Terrain

The root of the name “Serifos” allegedly derives from the word “sterfos” (/’stεrfos/), which in Greek means infertile, dry, petrified –words that can also be used to describe the terrain of the island. There may be sparse scattered vineyards and some cultivated fields here and there, but in its largest part the island is covered by stone and dry low vegetation.

Its altitude is higher than most of the Cyclades islands, with Troulos being its highest peak reaching 580m, followed by the slightly shorter mountain Petrias. The landscape is complemented by small hills and meadows, surrounded by natural coves and bays, on the perimeter of Serifos, which are generously offering its visitors countless magnificent beaches.

The island has many (mapped or not) trails for the lovers of hiking, as well as pleasant routes that one can enjoy, with the “wild” natural beauty and the deep blue of the Aegean sea by their side.

The subsoil of Serifos, rich in iron ores, resulted in its mining exploitation at the end of the 19^th century and thus managed to monopolize the island’s modern history. Some of the minerals that one can find are the garnet, the hematite, the galena and the diopside, while the deposit of magnetite has been one of the greatest in Greece. There is also significant amount of white and of the -extremely rare- green quartz.