The location of Agios Nikolaos is considered by some tourists to be the most picturesque in all of Greece. Indeed, the view from the heights of the bay is breathtaking. This is how the name of Mirabello Bay, on which Agios Nikolaos is located, translates to "delightful bay".
The town's population of around 20,000 increases several thousand times over due to the flow of tourists in season.
The myths and history of Agios Nikolaos.
The history of this city, as well as many settlements in Greece, of course, associated with the ancient celestials. Thus, according to legend, Venus and Artemis bathed in the lake of Agios Nikolaos, and one of the nearby caves was the birthplace of the all-powerful thunderer Zeus.
The city was originally founded by the Dorians of Lato, who considered their patroness to be the deity Ilithyia, whose slender stature was minted on coins. Subsequently, the present Agios Nikolaos developed into a famous port that lasted throughout the Byzantine period.
The Venetian period of the coast dates from the beginning of the 13th century. It was then that the Genoese built the fortress of Mirabello as a shelter from the raids of the Turks. This structure gave its name to the marvelous bay on which the city sits. Mirabella was destroyed several times, but each time it was rebuilt: first after an earthquake in 1303; then after a raid by Turkish pirates in 1537.
The fortress, a true symbol of the city, soared above the bay once again and gave new life to the town as local fishermen began to settle around it.
