The invitation was not one that could be easily ignored. It concerned our participation in the Pan-European Conference on Native Orchids, “OPHRYS 2005”. Of equal interest was the time and place of the event: Mid-April in fragrant Chios. Some urgent priorities were re-evaluated and postponed. It is gratifying to be able to intervene from time to time and change the order of things. So Chios again. Sixth trip in six years!

Always wonderful, always charming, always filled with so many unknown corners. Most unexplored among them stands out NW Chios. Coastal and mountainous at the same time, with history and tradition, with countless churches and settlements. And yet, with a landscape that is peculiar and strange and, always, with very hospitable people.

GOLDEN SAND Hotel on the beach of Karfas, opening of the Conference at the Homeric Cultural Centre, interesting presentations and slides, officials and many guests from many European countries. At some point we may have the opportunity – when published – to present a summary of the Conference proceedings. A magnet, however, with an irresistible attraction for us is NW Chios, and its famous capital Volissos. Whichever route one chooses from Chios to Volissos – east central or west – one feels happy by the variety of images and contrasts. Thicket forests and slopes ravaged by fires, barren areas “planted” with limestone, mastic trees and orchards, sandy and steep coasts, mountainous, coastal and medieval villages, towers, castles and monasteries, all pass before our eyes in a wondrous sequence. The crowning glory is the historic state of Volissos. Archaic and charming, with its old stone houses and numerous churches, it is perched with alleys, uphill and downhill on the steep hillsides of its hillsides, under its majestic castle.

We can never resist its charm, no matter how many times we have seen it. Built as it is on its hillsides, it is impossible to see it in its entirety to the eye of the beholder. It always holds something hidden, its image is always incomplete. As if to gradually reveal its charms, it forces its admirer to invent different points of view from the east, west or south, hills near or far, with morning or sunset light.

One of the most beautiful views of Volissos is offered by the adjacent hill of Ag. Paraskevi with the homonymous chapel. Houses built tightly next to each other, stone cubes small or bigger, dilapidated or new but always with the same construction philosophy and always in harmony with the landscape. The spherical dome of St. George dominates high up with its volume and its schematic contrast, and even higher up the outline of the castle. A kind lady, Maria Pitropaki, is resting on the terrace of the church. She climbed up here with great effort to light the candles of the Saint. Her donkey is her only companion. She remembers with nostalgia the old days and sighs…

Low to the south we look out over the sea. We start to descend. It’s time to meet John the Zorba.

A FIRST SHORT TOUR OF THE BEACHES AND THE HINTERLAND

From the entrance of Volissos we follow the sign towards Aghios Markella. 1,5 km later the road passes in front of “ZORBA”, the unit with the apartments of Giannis. When in 1981, in the then simple rooms, ZORBAS hosted its first guests, it was undoubtedly the only one and the pioneer in the area of Volissos, who believed in tourism development. In the process, he was not disproved. More and more people, Greeks and foreigners, began to stray from the center to the remote Volissos, to appreciate its peculiarities and beauty and to choose it as a special travel destination. The facility was modernized and expanded and since 1986 it has been operating systematically. Fully equipped kitchen, air conditioning, refrigerator and TV, excellent furnishings, telephone, internet and fax.

With the accumulated experience of so many years and with his love for this important profession, John has created small and large apartments that exceed the expectations of every guest.

The unit is built on a gentle slope facing southwest, between two bays, “Lefkathia” and Lemnos. The view from the spacious balconies to the sea is excellent. When not touring the area, one can relax and reminisce for hours.

Tidy garden with grass and flowers, tables under the shade of the tamarisk trees. Here we have our first coffee with John. Within minutes we feel like we’re chatting with a friend from the old days. It is the same feeling we always have with all the people we have met so far on our trips to Chios.

–I know you from years ago, through the pages of your magazine, says Yannis. I was just waiting for the moment when the road would bring you to Volissos.

A strong plow has been blowing for a long time, arriving saturated with the salt of the sea. The surface of the sea is constantly adorned with foamy waves, crashing with an exciting sound on the shore.

–At night from the balcony this sound is a unique aural experience, our friend observes. But let us begin our tour, there is so much to see.

After Lefkathia, the beach of Lemnos follows in a NW direction. It is a beautiful creek, with rooms to let and the tavern “AKROGIALI”, just 300 meters from Zorba.

The route continues and after a while it passes the beautiful bay “Lampsa”, with some cottages. Immediately afterwards we go uphill and get a little further away from the coast. At one point we look down on a narrow, green valley with low vegetation, reminiscent of an Irish landscape, which ends in a creek. There is no access, neither by road nor by visible path, except from the sea.

We descend with turns towards the coast of Aghios Markella, a nice pebbly bay, at a distance of 4.5 km from Zorba. We are greeted by the wind and the waves. Here dominates the well-known monastery in memory of the Volissiotissa Saint, who around 1500 met a tragic death at the hands of her own father. Every year on 22 July, St. Marcella of Chios attracts a large number of visitors, both local and foreign.

Crouched on the ground an old woman is picking grass.

At the monastery the asphalt stops. A good dirt road begins, which after a while splits into two parallel roads in the same northern direction, the area of the settlement of Parparia. We prefer the western branch, which is closer to the coast. Exactly 8 km from the Zorba lodge, a branch of the road descends to the left. Wonderful road, well-maintained, I am surprised that this road is not recorded on the detailed maps available to us. The place is fragrant with flowering sparrows, their bright yellow colour interspersed beautifully among the green slopes.

After exactly 1.9 km, the road ends a few dozen metres from the coast. In this so unseen corner, we are not alone. A man is tending his tiny vines. Perhaps that’s why one of the names of the coast is Vineyards. The other names are “Kalolimenas” or “Kaloulime”, as we hear the locals call it a few hours later in Parpararia. The shore consists of sand and fine dark pebbles, the water is deep, the creek is surrounded by rocky headlands. Here is a place ideal for camping in complete isolation. The waves, however, are still pounding the pebbles of the shore. As we walk along the sandy beach, saturated by the ever-living saros, the solid rocks of the NW cape reveal an oversized and spectacular hole, very characteristic of the area, which, under the right conditions of time and season, could offer a unique sunset.

Heading towards Parparia, we meet again the dirt main road and, after about 2.5 km, we enter the first houses of the settlement. Previously, we come across a ruined windmill with magnificent masonry of dark stone, on a hillock completely exposed to the winds.

