Olympoi

OLYMPOI

Just six kilometers away from Pyrgi village you will find another impressive medieval village of the 14th century, Olympoi (31 kilometers from the city of Chios). The earthquake that struck the island in 1881 did not destroy the medieval buildings of the village which has been declared a listed monument.

Here we find the same castle type form that we have seen in Mesta and Pyrgi with houses built closely next to each other. The visitor can enjoy their tour in the village under the shady arches, walking through the narrow cobblestone streets between the tall buildings with the fortress form. The houses around the village had neither doors nor windows from the outer side but only at the inside side looking to the square. The outer walls of Olympoi consists of small towers on the corners and only one entrance to the village (Kato Porta) and this is the reason that the visitor has the feeling of seeing a castle, a feeling that is emphasized when he sees the towers at the angles of the village. This form of the village protected the residents from the frequent attacks of invaders and that is why you can see a 20-meter defense tower in the center of Olympoi to which the residents were hidden in the event of an attack.

During the year many festivals take place in Olympoi with the most famous one to be during Ash Monday. On this day a representation of the traditional custom of Agas takes place, to show in a funny way the trials of the Turkish judges as they did during the Ottoman domination.

Just three kilometers away from the village you can see the Cave of Olympoi village. It is a cave (57 meters depth) with a remarkable natural decoration of stalactites, which was firstly explored in 1985 and opened for visitors after 2000. Near the cave of Olympoi you can also visit Agia Dynami beach. It is one of the most beautiful (not organized) beaches of Chios with crystal, turquoise waters and golden sand.