Zakynthos island has two faces. It also has two names - the Venetians called this Ionian island
Zante, and even the airlines bringing returning visitors every year can't quite decide which name to use. No wonder
Zakynthos, third largest of the
Ionian islands, can seem to be having something of an identity crisis. Does its true identity lie in the craggy outcrops of the rocky north - which look like remote Cornish coastline transported to a paradise of palm trees and constant sun - or in the sandy beaches and club life ofthe south? Is this an island for lyric poets or late-night clubbers?
The answer is both, and the two tribes manage to coexist happilywith barelya glimpse of each other. If you have ever wanted to swim in the legendary cerulean waters of
Zakynthos, there's no need to be deterred by rumours of rowdy revelry. Head for the northern coast with its dramatic lava-formed rock formations against an iridescent turquoise sea.And as
Zakynthos has reputedly more annual sunshinethan any other Greek island, bliss and relaxation are pretty much guaranteed. Like all of
Greece this place is rich in mytho-history Named after the grandson of Zeus, Homer referred to it as 'verdant', the Greek national poet Solomos (a Zakynthian himself) called it a "flower-strewn floating garden - a pearl, a sparkling diamond". The rich literary and cultural tradition here led to the
'School of Zakynthos' which flourished in the 19th century. Roman, Byzantine, and Venetian architectural influences thrived.
And then, in 1953, an earthquake destroyed seventy percent of the island's buildings, including almost all of
Zakynthos island's Venetian heritage. Although morethan half a century ago, this is the trauma which has shaped modern life here. The recovery programme is extensive - new build is ubiquitous and every road seems to have boards advertising properties to rent or buy. Preservation orders and architectural controls - no high-rise buildings are allowed - have kept development aesthetically acceptable, and English visitors are snapping up the newvillas all around the coast. The intensive tourism ofthe south-east is one aspect of economic revival after the devastation: from the port of
Zakynthos right round to
Laganas development is, well, hedonistic. Yet the northern peninsular and the undeveloped centre ofthe island still offer peaceful retreats and ethic greek culture. A forty-minute drive northward from
Zakynthos airport will take you tothe harbour of Agios Nikolaos - not to be confused with its lively namesake on the other side - which ,though sometimes busy at lunchtimes when coach tours pull in, is delightfully quiet at other times. FU funding has allowed the fishermen to make the harbour deeper and if you drop a bait from the end of thejetty, the sea seems to boil with fish.