Parparia is built amphitheatrically at an altitude of 350-400 meters on the south-western foothills of Amani with a distant view of the Aegean Sea. With a population of about 120 permanent residents, it is the second most populated settlement after Volissos. Several stone houses are preserved, which, in order to discover them, one has to walk uphill in the interior. In a few minutes we reach the imposing church of St. John the Theologian. The large-sized iconostasis is deeply carved with exquisite art and bears a plethora of representations of the Bible. The church is beautifully decorated inside but lacks frescoes. The lintel is dated 1853; the towering bell tower is five stories high and is dated 1873.

–It was even higher, a lady tells me. But they lowered it so it wouldn’t be so vulnerable to earthquakes.

In the little café in the square we chat with the locals.

–You should also go to our chapels, to Panagia “Koilani”, which is near the road you were coming from, and of course to Panagia “Pagousaina” on the mountain and even further up to Panagia “Despina”, the highest chapel of Amani.

We can make it to the first one, but for the rest we don’t have enough time. We descend again down the same dirt road that led us to Parparia. At 1,3 km we turn left and immediately we meet a dump next to the road. At 2.6 km we turn right and after 200 meters we are in front of the large and hidden chapel of Koilanis, with beautiful stone masonry and tiled roof, literally unseen in a valley full of wild flowers.

We return to Parpararia and, after several hours on dirt roads, we find the tarmac again. The sea breeze has filled the sky with black clouds, hovering menacingly over the mountain range of Amani, the settlement of Pyramas and further back Pelinaeon. Somewhere on the west coast a very spectacular sunset must be in progress. However, our images are not short on excitement either, it is a dramatic time of sunset, in mountainous landscapes brilliantly illuminated through the clouds. As we descend towards Volissos and the minutes pass, the threat of the storm recedes, the light becoming ever sweeter. Already the outline of the castle looms opposite us, wrapped in a reddish hue, as we have never seen it before.

At the same time, the magnificent School of Volissos is revealed lower down, a magnificent stone-built building of 1928, undoubtedly one of the most prominent school buildings in Greece. With the sea in the background, it offers us a perspective that we hadn’t noticed until now. The problem, however, is that many dark mountain slopes are interspersed in our line of sight, which takes away much of the charm of the subjects. We speed down the desolate twists and turns, searching anxiously for a solution. We meet it by chance on a dirt road, climbing for a few hundred yards to the top of a hill, a few minutes before the sun is finally gone. It is a high point towards the School and the Castle. Deeply satisfied with the varied sights of the first day’s tour, we return at last light to the Zorba balcony. In the middle of the night I am suddenly awakened by the terrible crack of thunder. The heavy clouds that have been building up in the Chios sky all afternoon have begun hostilities and clashes with repeated thunder and lightning. In a few minutes a heavy rain breaks out, perhaps the first in our many trips to Chios. The background is the sound of the waves. Perhaps there is no more beautiful lullaby.

TO THE WEST OF PELINIA

During the night the weather has changed to a gust, which is pouring out of the open sea to the SW, just at the bows of the bays of Volissos. The waves are reaping even more, we watch their outbreak from the garden as we drink our morning coffee.

Today’s tour is geared to initially include the A boundaries of the Municipality of Amani, which grow along the western slopes of the island’s largest mountain range, Pellinaio. For us it is one of the few routes left unknown in Chios and includes some villages we have never visited before. An additional interest is the existence of the famous Moudon Monastery. So we start from the SE entrance point of Volissos with the initial direction towards Chios. For a few minutes we admire the foaming sea as we move alongside the vast sandy Managros beach in the bay of Volissos. At 6.7 km we meet the main road network, which, via Sidirounta, is one of the alternative – and stunningly beautiful – routes to Chios and, by extension, to the southern part of the island. We continue to the left, with a B direction towards the mainland. Already lower down, a few hundred metres from the main road, the picturesque little settlement of Katavasi appears. We arrive at the tiny square of Osias Matrona, who was born in the 13th or 14th century in Volissos by the Cesenia family. Her church, built in 1865 and whitewashed in blue and white, dominates here, covering every trace of its old masonry.

Built amphitheatrically, the settlement initially gives the impression of being abandoned. No sound, no speech, no people. The houses, with excellent stonework most of them, if not dilapidated, are sealed. On one of the lintels is embossed the date 1882. In almost all of them, the upper part of the old thick wood, mostly almond, is weathered and scarred by time. In some others, solid decorative tiles are interspersed, bringing to mind Byzantine church architecture. Such a village and to be deserted! It is something we can hardly accept.

We descend to the SW end of the village, where most of the houses are in ruins. The liotrivi stands out among them, ruined too, of which only the walls remain. In the grassy interior, the ‘styraki’, the oil separator for separating the oil from the margarine, and the iron bucket with two huge stones that used to mash the olive fruit, still survive, though rusty. From this point, as from the whole village in general, the view of Psara and the Aegean is magnificent. In its heyday, Katavasi must have been a small masterpiece.

We abandon the liotrivi, which, like several other houses, was burnt down in 1981 by the great fire that engulfed D. Pelinaio and a large part of Amani. We pass by an exquisitely built, huge wood-fired oven. Then we go uphill towards the square. An old donkey appears in an alley. There is a faint barking of a dog. Immediately afterwards we finally meet a human being. It’s Lady Niki, with the historical surname Cesenia. Now in her 80s, she is the only person who lives year-round in the village. Lady Niki, a kind and sympathetic person, shows us next to her house the liotrivi of St. Matrona (her memory is commemorated on October 80), she maintains all the mechanical equipment as well as the facility for the production of soumas (raki from figs).

–Good that you came and I saw a human being, she says as we say goodbye to her.

Leaving Katavasi, and before we hit the tarmac, we take an internal dirt road to the next small village in the area, “Διευχά”. All around it stretches a lovely valley, with few olive groves but lush bush vegetation, which has taken the place of the pine trees burnt down by the huge fires of 1981 and 1987. Before entering the village, at the foot of a steep hill, we find a stone fountain with an abundant flow of cool water.

