We take the road from town to Kardamyla, opting for the detour that leads to Pitios. The relevant road sign appears approximately 1.5 Km. From the crossroad.
We park our car and continue on foot down the paved road. The paved road soon diminishes, being replaced by a dirt road. We come to the next trail sign, a few minutes later. From this point, we begin climbing uphill.
Due to the rocky ground and large incline, the trail is relatively difficult. The surrounding landscape is dry and rocky, where there is also an abundance of clay.
We continue, following the trail's twists and turns. The Koulala valley stretches out behind us, while the mountainous mass of Grias rises imposingly in front of us.
At a point, we are able to distinguish the bastion remnants, that is, the fortified walls built by volunteers from the Kardamilian Force, in order to fight the Turkish army during the island's fight for freedom in 912.
As we approach the top of the hill, our efforts are rewarded, as we face an incredible view stretched at our feet. We forget abut how tiresome the uphill climb was and relish the beauty of the landscape below. There is also a kiosk with benches and an open view. Below, we have a panoramic view of Kardamyla and its plain, the port and islets, Oinousses, the Dolphin and the Asia Minor shores. The Castle of Grias stands straight ahead of us, on the opposite hilltop and is just a few meters away.
Within just a few minutes walking distance, we reach the Castle. We enter its surrounding grounds from a portion the wall that is demolished, admiring all the while the beautiful view that lies at our feet.
The venture downhill is surely much easier and less time consuming. We needed much more time to climb up the hill, than to proceed downhill to the foot of the mountain. We may choose to either continue the same root or take the detour right. Both routes lead to the Koulala area with the old, wide and well-maintained Genoese well. From this point, we follow the dirt road and reach our starting point.
The Castle of Grias:
Medieval fortification, design for the purpose of defense. It comprised the Acropolis of Kardamyla. It is traditionally said that the Castle was named after an old woman from kardamyla, who dared to climb the mountain, through the brush rocks, in order to save herself from pirates. Today, two towers have been saved, which unite the walls. The east tower is semicircular while the west tower is spherical. The whole compound is situated upon the southern side of the wide, flat terrain of the mountain. There are cliffs on all the other sides of the mountain; therefore defensive walls were not necessary.
One version of the tradition states that the west tower was interconnected to the Koulala well though a tunnel from which water was irrigated to those imprisoned.
The Koulala well was built from the stone in the area and dates back to the Genoan period (1346 - 1566). The stone steps are tangent to its walls and they descend to the foot of the mountain.
There are also bastions in the area, that is, the armed positions for warriors from the Kardamilian Volunteer Force. These of course were utilized during the freedom wars of 1912.
Mt. Grias played a significant role during the battle to free the island. The Kardamilians were able to force the Turks outside their borderline. They took command of the hill by conquering political authorities, there by reigning in their victory in the "Battle at Grias".
The Turks were forced to march to the village of Pitios, since they believed it was the only village on the island that was not within range of the sea. The warship "Makedonia" however, had reached the Kardamyla port and bombed Pitios with 67 cannon balls, upon receving signals from soldiers located on Grias, opposite Karfoto. This attack was the determining factor in the war's end soon thereafter. The battle from Macedonia delivered a serious blow to the Turk's morale, since they were forced to surrender on December 22, 1912; as a result of the front - line attacks made by the Greek army.
Since then Chios came under Greek rule.