By Nicolas Bard

Love, also known as Agapi, is one of the most iconic and old villages of Tinos. It is built at an altitude of 100 meters above the sea and overlooks the north side of the island. During the medieval times it was called “passage”, since the road was passing, leading to the then capital of the island. In the 18th century, the Parish Church of Our Lady was renamed the Church of St. Dear, which also gave this separate name to the village. Today, there is fewer than 100 permanent residents in love, but year after year it is gaining more and more fixed visitors who found their favorite Cycladic refuge in it.

The architecture of the settlement is of particular interest and makes it one of the most beautiful not only of Tinos but also of all the Cyclades. Traditional, white houses, labyrinthine straits with popular arches, natural springs and well with the laundry, form an authentic Cycladic setting, representative of the aesthetics of the island. The blooming bougainvilleas that spread out on the white paddocks, the terraces and the scorpion pigeons on the surrounding hills make this area of ​​the island unique and with identity.

From love begins the valley that ends in the plain of Komi and runs by a brook, which once was one of the largest rivers on the island. From there you can also walk to Grice area, where running waters, green and pigeons create a beautiful landscape. A short distance from the village, about 4 km north, is the pilgrimage of Our Lady of Vourniotissa. According to tradition, back to 1670, fishermen from Sklavochori identified a picture of the Virgin Mary floating at sea. They took her and started their way to their village. Along the way, they stopped in the chapel of St. John, to rest, and when they wanted to continue their way to the village, the picture was unobtrusive! The new one spread quickly, the residents of the surrounding villages gathered, a plea was held and the rebuilding work began. Today the miraculous icon is kept in the monastery of Kerrovouni.

As we mentioned earlier, you will see many graphic pigeons around the village, which is a trademark of the area. Edentally decorated, they are built in places protected from the wind and usually near some ravines. Their owners used them as cottages, stables or barns. The interior of the building is unobtrusive, as opposed to the exterior that is always plastered. The upper part of the walls is divided into small openings, to get the pigeons into the building, and not other birds, such as the buns. The Venetians, who arrived at the island in 1207 and left there in 1715, was likely to rearing the pigeons. The oldest chronology that is testified by Pigeons is in 1726, where a Catholic priest inherits his pigeon. However, it seems that the Venetians brought the pigeons to the island, because on the basis of their justice, Pigeon was an exclusive privilege of the island’s feudal lords.

The picturesque village of love is only 14 km from Chora and summer is full of life. Follow the new Tinos – Panormos road network (starting from Tripotamos Avenue) and passing the coma you will turn right to love. The inhabitants of the village will welcome you with a warm smile and make you feel at home.