Two kilometres after Katabasi we reach the rudimentary little square of “Christ” with the church of the same name. An old pine tree dominates the centre of the square, supported above the ground by pillars. Here things are much better than in the Descent. There are about 25 permanent residents and in the square there is a café-tavern “The Pine Tree”, which operates mainly on weekends and in the summer season. The characteristics of the two villages are almost identical. Amphitheatricality, altitude of 300-350 meters, excellent south-southwest orientation with a wide land and sea horizon. The houses here too have elaborate stonework, with all the architectural features we are familiar with, but many are dilapidated and uninhabited.

800 m after the square we are in front of the “Monastery of Mundon”. G. Zolotas in HISTORY OF CHIOY (VOLUME C) states: “In northern Chios we have the most important monastery of all, called the monastery of the Deviches or of Moundon, which is a crusader monastery with remarkable metochia, and today it has about twenty brothers. This monastery flourished greatly in the times of the Turkish occupation, welcoming those who embraced the monastic life from the old Byzantine aristocracy of Chora and Volissos, and is included in the patriarchal cross-keepers, as can be seen from the silhouettes of the monastery’.

We are impressed by the dome above the gate of the courtyard of the monastery, which has an excellent conical shape and is covered with thick tiles. In a magnificent stone-built niche above the gate there is a worn fresco of Christ with a small indistinct inscription, while before the gate stand five heavy stone-built and rectangular columns with several deteriorations.

Through an old wooden door, lined with thick sheet metal, we enter the interior. A long cobbled corridor begins, its surface smooth from centuries of use. We discern aquidographs with initials of names and old dates. A fountain – which is not working – bears a very old, misspelled inscription. To the left and right of the corridor stand the dilapidated but exquisite stonework of brownish yellow stone, the cell facilities. In the west wing of the corridor, however, some cells have been renovated. Since the death of Damaskinos, the last monk, in 1957, the monastery has remained uninhabited.

At the end of the cobbled corridor – about 50 metres long – stands the Katholikon of St. John the Baptist, which, with its carved stones and decorative tiles, is preserved in excellent condition. The structure is fortress-like with iron “keys” scattered on the walls, those large and solid irons that “lock” the masonry. The fortress feel is complemented by the windows with their strong iron bars. Above the lintel there is a stone relief with the date of renovation (1835), while in front of the entrance the floor is made of wonderful pebbled stone.

George Fokas from our Διευχά opens the Katholikon with the key. It is a basilica, single-aisled and very elongated, with a very rare – for us – aspect ratio of length to width: about 21 metres long by (just) 5 wide! The roof is vaulted, giving the feeling of a huge arch. The pews are handmade and antique, the chancel is painted in silver, with several decorative elements. But what impresses above all in the interior of the Catholicos is the very good art and unimaginable number of frescoes (475 in total)! The painted surfaces of the walls and ceiling are divided into countless square or circular sections with figures of saints or representations from the Bible, which bring to mind a multitude of events from the Old and New Testaments.

According to G. Zolotas, on 25 April 1620 an agreement was made with the painter Manuel Kontarini from Chios ‘to paint the temple of St. John the Baptist. But the frescoes of the temple were destroyed and an agreement was made in 1738, under Professor Jacob Argenti, for the painting of the temple from one end to the other’. The work was carried out by Konstantinos Kataraktousis and is what we still admire today, completed with some frescoes of 1849.

Finally, we must add that the monastery was founded in 1582, and, according to Zolotas, “the location and the area of Mundon is one of the most remarkable of the island, hiding perhaps ancient world and things of great value”.

We crossed the rough stone walls and ruins behind the sanctuary and came out on a dirt road. After a few dozen metres we come to the chapel of St. James, of fine fortress construction. The interior lacks frescoes, while in the centre of the paved floor a round marble slab bears a star with seven rays in relief.

Leaving the asphalt road, we continue our journey northwards. Almost 4 km later we turn left for Kipouries. In half a minute we reach the paved square, at an altitude of 400 m, with plane trees and a towering cave. The dominant feature here is the spring with the incredible flow of wonderful water straight from the Pelinnaeum. The two taverns, the “Petrini Square” (tel. 22740-21672) and the “Kitchen of Mrs. Rini” (tel. 6973-384668) are well-known in the area for their good food. Going up steps we reach the small church of Panagia (1861) and the adjacent larger church of Ag. Panteleimon, dated 1800 on the stone relief of the lintel. Here stands a centuries-old purnar with a hollowed-out cavity blackened, probably by lightning.

Continuing from Kipouries, we reach after two kilometres Fytas, the last settlement of the Municipality of Amani. We are greeted on the road by the large and new church of Ag. Paraskevi, while below the road is the smaller old church of the same name, with a magnificent bell tower made of rectangular carved stones. Although the village has a long history, few stone buildings survive, including the base of a tower dating back to 1516. Among the other traditional elements of the village, we note the small church of St. Kyriaki of 1874, a nice stone oven and a stone-built house of 1881.

The village is built amphitheatrically with steps and alleys, at an altitude of more than 500 metres. Its view is top of the Aegean Sea and above it the steep western slopes of Pelinaion dominate.

These slopes are still covered by pine trees, since the big fires of the 1980s broke out lower down.

From Fytas we continue towards Spartounta, the village from where we had climbed to the top of Pellinanaio two years before. Scattered along the road, a few century-old pine trees have survived the fires, true monuments of nature. At a distance of 1.6 km from Phyta, we descend to the left down a dirt road, which ends after 200 metres. Two giant pine trees and an old plane tree dominate the tiny plateau that is created.

–I brought you here for another reason, says our friend John Zorbas. To taste the water “Ta’ Angelou”, the finest water in the region from the strangest spring.

On the back side of the plane tree a large cavern is created with the inside blackened by fire or lightning. From its bowels, through the earth, flows abundant water, surprising in taste and refreshing, the true ether of Pelignaio. It is a unique spring, the like of which we have not yet encountered. In this dreamy natural environment, which is hard to describe in words and is a total of 21.7 km away from Volissos square, we give ourselves a few hours of absolute peace.

As we return, darkness catches up with us. On the west side, black clouds. However, above the sea, a part of the sky remains open. Strange colours, dark green and violet, a picture that cannot be photographed or described. We are therefore content to remember these rare moments.

The day, so full, unfolds just as excitingly in the square of Volissos. Here, at the tavern of Mr. Andreas, a perfectly cooked, almost two kilos of sea bream, beaten in the morning with a snorkel, awaits us.

