In the southern Evia, in the municipal district of Eretria, 90 minutes from Athens, there are two green earthly paradises of a few acres of land.
Pezonisi (or “Island of Dreams”) connected by a bridge to the city of Eretria.
And the Holy Trinity (Agia Triada) of 50 acres, located right next door and is accessible by boat or helicopter at 10 minutes distance from the coast of Eretria.
The Island
The island of about 50 acres belongs to the Papanikolaou family.
It was bought in 1958 by Sophocles Papanikolaou who was the General Curator of the Royal Sponsorship of the Greek Kings George II, Paul and Constantine.
According to the rumors of the time and the testimonies of the locals, the sale was made for a cheap price by three fishermen who needed the money to marry their sister.
Queen Frederica checked in here
Sophocles himself took care of planting many trees and fruits and vegetables on the island while undertaking the construction of a family house, the church of the Holy Trinity and the bell on the beach, all according to the architectural standards of the 60s.
This island became incredibly famous in high society circles and competed in brilliance with both Onassis’s Island of Scorpio and Niarchos’ island of Spetsopoula.
The island experienced incredible glory in the 60’s. Frequent visitors were Queen Frederick, as the owner of Lilikas Papanikolaou was the lady in charge of the Palace, with her children Sophia, Irene, and Constantine, the Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie, artists, businessmen, and Russian astronauts. from all over the world.
It is worth noting that the island was also visited by Winston Churchill, who was a guest of Aristotle Onassis on one of his cruises with the famous yacht “Christina”.
The Beatles came along
In 1967, the Beatles visited the island due to their close friend and then collaborator Alexis Mardas.
The members of the band at that time of their career wanted to buy an island that could host their families and at the same time offer them idyllic moments on secluded green beaches with crystal clear waters.
Alexis Mardas brought them in contact with the family of Sophocles Papanikolaou, the Beatles went crazy with the guitar-shaped island and considered it a karmic sign.
Eventually, despite their enthusiasm, the island never passed into their hands and remains to this day in the heirs of Sophocles Papanikolaou.
From the summer of 2019, the Island of Agia Triada is on the Sotheby’s International Realty,
so if you are interested you can have this ethereal island for 9.000.000 euros!
