Some claim that the name of the islands, Cíes, means “Siccae”, dry islands. Others say that they were once the islands of the gods or the mythical Cassiterides, where tin – vital for manufacturing metals, such as bronze – was plentiful. There are even claims that Julius Caesar himself spent time on the islands during one of his conquests.
Given the beauty of these islands, it’s unsurprising they’ve become a mythological place with fantastical origins, inhabited for thousands of years, proof of which is the Castro de Hortas hillfort on Monte Faro. The islands previously known as Baiona take their name from the highest hill on the North Island, or, alternatively, the Alto de Cíes, which rises up 193 metres.
