Past and present 3

Past and present 3

Greece
Aegean Sea
Dodecanese
Astipalea island

Astipalea belongs to the Dodecanese group of Aegean islands and has a long history being inhabited since the Neolithic era. Homer also refer to her. During the ages she has known many occupations from Romans, Byzantines, Venetians, Ottomans and lately by Italians as the rest of the Dodecanese group till 1948 that finaly were rendered to the Greek state. The island is loaded with Byzantine relics, Old Byzantine Orthodox churches, Catholic churches, Venetian castles, Ottoman mosques all of them nicely coexisting and adding not only history but also beauty to the island.
Only people cannot coexist peacefuly and bring hatred and disaster to surface...

The photo is taken in the imposing castle, on the highest point of the island, built by the Venetians around the 14th century where among the ruins were also built Orthodox and Catholic churches perpetuating the complex history of the island...