Skopelos (alternative name: Scopelos) is an island, a province which is better known as the Northern Sporades and a municipality in the central part of the Sporades and the northeastern part of the island. The port of Skopelos in Skopelos Town, or Hora, is located in the northeastern part near the centre of the Island and serves the cities of Thessaloniki, Volos, Skiathos and Alonissos by hyrofoils or ferries.
The island is shaped from southeast to northwest, the length is from northwest to southeast and the width is from southwest to northeast. The nearest islands are Skiathos to the west and Alonissos to the east. It is located east of mainland Greece and Magnesia and northeast of Evia.
Because the island of Skopelos is defined by lush green forest and the blue of the sea the International Organization of Biopolitics, on July the 5th 1997, officially proclaimed it “Green & Blue Island”.
Similarly the town of Skopelos, with the Presidential Decree 594 – 13/11/78, was honored as a Traditional Settlement of outstanding beauty.
Skopelos has been inhabited since the Neolithic era based on findings. According to legend, the island’s first settler was Stafilos, son of Dionysos and Ariadne.
In the myth Stafilos is considered to have been the first settler and king of the island. He was sent from Minos’ (Cretian king), he built the ancient town and planted the first vines and the first olive trees on the island. From that point on, grapevines and olive trees were regularly grown on the island and became famous for their quality.
The island was called Peparithos until the 2nd century AD, when Ptolemy the geographer refers to it for the first time by the name ‘Skopelos’, obviously due to many reefs (skopelos in Greek) around.
In 1538 the pirate Barbarossa put an end to Turkish sovereignty when he attacked the island with 150 ships, sacked it, and killed the inhabitants.
Following the same spirit another pirate – this time a female – Adrina drowned herself in when her crew were slaughtered by Skopetians. Cape Adrina was named from her.