Egglezonissi is a large and uninhabited islet of the Northern Euboean gulf, opposite Drossia beach in Chalkis. It is a verdant little paradise island with crystal clear waters that invites you to dive in! An exotic destination you must visit, only 45 minutes drive away from Athens city!
This little island has three sandy beaches, two in the eastern part and a large one that stretches from the eastern to the western part of the island and is an ideal destination for swimming. At the top hill of the island is located the picturesque white-blue church of Agios Nikolaos Neos. An island with many names (Ktyponissi or Egglezonissi or Gaidaros) and a rich history! Ruins and water tanks that have been discovered in the center of the island indicate that it was inhabited in the 6th and 7th centuries.
But why was it called Egglezonissi (ie English island in greek)? In 1930, the islet was rented to the English archaeologist Francis Turville-Petre, famous for discovering the 'Galilee Skull' in Africa, a human skull that belonged to a Neanderthal man, who had lived 200,000 to 300,000 years ago. Petre left Berlin in 1931 to settle permanently on the island, where he built his villa, which was the only building on the island. He chose this small island to be his retreat, for which the British writer Christopher Isherwood even wrote a novel (Down There on a visit, 1959). However, the villa was bombed during the Second World War, with the island's vegetation being destroyed as well. Some ruins of the house survive to this day.
Today this small island is once again verdant, comes alive mainly in the summer months and invites us to explore its secret paths!
