I like to quote an Aliki hotel owner:  "Few people find their way to our village but those who do, don't want to leave."  The same thought applies to the Folkloric Museum of the Cyclades located near the airport in Aliki.  This collection of re-creations of Greek history has been open for many years.  We enjoyed visiting it about six years ago and our guests who have taken the time away from sun, sea and sand say it was well worth the visit.

Every visitor to Paros has seen the Venetian Castle in the town skyline near the port.  It is constructed from pieces of ancient temples and local stone.  At the museum in Aliki you can see what it looked like in it’s 15th century heyday.

A very small percentage of Paros visitors have even known the museum exists.  That will change now due to a new web site by the founder’s daughter, Katrina.  She is a talented artist who has done an excellent job of describing her family background and picturing the development of her father’s accomplishments into a major attraction that is waiting to be discovered by a wider audience.

The founder, Benetos Skiadas, is an unparalleled artisan and craftsman who has poured his whole life into creating museum pieces of stone and wood.  To me the overwhelming feeling was how could one man do so much of such variety.

On the left is a close-up of one of many ships.  Each piece is assembled individually, all the lines to the sails actually work in their tiny pulleys!

On the right is an historical well and other exhibits in the background.

Words can not do it justice, you must tour the web site now and the museum when you visit Paros.