Kastro lies 500m above sea level in the mountains in the centre of
Thassos island. It’s around an hours drive from the capital
Limenas, although it can take a lot longer if you take the winding roads north of Kastro.
The word Kastro means castle in Greek and the walled village and the castle that used to stand here were used for protection against piracy for many years, it was abandoned when the locals moved to coastal regions for fishing or the lower lands for growing Olives and other farming.
Recently some of the houses have started to be restored and walking around them you get a small sense of what this place used to be like.
There’s also an ossuary or “bone room” where the remains of previous villagers are laid to rest. Even recent residents of the village or those that have moved away want to go there when they die. There’s several boxes in the ossuary, some with pictures of the people that are in there.
Kastro is well worth a visit. There’s the church of Agios Athanasios in the centre of the village, the photo opportunity of the old houses as well as the fantastic views of the entire island. Just take it easy on the tricky road that leads up the mountain, a 4×4 or quadbike makes the journey easier.
