Chios at a glance
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Chios is often called myrovόlos (fragrant). The port of the island heads to the East, due to the commercial links that had always existed with the ports of the East. The aromas that emerge from the citrus tree blossoms during spring fill the air. The old is harmoniously combined with the new and the trip of the senses begins…
Remains of the glorious Byzantine period are found in the numerous medieval castles, fortresses and watch towers (called vίgles in the local dialect) scattered all over the island. One of the most impressive Byzantine monasteries in Greece is Nέa Monί, located in the pine-covered mountains west of Chios Town. The Monastery was built in the 11th century by order of the Emperor Constantine Monomάchos, who sent leading architects and the finest materials for its construction from Constantinople. The incredible gold mosaics in the church are considered to be one of the three most important examples of Byzantine religious art in Greece. The effect of sunlight or candlelight reflecting off the glistering surfaces of the mosaics, creates an indescribable atmosphere.
Chios has fertile plains where fruit, wheat and vegetables are cultivated, rich pine forests and some bare mountains with stone-built goat and sheep shelters that may date back to Antiquity. Its well-known product is mastic, the sap of the very fragrant schίnos (pistachia lentiscus) shrubs of various sizes that cover the hills of the southern part of the island. Mastic is the ancient chewing gum, which is extracted from pistachia lentiscus, a variety that grows in this part of Chios and nowhere else in the world. Very much sought after since Antiquity, mastic is still used as a flavoring and chewing gum, mainly in Arab countries and the Middle East, where most of the island's production is exported. t of the island's production is exported.
Chios has a tradition of fruit preserves or "spoon sweets" as they are called. The tangerines, rolled pieces of bergamot, bitter orange peel, tiny unripe eggplants, unripe pistachios or figs, even fragrant citrus blossoms and the petals of pink roses are cooked in syrup and served on small glass plates, as a gesture of welcome by locals who have interesting recipes to share.
In Kambos, the area that lies south of the town of Chios, you will see an extraordinary architectural style: impressive villas and town homes that were the homes of the Genoese and the Greek gentry, built in the middle of well-watered fertile grounds. Here, you will get a glimpse of the glorious past of the island, described by foreign travelers who described the way of life that the Chians enjoyed during the 16th and 17th century. Built mainly with the bright ochre and brick red stone from Thymiana, the neighboring village, the villas of Kambos have vast gardens and cisterns decorated with white marble columns and reliefs. There are also large mangano - water wheels powered by mules that used to bring water up from the wells. The impressive arched gates have Genoese coat of arms and the courtyards are paved with black and white pebbles that create interesting decorative mosaics.
These architectural features are unique, but unfortunately, today many of the estates are in ruins. A few have been restored and some have been turned into small hotels or restaurants. It is worth exploring the narrow streets of Kambos, even getting lost in its maze of alleys and bridges, criss-crossing the streams and admiring the remnants of the past. Mainly citrus fruit orchards surround the houses. Citrus fruit and especially a very fragrant indigenous variety of tangerines was once extremely popular, bringing wealth to the owners of perivolia (orchards in the Chian dialect).
Another
unique architectural style is the one of the mastic villages, also known
as castle villages. The
southern region of the island, which has many exceptionally well-preserved
villages built during the years of the Genoese domination (1346-1566), is
devoted to the cultivation of mastic.
The mastichochoria (mastic
villages) as they are called, are rare examples of medieval architecture:
the two story stone houses have no windows on the first floor façade
that faces out the village. Built in the form of a coil with narrow inner lines and
arches linking many houses, those villages had only one entrance.
Mesta
and especially Olympi, are the best examples of this extraordinary
architecture, while Pyrgi, the largest of the Mastichochoria,
has old and modern houses decorated with xysta or “scratched
walls”, as referred to by the locals, a technique probably learned from
the Genoese.
In
the northern part of the island, the
architecture is very different. Here,
the less wealthy villages have simpler stone houses. The houses’ architecture is a result of the local materials
used by local people. It is
thus pure folklore architecture. The
walls are made of stone and the houses usually have a ground floor for the
animals and another floor on the upper level for the people. The stairs were usually external, giving access to a small
terrace which, in turn, gave access to the rest of the house.
The
traditional house of the northern part of Chios had one room.
The roof was made of soil. There
were carved pine trees or cedar trunks.
Smaller wood was put on the top of these and then people added
seaweed and soil. In order to
decorate the roof, they placed a few reeds on top.
In the room, there was a sort of loft situated in a corner of a
lightly elevated ground. It
was made of wood and was used as a bed.
People made mattresses by taking plant leaves, drying them in the
sun and then putting them in sacks. The
table was pretty low and it was called sofras.
There were not chairs or any other type of sitting devices.
They
often used trunks to sit on. The
fireplace was situated in a corner of the room.
There were two shelves on top.
The locals put the oil and the salt on the first one and the ewer
of water that was drawn from the wells on the other.
In the eastern side of the house, there was another shelf on the
wall where they placed icons. The
floor was made of wood. We
usually find wooden and wild trunks.
The most interesting examples are in Volissos, the majestic
yet deserted Anavatos, which is built on a steep hill and Avgonyma,
where Chians as well as foreigners have begun purchasing and restoring old
houses.
