The Byzantine-Venetian castle crowns the great rock at the top of Skyros Town, rising above the maze of white houses in a way that makes the whole settlement look like it is leaning against it for support. The fortifications date from the Venetian period, though Greeks, Byzantines, and ancient peoples had all used this natural stronghold before them. The climb to the top is steep and rewarding: the panorama takes in the northern forest, the southern badlands, the Aegean in every direction, and the beach at Magazia far below.
Within the castle walls sits the Monastery of Saint George, founded in 962 AD according to tradition, making it one of the older religious foundations in the Aegean. The monastery church is still used and its whitewashed walls glow in the afternoon light. The setting — a functioning monastery inside a medieval fortress on an island — is as picturesque as anywhere in Greece.