The trail begins in Armolia, where the Armolian ceramic workshops are located on the central road. We take the farm road and pass through the plain covered with olive and mastic trees. The landscape is pure farmland.
At some point, the road fades and the trial continues uphill. The path is mountainous with great inclines. We are surrounded by a thick forest comprised of pine trees and a mixture of holm-oaks, schini (mastic trees) and arbutus. The pine tree branches are intertwined above the trail. This provides a relieving shade during the summer months. Varius types of small birds find shelter within the wooden area and they keep us company, as we continue hiking. We will definitely see a predator flying or hovering over us, as we look at the sky above. He is most likely on a quest of food on land and if we are lucky, we may also witness an impressive dive. The hawk-eagle and the peregrine are two types of predators that form nests on the rocks in the area.
As we continue the difficult uphill climb, the view becomes more and more beautiful. We see the plain and the village of Armolia below; a short distance off is Moni Vrettou and in the depths we see Kalamoti and Komi.
As we approach the peak, the thick vegetation and wooded area are replaced by a rocky landscape with shrubs. The village of Patrika is now in view, since it was previously hidden behind a distant hill. Towering over us is the Apolihnon Castle's northeast defense tower.
If we hike just a little while longer, proceeding, that is, on the trial, we will enter the Castle from the collapsed east sidewall.
Note: We can begin hiking on the trial from the point the trial begins to go uphill. Cars can access the farm road.
The Apolihnon Castle:
The Castle is large and striking. It is built at the hilltop and maintains an altitude of 220 meters; this is one of the highest altitudes evident in the southern region of Chios. Its position is such that one can visually inspect the Kalamoti and Armolia plains as well as the Komi seashores.
The Apolihnon Castle is one of the most well preserved castles on the island, whilst its size and numerous interior rooms cannot help but be impressive.
A Genoan, Nicholas Ioustiniani, built the oblong shaped Castle in 1440. The walls were twice as thick and they had small defense towers. Its interior exhibited water dams and 62 rooms.
As we stroll through the Castle, we can see the remaining ruins of the rooms, remnants of the defense towers with the loopholes found on the east and west sides. They, also, appear within a large area of the well-maintained south wall that is also relatively high.
There is a defense wall, shorter in height, located outside the interior wall at a relatively large distance. It was obviously constructed to impede invaders, since they were afforded easy access from the flat slope and the absence of this wall.
The north side, on the other hand, is much more difficult to access due to the rocky cliff. There are large arch-shaped windows on the northeast tower, which may have been utilized for entry with rope ladders, as was common practice in those days.