos, vases and objects from the Geometric and Archaic eras, most of which were
found at Heraion - the Sanctuary of Hera, the main archaeological site of the
island; the Byzantine Museum with relics from Samian monasteries.