Greek Isle of Paxos, Near Corfu, an Untouristed Ionian Gem

On her way to Rome, Cleopatra sailed right by Paxos, the smallest Ionian island, in a hurry to get to nearby Corfu.

Too bad. The queen of Egypt missed a gem of an island.

Perhaps Cleopatra made the same mistake travelers make today, imagining Paxos to be a miniature Corfu with a subservient personality, hardly worth a stopover when the full-scale original is so close.

But Paxos, unlike Corfu, is off the tourist circuit; its 3,000 people continue to press olives for oil and catch fish from the sea.

Paxos, just seven miles long and three miles wide, is an island made for walking. It’s hilly, stony and quite green with groves of almonds and olives. Vineyards fill the lower slopes, while lilies, bracken and crocuses abound on the upper hillsides. Southern California hikers will be very much at home in the chaparral-like island brush that includes buckthorn and a variety of scrub oak.

Stone bungalows, with their brightly painted shutters, are scattered in the midst of olive groves, as is practically every other man-made structure on this isle of 300,000 olive trees. Paxos is home to so many olive trees that it’s difficult telling where the villages end and the groves begin.

The sojourner afoot will see wonderfully undisciplined olive trees--some of the largest, most misshapen trees in the Mediterranean olive belt. Many of them are 500 years old and still provide the excellent small olives that make the best oil.

Even experienced Mediterranean hikers are surprised to find that the olive trees on Paxos have black plastic nets spread beneath them. At first glance, they look like the nets placed on hillsides by American landscape architects to prevent soil erosion. On second glance, they appear to be fishing nets.

Elsewhere in Greece, farmers beat the olive trees with long sticks to make the fruit fall. But on Paxos, this technique is considered harmful to the trees, so the olives are allowed to fall naturally, into nets.

This agricultural pacifism extends from January to May, meaning that the Paxiotes are out every day with their wicker hampers, gathering olives in the bitter cold of January, the torrential rains of March and the sometimes steamy heat of May. While most olives fall into the black nets, the gathering, scooping, sorting and preparing of the olives for their trip to the mill is backbreaking work, most of which is done by women.

The best place to begin your walking tour of Paxos is the port of Gaios, the island’s capital. The harbor mouth is sheltered from inclement weather by the two islets of St. Nicholas and Panagia. The city is a maze of narrow streets wending their ways from a little flagstone plaza.

Pick up a map of the island and a bus schedule in Gaios. You really don’t need to rent a car or moped on the island. On Paxos, everything is accessible by a few minutes on the bus, an hour or two on foot.

The trails and dirt roads are many on the island. You’re bound to get off the track occasionally, but don’t worry about it. The island is too small to get seriously lost on and the islanders are wonderfully hospitable to walkers.

To ensure that the traditional Greek hospitality continues, walkers should observe a few simple rules: Walk around , not through, cultivated fields. Give the sooty-faced and socked sheep and the wise old goats the right of way when you meet them on the road.

While it hardly seems possible, there’s a nearby island even more unspoiled than Paxos: the little island of Anti-Paxos, one mile south. The island is a veritable orchard, full of apples, plums and cherries. Its vineyards produce a fine wine. A couple of cozy sand beaches attract passing yachts and day-trippers from Paxos.

There is an old saying on Paxos: “Paxi kai Anti-Paxi, Londones deka-exi” --Paxos plus Anti-Paxos equals 16 Londons.

After walking around this island, you get the feeling Paxiotes wouldn’t trade their isle for anywhere else in the world.

Directions to trail head: From Corfu, two or three ferries a day service Paxos. “Pegasus,” a high-speed launch, takes about 90 minutes, while two older passenger ferries make the journey in 3 1/2 hours.

Tripitos Arch Trail (5 1/2 miles round trip): This hike begins in the capital town of Gaios on the road that climbs toward the town of Makratika, then follows a country road ascending into the hills that extend down the center of the island. Upon reaching the west side of the isle at the village of Mouzmouli (a great picnic spot overlooking the water), you’ll join a mule trail heading south.

Continue on a series of pathways and dirt roads, brightened in autumn by pink flowering heather. Enjoy ever-more-grand seascape views, culminating with Tripitos, a towering limestone rock joined to the island by an arch. Those with nerve and good balance can walk out on the arch, which is wider than it first appears but nevertheless high above the surging sea. (Don’t try this on a windy day!)

Continue among cypress trees and olive groves to the village of Agoratika, then back to the east coast of the island. A side trail leads to a causeway that connects Paxos to the brush- and tree-covered islet of Moggonissi. Marvel at the dramatic sea cliffs, refresh yourself at the conveniently situated taverna, then join the coastal road for the return to Gaios.

Cape Lakka Trail (4 1/2 miles round trip). Walk along the port of Lakka’s waterfront, visiting two small beaches then ascending a path for a panorama of the harbor and nearby Corfu. Continuing near the shoreline, you’ll soon reach isolated Plani Beach, where rock shelves or tables jut into the sea.

You join a coastal road that heads south along the west coast of the island, then to the village of Ipapanti, site of a beautiful Byzantine church, oldest on the island. Cyclamen splashes pink along the pathways in autumn. Follow the narrow road back to Lakka.

Anti-Paxos Trail (4 1/2 miles round trip). To reach the island of Anti-Paxos, you’ll need to board a water taxi, or caique , in the port of Gaios. The 25-minute caique trip is popular because Voutoumi Bay on Anti-Paxos is considered to have among the most beautiful beaches in Greece.

Leaving behind the sun-worshipers at Vrika, where the caiques land, the walker climbs above vineyards for great views of Paxos, Corfu and the hills of Epirus on mainland Greece. A network of cobblestone lanes, dirt roads and paths explore the island. Work your way south on the main path to the lighthouse at the extreme southeast end at Novoros, then return to take in the colorful fishing port of Agrapidia and the irresistible sandy beaches of Voutoumi Bay.

Don’t become so enchanted with Anti-Paxos that you forget when the last caique leaves--usually about 5 p.m.

Greece / Tripitos Arch, Cape Lakka, Antipaxos Trails Where: Island of Paxos, near Corfu, in Ionian Sea. Distance: 4 1/2-5 1/2 miles round trip. Terrain: Cypress-and olive-covered slopes, hidden coves and beaches. Highlights: Dramatic coastline on a bucolic Greek island. Degree of difficulty: Easy to moderate. Precautions: Too hot for hiking and too many horseflies in July-August. For more information: Contact the Greek National Tourist Organization, 611 West 6th St., Suite 2198, Los Angeles, 90017 (213) 626-6696.