E3 : The Road of the Marble

Trail E3 is one of the largest of the island. It crosses Pyrgos, downslopes to Akoumpistra where there used to be a coffee house for the mineworkers and it goes on first to the Monastery of Kyra-Xeni. In the area, one can see the church of Agia Thekla and a  mycenaean domed tomb. Going uphill, you reach Marlas but just before the settlement, a fork on the road takes you to the old trail for Profitis Ilias, where once more the view is unending. The trail enters Marlas after passing striking terraces that remind you of a gigantic theatre. It continues on to Mamados, ringing the unique landscape and passing through the abandoned village of Ismail, only to end up back in Marlas.  The path takes you through an old marble trail, at the outset from Marlas, to the abandoned settlement of Kato Marlas and then to Pyrgos—the whole area is built of marble even the traditional dry-stack stone walls.

Starting Points: Pyrgos
Connection to Other Trails: Ε1Α, Ε2, Ε4