Skala Eresou
Skala Eresou (Greek: Σκάλα Ερεσού), also transliterated as Skala Eressou, is a seaside village on the island of Lesbos, Greece, as a part of the community of Eresos.
Etymology
The name "Skala Eresou" has the meaning of "the pier of Eresos" literally. The word "skala" can also have the meaning of "ladder".
Overview
The village has two access roads, one from the north and one from the west. Both lead towards the central square, which is paved with flagstones, but due to the one-way, one-lane system, vehicle access is restricted. There are car parks on the outskirts of Skala Eresou.
The volcanic dark grey beach on the west side of Lesbos extends for almost three kilometers from a small harbour in the east to the headland in the west.
In 2006, the beach of Skala Eresou was awarded the Blue Flag, for the cleanliness of its waters and its beach.
Tourism
Since the 1980s, it has become a popular destination for homosexual female tourists.[1][2][3][4]
In 2000, Candy Bar's, a London lesbian bar, led a group trip for 100 British lesbians to Lesbos, with a Channel Five film crew to make a TV show Lesbians Go Mad on Lesbos narrated by Jackie Clune, with confrontations with locals, now archived, from World of Wonder Productions.[5]
In 2024, the documentary, Lesvia, was released by Tzeli Hadjidimitriou, a lesbian local, about 40 years of lesbian tourism and conflict between visitors and locals, around Skala Eresou.[6]
There are small hotels and self-catering apartments around the village. There a dispensary, a pharmacy, restaurants and bars. Every summer, Eresos has both Greek and foreign visitors. The village hosts alternative events throughout the summer. A "women festival" takes place in Skala Eresou every September.
Daily buses run in the summer and the village can be reached from the airport or the port of Mytilene.
Famous people
The town is famed for being the birthplace of Sappho, the legendary lyric poet also called the "Tenth Muse." Skala Eresou was also the home for the ancient Greek philosopher Phanias, who was a pupil of Aristotle, and of Theophrastus, the father of classical botany. The ancient city walls are still visible from when it was an important trading centre.
References
- ^ "Skala Eressos Lesvos (Lesbos) Greece". Travelmania Women.com. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
- ^ Karides, Marina (1 April 2021). "Sappho's Legacy: Convivial Economics on a Greek Isle". SUNY Series, Praxis: Theory in Action. State University of New York Press. doi:10.2307/jj.18252118. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ^ Prager, Sarah (29 April 2022). "This Greek Island Is Home to a Unique and Inclusive Lesbian Enclave". Fodors Travel Guide. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ^ Wilkinson, Sophie (25 October 2024). "This Greek island is a pilgrimage site for worshipful sapphics". GAY TIMES.
- ^ "A Timeline of Lesbian Rights & History UK 1480 - 2020s". Sushi Rider. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ^ Hadjidimitriou, Tzeli (12 January 2024). "'Lesvia' trailer". Retrieved 4 August 2025 – via youtube.