The reclining kouros of Flerio, at Melanes

What you will see

In the Flerio valley, next to Melanes, there are two giant marble statues that never reached their destination. They are two kouroi, figures of a naked youth from the first half of the 6th century BC, carved in the quarries where Naxos marble was extracted. They broke while being brought down the slope and stayed where they fell. They have been there for more than 2,500 years.

The first, the Flerio kouros, is the easiest to see: it lies on its back at the foot of the quarry, near the Flerio springs. Locals call it "the Greek". Standing, it would have measured about 5.55 m. Its left leg is missing from the ankle and the right is broken at the knee. Underneath you can still see the layer of clay used to slide it.

The second, the Farangi kouros, is further up, on the hillside. It survives from head to knee, at 3.83 m, and complete it would have reached about 5.50 m. Its face is missing. Its legs broke when the ground gave way in front of a rock. It was covered in undergrowth until a fire in 1990 left it exposed.

The two statues explain better than a museum how sculptors worked: they roughed out the piece at the quarry to make it lighter and finished it at its destination. In the same area there was a sanctuary next to the springs, dedicated to the twin giants Otus and Ephialtes. The other great unfinished kouros on the island, of 10.45 m, is at the Apollonas quarry, in the north.

How to get there and park

Flerio is inland, on the road that climbs from the Chora to Melanes and Myli. There is a signposted parking area. From there a short, marked path leads to the first kouros in a few minutes.

Without a car, the KTEL bus on the Chora – Myli line stops a few hundred metres from the site. Check the timetables at the Chora bus station: outside summer there are few departures.

To go up to the Farangi kouros, follow the signposted path that leaves from the first. It is about 500 m away, uphill, on earth and stone: wear closed shoes. Several old paths also link the area with the villages of Kourounochori and Myli, if you want to lengthen the walk.

Hours, price and time

It is an open-air site: always open and free. In an hour you have time for the car park, the first kouros and a while in the shade; if you go up to the Farangi one, allow an hour and a half or two. There is no ticket office or fixed guides.

With children and reduced mobility

Children like seeing a statue "half-made", so big that you can compare it with an adult lying beside it. As far as the first kouros the path is short, but it isn't suitable for wheelchairs, according to the Naxos tourism website. With a baby, a carrier is better than a pushchair. Don't climb on it or let children climb on the statue: it is an archaeological piece.

How to combine it

Flerio is on the way to the centre of the island. You can link it on the same day with Halki and Apiranthos, or leave it for the morning before an afternoon at the beach on the west coast. If you want to see where the worked marble ended up, the Portara is the most famous example.