Beauty of the population
“The inhabitants of Paxos are famous for their beauty, and the women here are the prettiest of all the Ionian Islands and Hellas. ‘Paxiniotten’ are of average height. Men are generally thinner, while youngsters and women are plumper. Due to repeated immigration from other Greek regions when the island was abandoned as a result of various Turkish attacks, there was an important mix of races, and this is the cause behind the Paxiniotten’s beauty.
The breeze blows from Venice to Paxos, like over all of Greece, and some of the most beautiful faces have Venetian names. The lips tend to be slightly elevated, and the space between the nose and lips dips strongly in the middle, as we know from the Venus de Milo and Apollo Belvedere. Some profiles with their noses and foreheads call our attention with their ancient countenances, and you can even end up believing that you are seeing ancient statues made flesh. Unfortunately, their mouths are in poor condition; very few preserve all their teeth. How beautiful too are the children when you come across them in the afternoons as they head home and say, smiling: ‘Kala espera’.”
