Cheeses of Naxos
The greenest of the Cyclades, an island of farms and herds whose graviera is the best known island cheese of Greece.
Made, aged and sold here
Best time: May to June and September to October.
Naxos is the largest island of the Cyclades, with fertile valleys, mountain villages and pastures that set it apart from its drier neighbours. Cows, sheep and goats graze its uplands, and Naxos makes several cheeses, the best known being Graviera Naxou, a protected hard cheese made mostly from cow's milk with some sheep and goat milk.
Island cheeses
Graviera of Naxos is a hard cheese with a sweet, nutty taste, aged for at least three months. Arseniko is a sharp, hard sheep and goat cheese. Xynomyzithra and xynotyro are soft sour fresh cheeses, used in salads and pies. Kefalotyri, hard and salty, is grated over pasta. The island co-operative in the main town sells them all.
Villages and the sea
Chora, the main town, has a Venetian castle quarter and the giant marble gateway of an unfinished temple. Inland, villages such as Halki, Filoti and Apiranthos have marble lanes, old towers and tavernas serving local meat and cheese. The west coast has long sandy beaches, and potatoes from Naxos are famous across Greece.
A trail idea for Naxos
- Chora The harbour town and the Portara gateway.
- Co-operative shop Taste graviera and arseniko from island farms.
- Halki A village of the Tragea valley, known for citron liqueur.
- Apiranthos A marble-paved mountain village.
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Naxos" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets, caves and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Graviera: Catlemur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source