–Is it possible for three people to eat this fish?

The night on the balcony of the “Zorba” could not be short of peculiarities. Over the Aegean sky it has fallen gloomy, an unripe moon peering at us through the clouds. From the depths of the sea lightning flashes now and then without thunder. The gale blows furiously. At times its intensity must exceed 9 Beaufort. Fortunately the tamarixes are flexible, otherwise they would fall apart. On the two beaches, Lefkathia and Lemnos, the waves were roaring with a never-ending crescendo. As I am right between the two bays, I have the feeling that I can hear this thrilling sound of the Aegean’s breath “sterno”.

IN AND AROUND VOLISSOS

The time comes to get to know the fascinating details of the state of Volissos and the surrounding area. We wish we had unlimited space to include all the details and photographic material we have gathered. We are therefore forced to limit ourselves to a brief record of our major “finds”, confident that we are providing you with the impetus for further exploration.

Near the wonderfully renovated building of the Museum is the Town Hall of the Municipality of Amani. We take a short break from the duties of the Town Hall of Yannis Malafis for a while and immediately start our tour from the small central square of the “Christ” quarter, where the church of the same name is located. Here the cafes, taverns and shops are concentrated. In contrast to the frenzy of weather on the coast, there is no wind at this point.

We ascend to the E-NE, on the concrete-paved street M.S. Belegri. On the left and right, old houses of stunning architecture, some dilapidated and uninhabited but many modern ones among them. We head towards the “Pyrgos” district and turn a branch in direction A. The scenery remains the same, coexistence of old and new houses. In two minutes we pass in front of a large dilapidated liotribe with excellent masonry. Right next to it is the imposing church of Agios Nikolaos, with elaborate architecture and masonry of carved stones. Surrounded by ruins and ruins, the past and the ravages of time are imprinted on every corner of Volissos. Once this whole route was once cobbled alleys, today the roadway is covered with slabs or concrete.

We pass by the old chapel of St. John, with examples of fine masonry under the crude plasterwork. For a while we continue to move along the E-NE edges of Volissos that end in the tarmac. We pass the chapel of Ag. Kyriaki and head inland towards the settlement. We are always in the district “Pyrgos”, with uphill, stairs and top views. The ruined houses with examples of its exquisite architecture are omnipresent. But among the ruins, a breath of optimism has been breathing for several years now. It is initially due to the initiative and business inspiration of Stella Tsakiri, who, as early as the late 1980s, started an ambitious plan to purchase and restore ruined houses under the name “VOLISSOS TRAVEL”. The result was very promising for both the physiognomy and the tourist infrastructure of Volissos. The restoration of the houses was done using local materials and with full respect to the architectural tradition of the older ones.

Stella’s example was subsequently followed by other investors in the field of tourism, such as Stella’s brother Argyris Angelou (OMIROS TRAVEL), Maria Mavromati and the Englishman Patrick Witliam with “PETRINA” and, for some years now, Stefanos Liovaros, with the impressive luxury residences “PIRGOS VILLAGE”. Thus, during the last 15 years, Volissos has acquired an enviable dynamic that is constantly evolving and transforming it into a tourist destination, where the visitor can experience to a significant extent the residential conditions of the past, with all the modern comforts. In total, at least 60 old and dilapidated houses have been restored at the top of the settlement.

In a prominent position, and in a square surrounded by many reconstructed houses, stands the impressive church of St. George. Unfortunately it is smeared with ochre, which completely covers its masonry. Here there is an exit point of Volissos to the regional asphalt road to the NE.

We ascend W towards the castle, part of which is already visible. In 3 minutes we are in front of the church of St. Anthony, 100 meters below the walls. Here the apnea of the square disappears, the sea breeze reminds us of its presence.

A paved walkway allows us to stroll through the interiors of the castle. In many places it is in ruins, but the masonry that survives is very strong. It is made of dark stone and is more than 1.5 metres thick. From the altitude of 230 metres, the view is breathtaking to every point of the horizon. The open sea and the coast, South Chios, Psara, the mountains of Amani and Pelinnaeus as well as several settlements are within our visual range. It is no coincidence that in most of our travels so far, the Castle of Volissos dominates, near or far and always with different aspects.

We descend again towards Ag. Georgios and continue our tour in a southwest direction; very quickly we pass through narrow streets with successive “walks”, those beautiful stone-built arches, which are so characteristic and numerous in the medieval villages of Chios.

We continue to the W, with the castle always above our heads. It is an area with several ruined houses. But here there is also a large modern one, whose architectural elements have nothing to do with the tradition of the place. Immediately below the character comes back. Grassy paths, ruins and rubble, an old chapel of St. George but also a large beautiful stone building by Argyris Angelos, which is being completed. Successive churches are revealed along the way. First of St. Taxiarchis the “Christosikos”. A little further west we come out on a peripheral dirt road. In front of us is the church of Panagia, with traces of frescoes under the plaster. On the lintel inside there is an inscription with the date 1735. Above is the cemetery church of St. Marina and opposite to the N-NW is St. Panteleimon. Further north is St. John. The density of churches in this part of Volissos is incredible. All of them are unfortunately whitewashed, the identity of their masonry remains unknown.

There is, of course, a building, which interposes itself between the churches and interrupts their continuity. It is one of the old windmills of Volissos. However, after 200 meters, at the W end of the settlement, the imposing stone church of Taxiarches emerges from the old and semi-deserted buildings. With a renovation date of 1883 on the lintel, the church is kept unpainted and thus shows off its excellent masonry. Equally beautiful is the courtyard, paved with cobblestones and the three-storey stone bell tower.

The descents are finished, the ground is already flat. We continue eastwards towards the interior of the settlement and in a few minutes we reach the square of Python. Here the church of Panagia imposes its presence, but whitewashed, like its 4-storey bell tower, dated 1872. The most fascinating element of the church is the courtyard. It occupies a large area and is completely decorated with pebbled representations, with such complexity and harmony of designs, that it is considered one of the most outstanding that one can find, not only in Chios but also in Greece in general. Right next to the church stand two magnificent stone buildings of 1874 and 1876. At every point, Volissos shows off its manorial past.

A little tavern with tables outside is located in Pithonos Square, in front of the church. We stop for a while and taste the snacks of Mrs. Kalliopi, which are delicious. With renewed strength we finish our tour from where we started, in front of the church of Christ, which is the patron saint of Volissos, with a celebration on August 6. And to conclude with the countless churches of the settlement, we mention the one next door to St. Minas, built in 1817 but also whitewashed.

