Lefkes paros11/2/2023 The fence IN NO MANNER protects the area or even attempts to make it inaccessible. You will also see a fence that says something like "too dangerous do not proceed". No real sign indicate that you are there - but there is a small local shack/ house where a local family has made small marble tchockes - osrt of a wonderfully authentic gift shop. Take it and after you do a hard bend the road you are at the site. At some point not too farin when you start seeing some ancient preserved buildings, there is a fork in the road with a smaller road going down hill to the left. ![]() ![]() When you follow the signs of the main rod you ar directed to a long winding dirt road. So this is among the oddest tourist sites I have ever been to - a bit hard to find. If "Marathi's ancient quarry" was in another country, people would come in hundreds to admire it. It is a big shame that this extraordinary place is deserted, whith no signing and touristic development. If you go deep down enough, you can see traces of marble and at the end, other galleries, right and left. The left gallery is wider, bigger and longer. There is an ancient petroglyph, vandalised and now protected by metal bars, near the entrance of the right gallery ("The cave of the Nymphs"). Ignore the signs that forbid you to enter and be extra carefull. If you are well equiped (shoes, flash lights.) and brave enough, you must take these 2 steep downhill paths. It is the most clear of all marbles, 5-8cm transparency! Afrodite of Milos, the winged Victory of Samothrace, Hermes of Praxiteles, but also eternal monuments, such as the ancient Agora of Athens, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the temple of Solomon are made from this translucent white stone. The mine is 190m long and gave the raw material for the most famous masterpieces to be born. It is mindblowing, when one sees what the ancient worker did with his bare hands. The 2 galleries of the ancient marble mine are an outstanding, magnificent statement of the greatness of the human power! Some of our best holiday snaps came from these two sights. If you like this and want something bigger, better and more spectacular, check out the caves on Anti-Paros and the Kouroi statues on Naxos. This site is not manned which means it is free of charge, but the lack of any signage to explain what's what does let it down compared to other similar sights on Paros and Naxos. The remnants of the winch buildings are also there to be explored and if you nip back up the path and over the road, there are further remains of machinery and buildings that were used to process the marble. I would strongly recommend taking a torch, as apparently there are traces of chisel marks and the like further down the shaft, but were unable to see them due to poor lighting. The shafts, being both wide and tall, can be easily explored on foot with no crouching required. They have been fenced off in a lame attempt to discourage curious visitors, but the fences can be easily got around, with the gate even being open on the right hand mine shaft! This disused quarry consists of two abandoned mine shafts that sink down about 100m down into a dark abyss. ![]() The site to the left is much more interesting so head there first. Someone has very helpfully taken down the official brown signs, which left us rather confused, thinking that the site on the right is the main attraction and rather puzzled. When turning down the side road, the main shafts and buidings are to your left. It's approximately 3 miles outside of Parikia, on the right-hand side of the main road, just past the settlement of Marathi. But don't take small children or people with physical restrictions (obesity, heart problems etc) there! Down there you can think of the conditions 2500 years ago when they mined the marble for Parthenon. My son (17) found it a very exhilarating experience, one of the best in his visit in Paros. So I warmly recommend a visit if you are in good shape and have some experience in steep climbing and are not afraid of tight places. ![]() And once down there with a flashlight, it is VERY impressive. BUT it is possible to go down, the fence is not so tight and there is path round the end of the fence. There are also places where the climber above may inadvertently cause stones to fall on the climber below. Inside the tunnels, there are lots of places where stones have fallen recently. This is what all the guidebooks say: it is difficult to go down and you have to have good shoes and a flashlight. They have been fully open but recently closed by a fence with a warning that entrance is forbidden because of risks for visitors. Marathi Marble Quarries are essentially long tunnels/galleries going deep into the mountain.
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