Details About Mytilini

Officially named Lesbos, more often called Mytilini after its principal city, the island is the third largest in Greece, famed for its olive oil. Its undulating hills are said to support 11 million olive trees, which glisten silver in the sunlight, while the higher peaks are swathed in deep pine forests. The island has long been a cradle of poetry and art. For the most part, Lesbos is an island of quiet villages. Mytilini is the capital of Lesbos, the wooded Aegean isle. One of the world's oldest cities, its roots stretch back into the dim world of the myths. Even in very ancient times Mytilini was famous for its history and its commercial importance and activity. It was the birthplace of leading figures in the intellectual world, such as Sappho, the world's greatest lyrical poetess; Pittacus, one of the Seven Sages of antiquity; the poet Alcaeus and many, many more. It is also the birthplace of the worst terrorists the Aegean has ever encountered, the Barbarossa Brothers - Greeks who turned pirates for the Sultan.