It is nice to stroll for hours along the hills and alleys of Volissos. Old, romantic, in some places dilapidated, in others modern – with the inevitable deviations – but always full of interesting and picturesque elements of the past, which one discovers all the time.

On a street of the square, which leads to the asphalt road towards Chios, we visit the “Archontiko”, Zorbas’ lodging house, which is located within the settlement. It is a stone-built house with excellent masonry, built in 1881, after the great earthquake. In the past it housed the Magistrate’s Court and during the years of the Occupation some school classes, due to the ordering of the Volissos School. It consists of two apartments. The first one is a single and beautiful space of large dimensions, while the second one also includes an attic. Both have wonderful fireplaces, fully equipped kitchens and are decorated with traditional furnishings and antique items, wood paneling, bronze pews and much more. It is an authentic lodge, which keeps the aura of the past unchanged, a true pleasure to stay.

Before leaving Volissos for the surroundings, we mention two traditional trades that still survive. One is the traditional wood-fired oven of Yannis Kouroupis, near the Police Station, whose presence is still suspected from the outside, both by the piles of olive branches used for the burning of the oven and – above all – by the wonderful smell of the bread.

The second occupation is the also traditional bagel factory of Thomas Tsolakis, who has been making samaria since he was 15 years old, and his shop has been operating since 1949 in the Pythonos district. Today, at 75, Mr. Thomas has a great love for his place and has gathered in one place many old objects of everyday life, which could form the basis for the creation of a folklore museum. Accompanied by Nikos Pitropakis and Hippocrates Belegris (86 years old). We set off for the surrounding area, and first for the site of Schinies, A of Volissos. At 2.3 km from the square we come across a yard with building materials and next to it the grassy road with traces of a cobbled road, which before the construction of the car roads connected Volissos with Chios, after 8 hours of walking with the animal. Walking along this old strata, we find ourselves after two minutes in front of an old Genoese well and a carved trough, about 100 metres from the bed of the large Malagiotis torrent. The well is built with exquisite chipped stones, starting about 1.5 meters below the ground surface. The remaining part, down to the ground, is built with newer masonry of coarse stones, which looks crude compared to that of the past. This proves that in Genoese times (14th – 16th century) the ground in the area was 1.5 metres lower and was raised later by the silting up.

We continue to the area of St. Apostles with ruined farmhouses from threshing floors. Here two old churches stand out. The smaller one is that of St. Apostles, with bollards of ancient origin built into the niche of the sanctuary. The second one, that of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, has a part of an ancient plaque with Greek characters indistinctly embedded in the façade. The masonry of both churches is excellent, with chipped stone, decorative tiles and large carved stones from ancient buildings.

An even larger Genoese well can be found on the side of the road, very close to the Malagiotis bridge. Deep grooves, created by the long use of rope, still survive in the marble stones of the mouth.

We leave the mainland for a while and head towards the sea, to the vast bay of Volissos, whose opening is close to 4 km. A wonderful coast, never crowded, with sand and fine pebbles stretching from NW at “Gonia” to SE at “Prastia”. In between there are many local names of which the generic “Managros” has prevailed.

In the interior again. The stunning estate of Hippocrates intoxicates us with the scent of orange blossoms. Our friend fills us with a bag of unpeeled oranges, as unpeeled as the rest of the trees on the estate. Across the road, beyond the road, stands the imposing stone church of St. Barbara, with a dark-coloured plaque with ancient Greek characters embedded in the corner of the wall of the sanctuary. It is almost impossible to read them, since the plaque is embedded upside down! Above the entrance to the church there is a marble relief of the bestiary inscription dated 1783.

There is one last chapel about 150 meters southwest of Ag. It is of Panagia in the place “Plakes”, with an ancient inscription on the north wall.

The only marked hiking route – most of which can be done by car – starts from the asphalt road, about 2.5 km SE of Volissos, on a well-paved dirt road. The most characteristic features of this route, which make it interesting, are the existence of the old church of Agios Georgios Vasilikos, the successive presence of 4 old watermills and the overall landscape, which is idyllic.

Initially the road passes by St. George. It is an imposing cruciform basilica with a dome and exonarthex with 4 ancient columns. On the lintel of the entrance there is a relief on a plaque with the date 1817, referring to the addition of the newer part of the church. During this period extensive restoration work was carried out and the church was closed. A medieval tower is preserved next to it.

The good dirt road continues after the church as a marked hiking trail, parallel to the unseen Malagiotis riverbed. We come across the ruins of the abandoned settlement “Red Village”, as well as the concrete mill where the water used to circulate. An impressive hill with a rocky top and terraces. The place is overgrown with olive trees, plane trees, oaks and a few carob trees.

We arrive at the 2nd watermill, a large and sturdy building, maintained in much better condition than the first one. On the upper floor, two millstones with the date 1934 engraved on them survive.

The signs always point us to the site of the 3rd watermill and after a while to the 4th, which is a large complex with arches and excellent stonework but largely dilapidated. A furnace survives, elaborately built with solid blocks. Also a millstone dated 1906.

At the 4th watermill the dirt road ends with a total distance of 1,6 km from Ag. Georgios and 2,3 km from the asphalt road. There are wooden benches for resting. Those who want to continue on a path will cross the Malangiotis riverbed after a while and will end up at the chapel of Panagia of Neromyla or Panagia in Loutra, where of course one can also go by car from another route.

It is an excellent experience to wander, without purpose and time constraints, in the large plain of Volissos, which extends to the south and east of the settlement and is the largest in the northwestern part of the island. Scattered everywhere are stone-built rural houses, some in good condition and others in ruins, threshing floors, wells, picturesque outhouses, olive groves, citrus groves and orchards. It is a peaceful, idyllic place, with strong elements of the past. But the area that brings together in its most beautiful form all these characteristics is ‘Rodonas’, bounded by the beach of Managros, the Malagiotis riverbed and the asphalt road.

We leave the car and start our wanderings on foot. Dirt roads are narrow, picturesque, with little to no traffic. Low stone walls demarcate the properties of olive groves and estates with tangerine, orange, lemon and water orange trees. Each estate has its own stone-built farmhouse, large or small, well-kept or half-ruined. Each farm has its well with its impressive manganese well. One of them is dated 1894 and is probably the only one that has cylindrical columns instead of rectangular ones.

