Although most visitors to Greece are rightly interested in its ancient and Classical past, it should not be forgotten that Venice played a role in Greece for nearly a thousand years. A possession of the Byzantine Empire, Venice gained political independence in the 8th century and later on became an independent Republic maintaining strict relationships with Constantinople.
Venice was allied with the Byzantine Empire in restraining the expansion of the Normans who, after seizing Bari, the last Byzantine stronghold in the west, had conquered Dyrrachium (today in Albania and known as Durrres) in 1081 and attempted to reach Constantinople. Venice sent a fleet to help Emperor Alexius I and in return was granted trading concessions within the Empire, thus gaining a predominant role in Mediterranean trade.
The First Crusade weakened the Byzantine Empire and Venice profited by gaining some bases in the Ionian Islands to support trade. In 1125 the little port of Modon in the Peloponnese secured for Venice control over the maritime route between the Ionian and the Aegean seas. As a reaction to a massacre of Venetian traders in Constantinople, Venice manoeuvred the Fourth Crusade into an expedition against Constantinople and ended up with possession of Crete, Euboea and several other islands in the Aegean Sea, including Skopelos.
In 1204, the Byzantine Empire was parcelled out among the leaders of the Fourth Crusade after they conquered Constantinople, but the small Aegean islands (including Skopelos) soon fell directly or indirectly into the hands of Venice: Skopelos was ruled by the Ghisi, a family of Venetian merchants, who were also given the islands of Mykonos and Tinos, among others.At the top of the hill, on the site of the ancient acropolis of Skopelos, in the 13th century the Ghisi built a small fortress, not much more than a large tower. The Ghisi tower ensured control over the bay and it was protected by a maze of very narrow and steep streets, often interrupted by low arches. The Ghisi family in effect created a fortified town—the town was the fort– built upon the same principles as a castle with a double redout. This explains the winding streets, the numerous dead ends, bridges across houses and various strong fortified Venetian houses strategically placed around the town.
Venice had no large army, but had a powerful fleet, so the strategy to retain the Greek possessions was based on building fortresses which could resist the Turkish attack until help could arrive from the sea. To achieve this, in 1542 a Magistracy of Fortresses was established, which had jurisdiction over fortifications in the maritime and mainland dominions, and over the arsenals of sea territories of the Republic.
In Venice, the Ghisi family fell out of favour and on Skopelos their rule was replaced by absentee landlords, therefore allowing the town to fall into decline. In 1276 the island returned under the often nominal rule of the reconstituted Byzantine Empire.
The expansion of Venice continued until the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Afraid, the inhabitants of Skopelos asked for Venetian protection.
Soon after that the Sultans started a series of wars to gain possession of the Venetian bases. This process lasted more than three centuries. Only in 1715 with the fall of Tinos was the Aegean Sea freed from Venetian presence, but the Ionian Islands were retained by Venice until the Republic fell as a result of Napoleon's first Italian campaign.
Today the town of Skopelos occupies an area much larger than in the 15th century when it was under Venetian rule; the old town, however, is still easily identifiable as it is located on a low hill which sharply falls towards the modern town or towards the sea.
In 1538 Khayr al Din (Barbarossa - red beard), corsair and admiral of the Turkish fleet, seized Skopelos and destroyed the Kastro, reducing it to the ruin you see today.