What did the Greek islands look like before modernization and tourism transformed them?
From the 16th century to the early 20th century, these islands were visited by European travelers – botanists, diplomats, adventurers – who left behind unique accounts of the landscapes, ancient ruins, and the everyday lives of the inhabitants. Through their stories, we gain a rare glimpse into a bygone era.
A large part of these testimonies could have been lost if it weren’t for institutions like the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation. The foundation is a center for research and education, dedicated to promoting Greek culture both nationally and internationally. Its work covers a wide range of fields, from literature and history to maritime research and the preservation of historical documents.
Part of their digital initiative is Travelogues, a project led by historian Ioli Vingopoulou. The platform collects material from travel accounts about the Greek islands and the entire Eastern Mediterranean from the 15th century onward. Its purpose is to provide researchers and the general public with access to these unique testimonies while highlighting Greek culture and history in an international context.
For those interested in exploring further, Travelogues is also available in English: http://eng.travelogues.gr/
Travelers in the Greek Islands (1500–1900)
The travelers who journeyed through the Aegean Sea from the 16th century to the early 20th century did so for many different reasons. Some were pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land, others were diplomats on missions to the Ottoman capital. Merchants sought new markets, scholars and lovers of antiquity mapped the region’s history, and from the mid-19th century onward, journeys made purely for leisure became increasingly common.
The Greek islands lay along these sea routes but did not form a unified world. Some were under Venetian or Genoese control, while others were subject to the Ottoman Empire. Regardless of the ruling power, travelers often encountered a reality that differed from their expectations. They sought the lost antiquity but also discovered a vibrant archipelago where people struggled, worked, and adapted to the conditions set by nature and history. Some islands were nearly deserted, while others thrived through trade and seafaring. Through their testimonies, we gain insight into both sides of the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.
This article is a first glimpse into the stories and images preserved from the travelers’ time in the Greek islands. Here, we highlight selected moments and accounts that offer a sense of the world they encountered – an exploration we will delve deeper into in the upcoming parts. All material in this article is published with permission from the Laskarides Foundation.
Syros
During the 19th century, Syros underwent an incredibly dramatic transformation. From being relatively unknown among the Greek islands, it became one of the Mediterranean’s most important commercial centers. Here, East, and West converged in a bustling hub of trade and culture.
J. Emerson Tennent was an Irish politician and lawyer. His travel accounts are a blend of travel narrative and political reflections, often based on second-hand information. His work includes one of the earliest views of Syros, from a time when the island was establishing itself as an important port in the Aegean Sea.
Among the journeys he describes is the voyage aboard the steamship Francesco I, the first cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean, organized by the architect Marchebeus in 1833 and later recounted in his travel chronicle from 1839.
The work of photographer F. F. Boissonnas, from the early 20th century, was groundbreaking in the history of photography. His images of Syros and other locations unite landscapes and people in perfect harmony.
During the second half of the 19th century, Syros gained increased attention in the European press. British newspapers such as The Illustrated London News and The Graphic published detailed wood engravings depicting the island’s landscape, population, and social life. These images, based on travelers’ sketches and notes, provided a wider audience with a visual insight into both everyday life on Syros and major events in the Greek world, ranging from political upheavals to natural disasters.
Patmos
In 1801, mineralogist Edward Daniel Clarke and his travel companions visited the monastery on Patmos, where they were granted permission to enter its library. What they encountered was a chaotic collection of books and manuscripts, where dust, moths, and mold had begun to take over.
Note: The text is a summary of an extensive article in Lifo magazine about the Laskarides Foundation’s online sessions on the Greek islands before modernization.
On the shelves stood printed books, which the monks valued most, while the hand-written manuscripts lay in disordered piles on the floor. Among them, traveler Clarke made some astonishing discoveries: a forgotten Platonic dialogue, a lexicon by Cyril of Alexandria, and volumes of ancient Greek hymns, complete with early musical notation. The monks agreed to sell some of the manuscripts—but only under the condition that the transaction be kept secret from the island’s inhabitants.
But the deal did not go as planned. As the travelers’ ship was ready to set sail and the manuscripts had yet to be delivered, they believed they had been deceived. Then, a man appeared on the shore with a large basket and gave a discreet signal. A boat was sent out to him, and he called out that he was delivering bread.
Edward Daniel Clarke himself describes in detail how the exchange took place:
“The man came aboard, cast a meaningful glance at us, and said loudly, ‘The Hegumen (Prior) has ordered me to take the basket back empty, and he asks that you count the loaves to ensure they are correct.’ We understood at once. We hurried aside, overturned the basket, and to our delight found Plato’s dialogue, Cyril’s lexicon, and other manuscripts. We quickly hid them, handed back the basket along with a small bakshish (tip), and everything went exactly as we had hoped.”
However, the smuggling affair did not remain a secret. The incident caused a scandal, and as early as the following year, 1802, an inscription in hexameter verse was carved at the library’s entrance. It reads:
“Within lie brilliant manuscripts.