The scent of citrus fruits is everywhere, the memories and experiences of “Kampos” come vividly to mind. We arrive at the E-SE boundary of the area, bordered by the Malagiotis stream, which at this time of year still has plenty of water. Here is the estate of Dimitris of Kaloupis, the old Kounikiko, with citrus trees, olive trees, vegetables and numerous animals. In this little paradise Dimitris lives full time with his family. His wife Sophia welcomes her uninvited guests with an extremely hospitable attitude. We drink coffee in the shade of an oak tree of peloric dimensions and many centuries old, which hosts a small wooden house between its giant branches. These are our last and most beautiful moments in the vast orchard of Rodina.

TO THE NORTH AND WEST

We begin our long tour towards the northern and westernmost corners of the municipality of Amani, the northwesternmost part of the island. Unfortunately it is impossible to describe the experiences and images in the detail we would like to. The place is literally inexhaustible in variations and peculiarities, in hidden corners. It is in fact the most remote, or least touristic area of Chios, and therefore the most unknown. Even we, who, supposedly, knew it, were surprised by what we were unaware of. So let us begin this exciting, “beautiful journey”, which has “a long way to go”.

From Volissos we take the main road straight to the north, with Potamia as our first stop. We ascend with bends. Already in front of us on the A, the Pellinaio massif is visible with the entire route on its foothills to the Monastery of Mundon and the villages we have come to know. We are separated by a huge ravine, which before the fires was covered with pine trees. At 6.7 km we cross the architecturally indifferent settlement of Potamia. Immediately afterwards we go downhill to the right. After 2km we reach the settlement of Pispilounda, with no particular architecture but with a top view of the green Amani and the grey Pelinaeum. North of the settlement begins a network of dirt roads, which after a nice route through gorges and valleys, lead to the wind park with the wind turbines and then to Spartounta.

A few hundred metres before Pispilounta we turn right onto a good dirt road. After 1.4 km, we are surprised by what we see. In this secluded area we are in front of the ruins of the medieval settlement “Ta Markou”. A mighty tower dominates the A part of the settlement with its bulk and is preserved at a height of more than 10 metres. Its position is strategic and the view is impressive. The strongest masonry is made of stones and tiles with mortar binder and the thickness of the walls exceeds one meter. Battlement, arches, vaulted chambers, the tower is a stunning building that imposes itself catalytically with its presence in the area. The remains of ruined houses are also preserved, with very good stonework, and there are three chapels nearby, those of Panagia, St. George and St. Paraskevi.

We sit for a while in the tower and gaze out. Valleys, gorges, slopes covered with bushes and green, elsewhere yellow as ochre from asparagus and asparagus. Behind, with its rocky peaks, grey and austere, the Pelinnaeum. Once all this was covered by pine trees. I wonder when nature was more beautiful, since even now it has an indescribable beauty.

–Let’s go, says John. The place has more to show us.

Back again to N. Potamia. After 500 meters the road descends to a spectacular gorge on the left. Winding and good dirt road. One and a half kilometres later the ruins of P. Potamia rise up in front of us. It is a steep slope, almost steep, unseen and sheltered from all sides. Every part of its surface, from root to summit, is suffocatingly covered by cubes of stone, houses large or small, leaving little space between them. It is a solid mass of stone, a continuous fortress, which brings to mind the Castropolis of Anavatos.

We guide our steps with great difficulty through the steep interior of the settlement. Everywhere there are stones and ruins, roads are completely absent, the place is almost impassable. The houses, however, those that survive, are all built without exception with dark stone of the region and masonry good and strong. All around the ravines and slopes are overgrown, a very peculiar place, and it is a great misfortune that it remains silent and uninhabited.

At the lowest point, at an altitude of 350 metres, a bridge built in 1911 crosses the stream and connects the two parts of the village. Here there is a deep water well and a stone mouth with deep grooves left by the rope. Next to it is a humble marble Memorial to the Fallen. A little further down the once nice school and the renovated (!) church of St. Anthony. The settlement was abandoned in 1960 and 1970 and relocated to N. Potamia, which completely forgot the architectural tradition of Palia.

We return to the asphalt and continue to the North. At 2.8 km we meet the dirt road on the left, which leads to Panagia Despina, the highest chapel in Amani. After a few hundred metres, another abandoned settlement, Kamini, with the church of Agios Modestos, can be seen down the road.

The next two settlements are Halandra and Afrodisia, mountain villages built at an altitude of 450-500 metres, with indifferent architecture but with lush vegetation and a beautiful view of the Pelinnaeum.

After Aphrodisia, which owes its name to the goddess Aphrodite, the road forks. On the left it turns towards the more western and more remote villages, completing the road circle to Volissos. On the right, it ends, after a short route, at the seaside settlement of Agiasmata, the northernmost beach of the municipality of Amani. We turn initially right, descending continuously between hillsides covered with pine forests, ditches with plane trees and many white exotics, almost lost among the pines. On a steep slope is built Keramos, with several stone houses, known mainly from the mines of Antimony. Today it is almost impossible to realize that under the pine-covered slopes was once a mining area and a whole world lived – and died – by it. With a little attention, however, we can discern on the opposite slopes two dark openings, which are none other than the mouths of galleries. Next to the road we see an old lodge, now covered with cement. The area has a lot of water, there is still the old well with plenty of water.

Dimitris Tsiadis from Keramos takes over our tour. First we pass by the residential facilities of the miners’ staff next to the road. Large buildings, with considerable wear and tear from time but with stunning masonry, based on the use of the excellent Thymianosian stone, excellently chipped. Then we go uphill to the right towards Ag. Petros, Ag. Ioannis and the old settlement of Lardato. After 100 m we find ourselves in front of two galleries, two huge trenches that penetrate gloomily into the depths of the hill. There is of course no signpost either on the road or in the galleries. A tortured past for thousands of people from the 18th century to 1954 remains unknown to the unsuspecting traveller.

Only the memorial with the names of the deceased reminds us of the existence of this dark and abysmal place that was once here.

