The island of Tinos’s candidacy, submitted to the Greek National Tourism Organization, for the “European Destinations of Excellence” award in the “Cultural Tourism” division continues to pick up steam.
“Tinos: the Handmade Island“, the candidacy’s title taken from a phrase by Cornelius Castoriadis, expresses the island’s strongest merits for claiming the prize. As Deputy Mayor Anastasia Deligiannis stated, “Tinos, home to some of the greatest artists of later Greek history, such as Halepas, Gyzis and Lytras, is entitled to be part of such an initiative, as it pertains to culture, which is embedded all around our island’s streets, artwork, museums, and the unique architecture in our island’s 63 villages”.
(Video directed by Marineta Mak Kritikou)
The candidacy’s introduction stresses Tinos’ distinctive cultural, social, historical and architectural level. It also emphasizes the great religiosity of its people, as well as the island’s trademark for many years and to this day, the site of the greatest pilgrimage in Greece, the Church of the Evangelistria.
As is mentioned in the candidacy file, Tinos’ great advantage is that it has preserved, almost intact, the authentic character of local communities in all the island’s traditional settlements, creating a new kind of destination, where the visitor is no mere observer of the landscape or events, but an active member of the land’s social and cultural life.
