Chios is the fifth largest island of Greece and is located east in the North Aegean. A myth say that Τhe island got its name from Chios the son of Oceanus because when he was born it was snowing (snow at greek is “chioni”) a lot. Chios was part of the Byzantine Empire for six centuries. Τhe revolution of Chios took place in March 1822. Chios is a large island with many places besides the capital that you can explore by car such as the village with a rich history that echoes the name “bolissos-Limia” is built on the slopes of the hill whose top is crowned by a Byzantine castle. Tourist seaside settlements are Vrontados and Emporios and the old capital of Mstichohoria, Kalamoti, built on a plain with picturesque alleys and traditional two-story houses, the square with shops and cafes make up the image of the settlement. Ιt may also be worth going to the plain, which retains its medieval character unchanged. Kardamyla is a place with a strong maritime tradition and home to many shipowners, consisting of three settlements. the medieval village of Mesta-Limenas, a model of defensive architecture. and the traditional settlement of Olympi with a fortress character built with elaborate gates, arches and stone-built houses. Υou should definitely try the mastic as the island owns the world patent and production of it but also local seafood dishes with octopus and the local cheese “katselo”.

The best part of Chios and what makes the island unique is what are known as the mastikahoria, the famous mastic villages of Chios. These are a series of fortified villages built in the 14th century during Genovese rule (1346-1566). These villages had an economy based on the cultivation of masticha, a gum like sap from the mastic trees that are unique to the island and were so prized that the Genovese built fortresses to protect them, and when the Turks massacred the inhabitants of Chios, the mastic villages were spared. Of these villages the most impressive are Pirgi with its intricately painted houses, Olympi and Mesta which are both medieval fortress towns pretty much intact. These villages were built out of sight from the sea and surrounded by high walls with a central tower that was the last resort in case the walls were breached by the Arabic pirates who raided the coasts of the Mediterranean. The tower had no door at street level but was entered by ladders which were used as bridges from the rooftops and then pulled up. The tower had three floors and in the case of Mesta an underground tunnel that led to the well so that even in a siege water would be available.

The streets were also designed for defensive purposes, narrow and dark with blind alleys that would not only confuse the invaders but enable the villagers to attack them from above using the walkways and arches that connected the buildings. The houses themselves were small individual fortresses and were an essential part of the whole castle and defensive system. The ground floor has one entrance and no windows. The animals lived downstairs. The main characteristic of the house is the pounti, a sort of patio on the first floor reached by a staircase which led to the sleeping areas, usually two bedrooms. The pounti had a ladder that went to the roof. In the case of an invasion the ladder could be pulled up and the villagers could walk to the central tower for protection. The roofs of the village were also used for drying almonds or for sleeping out on hot summer nights. These fortress towns were based on the designs of the ancient Greek towns of Ionia.

Pirgi is the largest of these mastic villages. Its outer wall is mostly gone enabling the village to creep out beyond its former boundaries. Like the other fortified villages there was a central tower. In Pirgi the tower still exists and sections of it have been turned into residences. Above the main square is the church of Kimissis Tis Theotokou (Our Lady’s Dormition), a three-aisle basilica built in 1694. Just off the main square down a small covered alleyway is the 13th Century church of Agios Apostoli with its frescoes, painted by Domestihos Kinigos of Crete. This church is one of the oldest and most visited on the island. It is a copy of Nea Moni, the famous monastery in Chios. There are two other churches in the village worth visiting, Taxiarchis, which was built in 1680 and Ipapanti which is even older. The main square has a beautiful old cafeneon run by an old Greek-American from Astoria who serves an excellent mezedes with his ouzo.

The most interesting feature of Pirgi are the decorative designs scratched into the exterior walls of the houses, known as ksista. Mostly geometric forms, ksista has gone through several periods and may have originated in Genoa or in Constantinople. The process, which is still practiced today, even on the modern buildings of the village, begins with the spreading of a mixture of sand, asbestos and cement on the walls of the house. This is then covered with white asvestis (No, not the poisonous asbestos, in Greece asvestis means lime. If you want to say asbestos it is amiantos). When it dries the patterns are drawn onto the outer layer and then scratched with a fork to reveal the darker layers beneath. The whole village is covered in these designs, including some of the churches and the local bank. Another feature of the village are the tomatoes which hang drying beneath many of the balconies of Pirgi, adding a splash of color to the back and white designs on the houses.

Just down the road from Pirgi is Olympi one of the most impressive of the mastikahoria. The outer wall of this village is still intact though windows and doors have been cut into them. There is a beautiful little square and a couple of cafeneon-restaurants and the church of Agia Paraskevis. The central tower is still standing though in ruins. A few kilometers down the road is the Cave of Olympi, with the largest number of stalagmites and stalactites per square meter of any cave in the Balkans. The cave was discovered in the hole where the villagers used to throw their dead animals and is still being explored. You can do a twenty minute tour which goes every hour or so from 11:00 to 18:00 every day except Monday. You may notice some interesting billboards on the road between Olympi and the caves and you may be curious as to what they are all about. What they basically say is that if you see something metallic don’t pick it up. The area was used in the past for military target practice and there may be unexploded shells around. So rather than wander in the hills and risk getting blown up take the road to the small beach at Fani and on the way stop at the ruins of the Sanctuary of Apollo Phaneos and the small church built on its foundation.

How to get there?

Chios has an airport with daily flights from Athens. Alternatively, you can reach the island by ferry from Piraeus port in Athens.

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