We meet the signs for the chapels and turn right. Under a picture post we notice an 18th century chimney, which was blowing out the dust of antimony. Almost two kilometres after the tarmac road we arrive in front of the chapel of St. John, whitewashed, with the only identity of its past a small plaque dated 1853; just below it, some ruined walls from the small settlement of Lardato survive, but with examples of good masonry.

Returning to the asphalt we continue our route along the plane-covered ravine. We first pass by the ruined premises of the Bodossakis company, the last to exploit the Antimony mines.

A little further on, the remains of the French company, which first settled here in the 18th century. Immediately afterwards the road forks. Agiasmata is a small settlement with some cottages and thermal baths. The coast is rocky and inhospitable, wide open to the tramadana, the maistro and the grape. Near the seashore there are scattered old buildings with excellent dark stone masonry, such as the old baths and the Katsaros Hotel, which operated from the 1930s to the 1970s.

At the NW end of the beach a small amount of hot water flows from a pipe.

–Its temperature ranges from 68-70 degrees, Dimitris tells us.

We test it with our hands to make sure it’s true. It’s impossible to last more than 5 seconds.

In the center of the settlement, on an area of about 300 square meters, three churches are crowded together. Between the churches there is a well with a mouth made of carved marble. From this point the surprises begin. On the surface of the mouth there is an engraved representation with Byzantine type characters, which according to M. Th. Mitsos (Antiquities of North Chios) depicted a horoscope. Also in the outer area of the Ag.

But the surprises continue inside the church as well. The one-piece marble slab at the threshold of the Holy Entrance is decorated with engraved representations depicting buildings, crosses, grapes and vines from a Byzantine church. Inside the Sanctuary also the Holy Altar consists of a solid rectangular stone measuring 0.90 x 0.50 x 0.30, supported on an ancient capstone with intricate carvings reminiscent of the Corinthian style. Finally, above the A end of the beach, there are capitals from an earlier Paleochristian church in the church of St. Isidore.

After our tour of the area’s ancient past, we walk for a while to the more recent one, the heavy construction (of stone and cement) pier of the Bodossaki company, from where the antimony was loaded. At this point the coast is normalized, with countless pebbles and pieces of pumice.

–Years ago, on this coast, I used to fish with a polyhook, sea bream, bream, sea bass and beetles, says Dimitris, reminiscing.

From the humble, in the eyes of the unsuspecting traveler, but full of elements of the past settlement of Agiasmata we head towards Leptopoda, the last settlement in this area of the Municipality of Amani. The road ends in a rudimentary square with a dead end. Immediately afterwards, concrete alleys with many steps begin, leading to the lower part of the settlement, from where the dirt road continues towards Kambia.

The exonarthex of the church of Panagia is supported by ancient columns, which are also present in the courtyard of the church.

We return to the junction to the W. We first cross the settlement of Igrigoros, built amphitheatrically at an altitude of 400 m, with a panoramic view of the Pelinaeon and the sea. In two minutes we reach Ano Kourounia. A short stop at the tavern-café “O Ariousios”. Red snails, a brave omelette and wild greens growing by the sea.

–Here we call them “beans”, explains Mrs. Tula.

In the courtyard of the church of St. John the Theologian, a church museum has been operating since 1999, with figures of priests, old village photo-graphs, hagiographies, an epitaph from 1811 and an old gospel.

A dirt road climbs in a southerly direction up the slopes of Amani. There, in the arid highlands, and at an altitude of about 500 metres, the members of the company ‘Ariousios A.E.’ create terraces and plant young vines, even in the harsh midday hour with a fierce gust of wind. The aim and ambition of these people is to revive the ancient and glorious wine tradition of their place, ‘Ariousia Chora’. This area is described by Strabo as ‘rough and threshing’ and is situated between Melaina Accra and Mount Pelina. Today it is identified with the area of Mount Amani and the surrounding villages in NW Chios. According to N. Merousis, if we assume that this identification is correct, then it is an area of 80 square kilometres (80,000 acres), which of course equals 1/10 of the total area of Chios.

According to Athenaeus, Ariousios wine is ‘graceful’ and according to Strabo ‘the most excellent of the Greek wines’. Perhaps after a few years, these newborn vines will produce wine that will honour its glorious ancestor.

Immediately afterwards, from the vineyard plateaus, we descend northwards to the beach of Galatos. A passable dirt road, with a nice 6.3 km route, leads to the beach of Galato. A remote, deserted beach, strewn with dark pebbles and exposed to the north wind. Here there is the chapel of Agios Irini, while further to the left, in a spectacular location, is the chapel of Pera Panagia.

We pass through Nenitouria with its four settlements (Hametos, Psaras, Kosmados and Andrachlias) scattered among the verdant slopes. At the exit of the settlements, a huge oak tree with a fountain and watering trough dominates the road. From this point a good dirt road begins, which after 4.3 km, ends in a creek with the chapel of Agios Georgios of Krassa. The church is stone-built, old, with heavy stonework, which is mainly visible in the niche of the sanctuary, since the rest of the walls are whitewashed. About 20 metres from the coast there is a water well, built with pebbles. With an opening of almost 100 metres, the creek is paved with smooth, dark-coloured pebbles, but the waters deepen steeply and access is not one of the easiest. To the left of the chapel there is a similar creek, from which the bulk of Psara can be seen. Some huge, dark-coloured rocks dominate with their presence very close to the sea.

We are approaching Ag. Galas, famous for its cave and churches. A little earlier, however, we ascend for about 2.5 km to the old settlement of Agios Ioannis, which we first met years ago with our good friend George Misetzis and since then it still remains as it was. A desolate place, yards of grass and rubble, ruined houses, waiting in vain for a loving hand to give them life again. Yet Agios Ioannis was once a beautiful mountain village, in a stunning natural setting and with a top view of the Aegean Sea. For hiking enthusiasts, a nice marked trail crosses a lush gorge and ends after about half an hour at Agios Galas. A settlement with a special physiognomy, strange one would say, it is built at an altitude of 250 meters, on the flat part of a hill that ends in steep slopes. Down the road it gives the impression of a castle, dominating from above, protected by its cliffs. Walking along the narrow streets our impressions alternate. Alongside the old stone houses with their beautiful architecture and masonry, the new concrete ones stand up starkly. We don’t want to be unfair to the few remaining residents. For them, survival, low cost and then aesthetics came first. It’s just that St. Galla, if it had been taken care of sooner, could have been a little gem. We are accompanied by a lady from the village, equipped with the keys to the Byzantine churches. We first pass by the one-room basilica of St. Paraskevi, built in 1891, stone-built, with a paved floor and a wood-carved iconostasis of exceptional art. On the vaulted ceiling, two blackened frescoes of Christ and Panagasis can be seen under the whitewashed surface. With steps we descend in half a minute to the old Byzantine chapel of St. Thaleio, a building of the 11th century (!), measuring 7 x 4.5 m. The massive structure consists of carved angles and the gable roof of thick tiles supported by plaster. Inside, the old floor is preserved, part of which consists of a solid rock surface. The frescoes that survive, albeit damaged, reveal the rigour of their Byzantine style, while the thick plaster on which they are painted has been removed in many places, revealing the masonry.

