Samos was rich in the sixth century BC, and the Heraion is the proof. This was the sanctuary of Hera, queen of the gods, on the south coast of the island, near the sea and the plain where the airport now sits. The first temple here was among the largest of the Greek world, the work of the architects Rhoikos and Theodoros, and it was reputed to be the biggest temple ever built in Greece. It was never quite finished, and it was damaged by earthquake, but a single column still stands to its full height, which is why the site is known to visitors as the place of the lone column.
The money came from the tyrant Polycrates, who ruled Samos in the sixth century BC and made it a naval power. He also built the famous tunnel of Eupalinos, a water channel driven through a mountain from both ends at once, and a great harbour mole at Pythagoreion, the main town. Pythagoras was born on Samos, as were the astronomer Aristarchus, who argued the earth moves round the sun, and the philosopher Epicurus. UNESCO listed Pythagoreion and the Heraion together in 1992.
The site is flat and open, with wild olives, reeds and sea air, and the ruins are low walls and foundations, with a sacred way that led from the town. The ground is quiet, with insects humming, and in spring red poppies grow among the stones.
For riders, Samos is a joy. The coast road around the island is smooth, with bends through pine forest, vineyards and small harbours, and the roads inland climb over the mountains toward Mount Kerkis, nearly fifteen hundred metres. Vathy, the capital, and Karlovasi, on the north-west coast, are the bigger towns with petrol stations, and Pythagoreio has a pump or two, but mountain villages often do not, so plan fuel. Samian muscat wine, sweet and golden, is the island's pride, and the dry wines are good too. Spring and autumn are lovely, summers hot with strong winds, and ferries from the mainland run daily. Do take the time to sit in a harbour taverna with a plate of grilled fish.