Kastro

The castle of Naxos is not a single fortress but a medieval town, inhabited without interruption since its foundation shortly after 1207. It stands on a low hill by the sea in the northwest of the island, commanding the harbour and the northern approach to the Paronaxia Strait. The Venetian noble Marco Sanudo, nephew of Doge Enrico Dandolo, seized the island from Genoese pirates after burning his own ships to force his wavering mercenaries into a final assault on the castle of Apaliros, which he then demolished. He built this new capital instead, later declaring himself vassal of the Latin emperor and taking the title Duke of the Archipelago. The Sanudo dynasty lasted until 1383, when Francesco Crispo murdered the last duke and founded his own line, which ruled until 1566. The fortified enclosure runs 675 metres around an area of 14,650 square metres, and much of the original form survives, including the residential quarter that grew alongside the defences.