Cycladic architecture is special; it is emotion, culture and soul. The sense of peace is a perfect match for the countless churches and chapels scattered over the island. Nowadays they number well over 800. Tradition on the island means culture, civilization and pious dedication to keeping ancient traditions alive. A true manifestation of traditional fun and the generosity of the local people come in the form of church festivals held outdoors around family chapels on the feast day of saints, attracting pilgrims and others. The family holding the festivities invites friends and relatives. Shortly thereafter the crowd grows as new faces are added; the pace picks up, reaching ecstasy, as the musicians with their traditional instruments such as the bagpipes, drums, dulcimers and violins honor the saint in the most appropriate way, with lively music and dance until the small hours of the morning.

The Portara, or the Great Door, is essentially a massive marble doorway (of the temple of Apollo), that stands proudly as the jewel of Naxos. It lies close to the port, on the islet of Palatia which was once a hill. Back in the ancient times, a strip of land connected the north side of Naxos port to the islet of Palatia. Today, the strip of land has been replaced by a causeway. Myth has it that the islet of Palatia was exactly where Ariadne, the Minoan princess was abandoned by her lover, Theseus after he killed Minotaur on the island of Crete.