Daily Express 05.07.2008

TAKE A CHANCE ON GREECE Expect breathtaking views at Skopelos - by Annabelle Thorpe
WITH the film version of the Abba musical Mamma Mia! set to hit our screens next week, ANNABELLE THORPE heads to one of its key locations, the island of Skopelos... Kastani beach is not the kind of place that would normally disappoint. Crystal clear water laps at a perfect arc of beach, free of sun-loungers and tacky beach cafés. Behind it, pine-clad slopes sweep up to a flawless blue sky. And yet there was something missing – two things, actually: Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan, who had sat on the same beach during filming of this summer’s most eagerly awaited film Mamma Mia!.
The story centres on the run-up to a wedding, made more complicated when the bride invites three men who could be her father in a bid to discover which one should rightfully walk her up the aisle. Old loves are rekindled, new ones spark and in between some of Abba’s most memorable tunes are belted out by a cast resplendent in spangly trousers and platform heels. Some scenes were filmed in Greece’s mainland region of Pelion, others on the island of Skiathos, but most were shot on shy, retiring Skopelos.
Kastani, where a bar and jetty were built for the movie, framed several scenes including the final send-off, in which Meryl Streep and the three possible fathers serenade the newly married couple with “I Have A Dream”.

The island is picturesque

Quiet, authentic and unspoilt

The kind of island you think no longer exists

Streep rented a villa during filming and so did we. The villa came complete with a pool and terrace with glorious shimmering views across to Skiathos and was a blissful rural retreat some 15 minutes’ drive from Kastani through sleepy villages clad in purple bougainvillea and dotted with simple tavernas.

The only major settlement, Skopelos Town, is half an hour’s drive away and we found ourselves transported into a sleepy, sun-kissed world, devoid of other English voices, newspapers or anything else to dilute the traditional Greek feel.

Skopelos is not blessed with golden sandy beaches, which has stopped mainstream tourism descending on the island. We ate supper at Agnanti, favoured by the Mamma Mia! cast and crew. Fresh salads, crispy courgette fritters and succulent lamb were all sourced locally and served up to our table with its breathtaking views.

One morning we headed to the monastery of Aghios Ioannis, perched dramatically on the top of a 100-metre outcrop above a crystalline sea and the wedding chapel in the movie.

The island is also not the place for nightlife but Skiathos is just 25 minutes away by hydrofoil and you can drop in for a night on the razz. We popped over for a couple of nights. The old port of Skiathos is featured in the film and is just as picturesque in reality, lined with comfortable cocktail bars.

Although Skiathos is smaller than Skopelos, the 60 white sand beaches mean it attracts more visitors. But the unmade roads on Skopelos deter the crowds from reaching beaches such as Kastani, where we ate sardines at a taverna right on the sand.

It was no surprise to hear Pierce Brosnan, being interviewed this week at the premiere in London’s Leicester Square, describing filming as one of the best summers of his life.

Skopelos is the kind of Greek island that you think no longer exists: quiet, authentic, unspoilt. Mamma Mia! is being described as the “feelgood hit of the summer”. It’s a pretty good description of a week or two in Skopelos, too.

DAILY EXPRESS, Saturday July 5, 2008