Koukounaries

Koukounaries is a location and a beach in the southwest part of the island of Skiathos in Greece. It is 16 km southwest of the main town on the island. Skiathos is part of the Sporades group of islands in the Northern Aegean Sea. Koukounaries (Greek: Κουκουναριές), means 'Stone Pines' in Greek. At Koukounaries there is a lagoon and a wooded peninsula with a Stone Pine (Pinus pinea) forest separating the lagoon from the Aegean Sea. On the seaward side of the penisnula there is a popular fine-textured beach called 'Koukounaries Beach' or "Chrisi Ammos" (Greek: Χρυσή Άμμος, meaning 'golden sand'). This is one of the few locations in Greece where a Stone Pine forest still exists. Koukounaries was once known as Maratha (Μάραθα). Until 1964,...