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Samos
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Samos Island
The Prefecture of Samos consists of:
The island of Samos located by the shores of Asia Minor,
The island of Ikaria situated to the west of Samos and
The island group of Fournoi (Fourni, Thimena and Agios
Minas) stretching to the north east of Samos and south east of Ikaria.
 Samos is the principal island of the Prefecture with some spectacular
scenery including mountain villages, sandy beaches and rocky coves.
The island covers an area of 491 km2 and has a coastline of 159 km.
Its land is mountainous; with its highest peak Mount Kerkis (1437 m)
it is only 1500 meters away from the coast of Asia Minor (seven stage
straits) where the Greek Culture of Ancient Ionia bloomed. This
favourable location played a significant role for it development.
It is possible that the name Samos was given to the island
by the Phoenicians and it means "a place somewhere high". However it was known
by several other names: Parthenia, Imvrasia, Anthemis, Dryousa, Doryssa, Phyllas
etc
Samos has been a holiday destination for over two decades
and as such has an excellent infrastructure, but hardly any signs of
over-development. Even those places that carry the label of "the most important
tourist destinations" - a label that would usually cause us to make a wide berth
and head for the hills - turned out to retain plenty of local character. We
would be perfectly happy to while away an afternoon or two in the 'major
resorts' of Pythagorion (named after the island's most famous son, Pythagoras)
and Kokkari. The lesser-known corners of the island can accurately be described
as wonderfully unspoilt.
Myth of Pythagoras
 The philosopher, mathematician and musician Pythagoras (580-500 BC) was a personality with many interests, who combined mathematically the cosmological beliefs of Orpheus and gave functions and qualitative characteristics to numbers. He introduced the Orphipythagorian mysteries. He shaped the Pythagorean School of Philosophy and was known for his theorem. The systematisation of and the development of the eight-string music make Pythagoras a true inventor of music. He also introduced music for therapeutic reasons.
The Samians
 In a country that is as famed for its hospitality and the friendliness of
its people as Greece is, it might seem pedantic to single out individual islands for special mention, but it would be fair to say that together with the Lesvians, the Samians offer the warmest welcome in all of Greece.
 The Samians are simple, kind and welcoming people. Perhaps it is the unique qualities of the local wine (the famously sweet dessert wine which is exported all over Europe) that make the Samians such a friendly bunch, or it may simply be the joy of living on an island that has succeeded in striking just the right balance between cosmopolitan openness and traditional, local charm.
Nature
 What makes Samos such an appealing proposition for the explorer is the
island's stunning scenic diversity: from rugged mountains and wooded hillsides to steep valleys and fertile plains, Samos has it all.
An abundance of natural springs makes this one of the greenest island in the Aegean, and we were relieved to find that the damage caused by the forest fires of July 2000 has been wildly exaggerated in the European media. Admittedly, the island's lush beauty has been blemished in places, but away from the worst affected area just west of the airport, vast pine forests, sprawling olive groves, shady clusters of plane trees, extensive vineyards and lovingly tended vegetable fields continue to cloak the land in every conceivable shade of green.
 Spring starts early but the best months for flowers are March and April. Blue muscari is everywhere during these two months, but special to Samos is the yellow, sweetly –scented muscari. Orchids also are common, but they often blend so well into the surroundings that they are overlooked.
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