Architecture

The human creations of outstanding aesthetics, which are characterized by moderation and plasticity are integrated harmoniously into the natural beauty of the landscape and make Sifnos one of the most prized islands for its local culture, its architecture and the quality of its population, who always keep the island neat.

In Sifnos there are 13 villages and beaches that are inhabited all year round and most of their buildings follow the tradition. The central villages of the island and some seaside villages are designated and protected as “areas of outstanding natural beauty” since 1962.

The basic characteristics of the sifnian architecture are: the white houses, the flat roofs (in order to collect the valuable rainwater in cisterns), the “flaros” (earthen chimney covers on the rooftops), the paved yards and the paths with their white joints, the windmills, the dovecotes, the countless monasteries and country churches and of course the dry walls (forming terraces) all over the island. The dry walls are used to keep the earth and the rainwater in the fields, to separate the properties and they are the result of the hard work of thousands of people for centuries.

The villages of Sifnos are characterized by multiformity. The town planning at the area of Kastro for example (which has been inhabited uninterruptedly from the ancient times until today) is totally different from the town planning of the other villages of the island, since its character is purely defensive. Despite the years that have passed, it still maintains its medieval character unchangeable.

Nowadays, students from America and from Europe come to admire and study the Cycladic and bioclimatic architecture in Sifnos.