Shopping in Sporades Island - authentic goods, best outlets, malls and boutiques

Perhaps, one of the most traditional souvenirs, brought from Greece, can be considered olives. This is not surprising, because in any market you can find a large number of different versions of this product. There are different varieties, pickled, and fresh, and with a filling, and even in the form of a paste – in a word, even if you do not like olives very much, you can still find something to your taste. Be sure to purchase at least one bottle of olive oil. On the Sporades, it is of good quality and at a fairly pleasant price. You can buy a traditional, familiar bottle and canister for 3 or 5 liters, and oil in a beautiful, souvenir package in the form of an amphora or a Greek statue.

Another souvenir, which is worth buying in Greece, is olive soap. They often add to its composition a variety of aromatic oils, milk, and chocolate. They make this product by hand and usually sell for weight. It is worth to look at other natural cosmetic products. Shampoos, creams, shower gels are made exclusively from natural ingredients, often with the addition of waters from natural sources and can be found in pharmacies or specialized stores.

You can look into local jewelry stores. The Northern Sporades include many islands, and on each inhabited one it is possible to find a rather large selection of products from gold, silver, and precious stones. The accessories are quite cheap and unique due to the Byzantine style of performance, which almost hasn’t been preserved in other parts of the world. In many workshops, by the way, you can order an accessory from your own sketch and even look at the process of its creation. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Those who like beautiful things should pay attention to the paintings of the local artists. On the Sporades, you can often see street painters painting nature or people, and selling their paintings after they are finished. Among them, there are both amateurs and true professionals. If you are religious or you want to make a gift to a believer, you can think about buying icons. There is a huge number of churches on the Northern Sporades, therefore there are many icon painters working in different techniques. If you do not want to purchase a regular icon, you can buy, for example, a picture of a saint carved from a tree.

You can also buy a reproduction of some famous statue or amphora with a black-figure or red-figure painting. A notepad of papyrus or a lamp in the form of an ancient deity can be found in any souvenir shop in the Sporades, like a variety of crafts made of shells and coral. Laces, and hand-embroidered napkins, and tablecloths are also sold everywhere. Note that if you are offered a large tapestry at a low price, then it is likely that it was made in China on the machine, and not by the hands of the local craftsmen. They also sell here pretty high-quality leather goods. Bags, belts, shoes – albeit not from well-known brands but with a local flavor.

Kozinaki, baklava, nougat, and lokum, as well as honey, will be an excellent gift for a sweet tooth. Coffee fans should consider buying at least one or two packages of coffee beans. The Greeks love coffee, they know how to make it and sell only the kinds of the best quality and taste. From alcohol, you can buy anis vodka ouzo, grape vodka rakia or a herbal mixture of brandy and wine called "Metaxa." Local wine is of high quality and a wide variety of species, and, therefore, you can buy any that you like more outwardly. Do not just pass by the retsina, the unique Greek variation of this grape drink.