Location information

Elata Community

ELATA (Village) CHIOS
Tel: +30 22710 73115
  Elata is a small, but noteworthy village, built alongside a steep hill. It is a medieval village whose castle’s corner towers in addition to the remnants of the fortified wall are still preserved. The inhabitants of Elata are mainly occupied with agriculture. They produce mastic, almonds, oil, and grapes. In the village, there is a high school and the Church of Aghia Triada.
  Near Elata, there is a picturesque beach of Aghia Irini, as well as the deserted islands of Pelagoniso and Aghios Stefanos. These are ideal places for fishing. The inhabitants of Elata are mainly occupied with agriculture. They produce mastic, almonds, oil, and grapes. In the village, there is a high school and the Church of Aghia Triada. Near Elata, there is a picturesque beach of Aghia Irini, as well as the deserted islands of Pelagoniso and Aghios Stefanos. These are ideal places for fishing.

Lithio Community

LITHIO (Village) CHIOS
Tel: +30 22710 73201
Lithi is located 23 kilometers from the town of Chios and a mere four kilometers north of the village Vessa. The village name may perhaps be derived from "Alithis limin," meaning true haven, which was the name given to the site by old-time travelers. Lithi is the birthplace of Andreas Syngros, whose family house can still be seen. The village is famous for its excellent fish, which is not surprising since the local population consists primarily of fishermen. Visitors may observe the methods utilized to repair nets alongside the large fishing boats anchored in Omalia which is Lithi's beautiful, sandy beach located a short distance from the foot of the village. The sandy beach is captivating since it is engulfed within a peninsula that is surrounded by an evergreen landscape, hills and medieval watchtowers or "vigles". Visitors will relish seafood delights such as red mullets, huge blackfish, bass, and lobster alongside the Aegean Sea.

Mesta Community

MESTA (Village) CHIOS
Tel: +30 22710 76290
Mesta lies southwest of the town of Chios, 35 kilometers away, in the area of Mastihohoria (meaning the "mastic villages"). It is a perfectly preserved castle village dated to the medieval period. The houses were built one right next to the other, thereby creating a protective wall surrounding the village. The open-hearted and kind people of Mesta still preserve the traditions of the 14th century village. The village's most important custom takes place during the carnival festivities where the "Aghas" trials, a satirical replica of the trials that used to take place under the Turkish Occupation, are presented. There are two routes that visitors may choose in order to come to Mesta.
•From Chios, the road leading to Armolia, Pyrgi, and Olympi also continues onward to Mesta. This route is the easiest and fastest.
•From Chios, the road leading to Aghios Georghios, Vessa, and Elata also leads to Mesta. Thus Mesta is a crossroad by which visitors are afforded access to the majority of the noteworthy sites of the central and southern portions of the island of Chios.

Monastery of St. George

MONI AGIOU GEORGIOU (Monastery) CHIOS
  The Monastery of Agios Georghios (St. George) was established in the 19th century. It is located in the village Pyrgi and the guesthouse or xenona is definitely worth seeing. It is decorated with the traditional, geometrically shaped xysta, (meaning "scratched" designs) which portray Adam and Eve. Two monks live in the Monastery today.

Olymbi Community

OLYMBI (Village) CHIOS
Tel: +30 22710 76310
Thirty-one kilometers south of the town of Chios and six kilometers after Pyrgi, visitors encounter the medieval village called Olympi. Its beautiful houses, connected to each other, used to form its defensive wall. The narrow streets, cobbled roads and rigid, yet simple architecture, testify to the village's medieval origin. The whole village has been categorized as a medieval monument. Here, one can see the skepastra and doxharades. The villagers are occupied with agriculture and beehives. The defensive tower of the village is also very impressive. The central tower is one of the few that are still preserved in Chios' medieval villages.

PATRIKA (Village) CHIOS
  The exact date that the village was built remains unknown, however, references made by travelers and historians indicate that the village was built around 1050. Legend has it that the first family to inhabit this village left the village of Kalamoti and searched for an area with better weather conditions. They came upon this hill and built a tower in which to reside in. This is the first house of the village belonging to the family "Mendona."
  The village, in its time, was a typical castle-village that was customary during that period. The houses were connected, each built right next to the other, without any windows or exterior doors. This architecture formed the protective wall, thus forming a castle village. Still in existence today are the stone balconies and windows that were built following the era of pirates.
  Inside the castle village today are two chapels. One belongs to Aghios Nikolaos (St. Nicholas) and the other to Taxiarchi (the Archangel). These were also made from stone and were connected to houses thereby bonding them together. However, what differentiates these chapels from the houses is the fact that they are both shorter in height and can be distinguished by visitors.
  Today, visitors walk through the corridors of the village in awe of the ancient stone built houses, the cozy corners with opened and closed shutters, the multiple colored attic windows, in addition to the plethora of reconstructed shells that conceal within their walls popular art treasures such as pillars and fireplaces.
  There is a cafeteria located in the village square.

This text is cited Febr 2004 from the Chios Prefecture Tourism Committee URL below.

Chios Prefecture Tourism Committee WebPage
• http://www.chios.gr/Villages/Patrika_en.htm

Pyrgi Community

PYRGI (Small town) CHIOS
Pyrgi was named after the central tower which is still well-preserved, is the largest and for many, the most important village in Chios. It is also called the "painted" village due to the unique architectural designs known as "xysta" (facade decorations comprised of geometric and natural motifs) which are clearly evident even today. Pyrgi is a medieval village with stone houses connected together, beautiful balconies decorated with xysta and small, sun-dried tomatoes hanging from the balconies. The village is comprised of narrow streets, geometrically designed wall embellishments and remarkable churches. These are vital features that compose the village's character.

SALAGONAS (Beach) CHIOS
Salagonas is a bay located about 6 Km. south of Olympoi, between Aghia Dynami and Avlonia.

Vessa Community

VESSA (Village) CHIOS
Tel: +30 22710 73300
  Vessa is a medieval village that lies in the center of a big agricultural basin and it has a main gate, which is in a very good condition. The area has a well laid -out streets and high narrow buildings that look like towers. Although the fortified surrounding wall has been split, the whole village stone houses remain in a very good condition but many off them are dilapidated and empty. There are many big and wealthy houses in the area that were built by prosperous emigrants. Among the village churches is Panagia, Agios Dimitrios and Panagia Petrousena, which is considered to be the most ancient church of Chios, according to the locals. e most ancient church of Chios, according to the locals.