To the wise man, they are more precious than gold.
Therefore, preserve them with the greatest care,
More than your own life.
For thanks to these writings, the monastery has become radiant.”
A Danish woman on Sikinos, 1850
In the 19th century, Greece was ruled by King Otto and Queen Amalia. The queen had a Danish personal pastor whose wife was Christiane Lüth. During her thirteen-year stay in the country, she frequently traveled around the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. In her writings, she refrains from using academic terms, describing the people and islands in a simple, clear manner with a friendly and objective tone.
We arrived at the island of Sikinos around noon and found a simple harbor with two old boats. After some persuasion, we managed to get donkeys and began ascending a steep hill toward the village under the hot sun. We paused for a while at a well, where the view was vast and clear.
In the village, we were greeted by the Health Officer on a terrace, and we were soon surrounded by villagers who offered us coffee. The mayor arrived and invited us to his house, where his wife spoke to us kindly.
We also visited the church of Episkopi, built on an ancient temple dedicated to Apollo. Columns and marble from the old pagan temple are still prominently visible in and around the church building. On the way there, the priest offered us bread, olives, and raw beans. On the way back from the church, we visited a young weaver and had the chance to see her craftsmanship.
When we returned to the village, we were once again met by the mayor and the villagers. They wanted to hear about our excursion and what we thought of their island.
Note: The text above is a summary of an extensive article in Lifo magazine about the Laskarides Foundation’s online sessions on the Greek islands before modernization.
Paros
Choiseul-Gouffier, a French nobleman and travel writer, visited Paros during his first journey to Greece in 1776. In Voyage pittoresque de la Grèce, he described how the island’s marble, renowned for its purity and transparency, had once shaped some of Greece’s greatest works of art.
However, he was not only fascinated by the island’s marble quarries but also by its local life, documenting both landscapes and people. His accounts spread across Europe, helping to enhance the island’s mythical status as a place where the ancient heritage still lived.
Santorini
The volcanic island of Santorini, otherworldly and captivating, followed the same historical fate as the rest of the Cyclades, transitioning from Venetian to Ottoman rule. After centuries of foreign dominion, the island became part of the modern Greek state in the 19th century. It was during this period of change that Christopher Wordsworth published his richly illustrated work, Greece, Pictorial, Descriptive. More a historical account than a travel narrative, it gained significant popularity with the public.
Christopher Wordsworth was a distinguished classical scholar and Bishop of Lincoln. He traveled through Greece in 1832–1833 and was the first British citizen to be received by King Otto.
Wordsworth documented his travels through meticulous archaeological observations, with vivid depictions of the places he visited at the forefront. By connecting modern locations with their ancient counterparts, Wordsworth provides us with a captivating portrayal of Greece’s history. His work combines intellectual rigor with personal enthusiasm, making it a fascinating read for those wishing to explore Greece’s rich past through the eyes of a knowledgeable traveler.
The beginning of a longer journey
Here we conclude the first stage of our expedition through Greece, seen through the eyes of foreign travelers. Their diaries, sketches, and letters have revived an Aegean landscape long reshaped by the passage of time—but the glimpses we have shared are merely the beginning of a much more extensive account.
We will delve deeper into these travelers’ experiences and observations in future articles. We will follow their paths through communities, villages, ancient ruins, and coastal landscapes that have since undergone significant changes. The travelers’ documentation serves as an important historical resource, shedding light on cultural traditions, architecture, and everyday life from a time when travel was reserved for a privileged few.
By comparing their accounts with today’s reality, we also gain perspective on the development of tourism in the region—both its contribution to economic growth and its profound impact on local communities. Their notes and images thus become a valuable reference point for understanding the transformation of the islands over the past centuries.
Sources:
Texts, images, photographs, and maps are published with permission from the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation. The material is based on the Foundation’s extensive archives, where the travelers’ testimonies are documented: https://www.laskaridisfoundation.org/en/
Argyro Bozonis’s article in Lifo magazine has also been an important reference in this compilation.
Further Reading:
The website TravelTrails is a collaboration between the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation and the Gennadius Library. The site serves as a comprehensive database of travel accounts from the Eastern Mediterranean between the 16th and 20th centuries. It is available in Greek, Turkish, and English: https://traveltrails.gr.
Related Articles
By comparing these historical accounts with modern travel narratives, we gain a unique perspective on how the islands and the experience of traveling have changed over the centuries. For those curious about what it was like to explore the Greek islands in more recent times, the article series Uffe’s Greek Wanderings is recommended. It depicts island life during the 1970s and 1980s—a period when mass tourism had just begun, yet the islands still retained much of their traditional character.
- Ulf’s carefree Greek roamings, part 1
- Ulf’s carefree Greek roamings, part 2
- Ulf’s carefree Greek roamings, part 3