Going down a concrete path and steps, we immediately reach the second Byzantine monument of the village, the church of Panagia Agioloulousaina, which dates back to the 13th century! The cross-shaped church with a dome is built at the roots of the steep slope, dominating the plane-covered ravine from above. The marble lintel of the entrance is engraved with the date 1817, which of course dates back to a later renovation.

Upon entering the interior the feeling is overwhelming, we are captivated by the exquisitely crafted and deeply carved wooden iconostasis with a wealth of detail from the Bible.

Low down in the right-hand section of the iconostasis is an inscription carved into the wood with the identity of the “taliadors” (woodcarvers) who made it and the date 1721. The wooden pews are also very old, unfortunately the frescoes are completely absent.

But the journey into the sanctuary of Orthodoxy does not end here. From the area of the iconostasis we proceed to the depths of the rock. Here nestles the small Byzantine chapel of St. Anna, with traces of ancient frescoes. The space is mystical and evocative, nature joining in with the constant dripping from the solid rocks of the low ceiling. This calcium carbonate-filled water from the cavernous roof is collected by the locals in clay vessels. It is the famous “Holy Glass”, which tradition considers miraculous.

We emerge into the light, descend some stone – this time – steps and pass in front of the entrance to the cave, which is closed due to development works. The Cave at Agios Galas is famous because the oldest traces of human habitation in Chios were discovered here, dating back to the Middle Neolithic Age, 6,000 years BC. In fact, it is the first Neolithic cave to be found in Greece, in the 1880s. From a speleological point of view, the cave is the largest and most labyrinthine in Chios and was explored in 1969 by Anna Petrochilou and her colleagues. A little further down, in the ravine, a refreshment area is under construction. We hope its architecture and appearance will be such that it will not offend the harmony and overall significance of the area.

Before we continue on the asphalt road to Volissos we descend for a while and towards the coast on heavy dirt roads.

The first one starts about 200 metres before the N entrance to the village.

–You will see the shipwreck near the windmill, a local tells us.

1.5 km later we reach the old windmill, which dominates over the Aegean Sea. Then we continue for a few hundred meters to the left and suddenly a part of the shipwreck appears low down. For a quarter of an hour we descend the steep slope, fighting a real battle with thorny bushes, giant asparagus and rough terrain. Eventually we manage to get a realistic view of the wreck. It is the unfortunate “ARION”, which ran aground on the wild coast in February and has remained there stubbornly pinned down ever since, despite attempts to detach it.

Two other pebbly beaches on this inhospitable coast are “Sweet Water” and “Lichina”, found by the dirt road that runs downhill past the military outpost. After a few minutes we reach the beautiful settlement of Melanios, with several stone houses among the new ones. A good dirt road quickly leads us to the pebbled beach of “Kampos”. The simple monument erected here in 1963 reminds us of one of the most dramatic events of the massacre of Chios in April 1822 by the Turks.

We descend towards the “Tripes”. Just before the settlement a recently maintained dirt road leads after 2.4 km to the beach of “Ezousa” is a creek with an opening of about 200 meters, dark sand and pebbles and some holiday homes, some of which are poorly constructed with concrete blocks. Just across the road is Psara.

Trypes is a settlement built on a hillside with an open view of the sea. It could have been very picturesque if the traditional houses were not interspersed with the shabby concrete ones.

After the village, a new asphalt road ends at 3.8 km to the beach of Ag. Isidoros, a beautiful creek with characteristics similar to those of Ezousa. Here too there are holiday homes and a hotel, which never worked.

In Parparia again, coffee in the square. Before we finally descend to Volissos, we owe a final visit to the heart of Amani, to the mountain chapels of the village. From the exit of Parparia we go uphill to the left and at 400 m. we meet the “Apeso Vrisi”, in a wonderful environment with plane trees, a well, a new chapel and an old domed building with a spring, built into the slope. A fountain at its base runs scant water. With relative passability, the road climbs steadily up the bushy – after the fires – mountain range of Amani. The view is magnificent, it gets more and more beautiful. At 4.8 km we arrive in front of the now deserted monastery of Panagia Pagousaina, mentioned in the History of Chios by Zolotas. Built at the foot of a rocky slope, the church celebrates the 15th of August with a large number of visitors, but the concrete facilities for their service are not in harmony with the landscape and the area. Beneath the concrete you can hear the constant flow of the water, renowned for its quality, that feeds the Parparia.

The dirt road continues. At 6.7 km from Parparia, and at an altitude approaching 800 meters, we find ourselves in a furrow with a three-way wind and a fierce wind. To the E (right) we meet a mobile phone antenna after 1,5 km. Here, at the top of the hill, is built the chapel of Panagia Despina, the most mountainous of Amani, which is celebrated on September 8 and has a simultaneous view of the Aegean Sea, both to the N and to the S. If we continue after the chapel, we meet after 3.7 km the asphalt road with the characteristic wind turbines, before Halandra. If we descend again from the tristrato to the N, we will first pass the newly established vineyards of “ARIUSIOS SA” and then we will reach the asphalt road network above Kourounia.

EPILOGUE

We are in Volissos again. Our multi-day – and full-day – wanderings have now come to an end. Some have been quite laborious and complicated. But at least we can boast that there are very few secrets left of this beautiful place, of western and northern Chios.

At the farewell dinner we are again at Vangelis Zikos’ tavern in the harbour of Limnii, in front of a lobster pasta that we will remember the taste for a long time.

Late at night I go out again to Zorba’s balcony. The elements have finally calmed down. The tamarisks below are still, no sound reaches from the sea. Volissos bids us farewell, calm.