One of the most beautiful, remote, and well-preserved villages on the island of Chios is Mesta, which combines medieval architecture with impressive natural surroundings.
The village, 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the main town of Chios, has been declared a preserved medieval monument and its appearance, reminiscent of a fortress, has remained unchanged over the centuries.
The houses were built one right next to the other, thereby creating an unbroken protective wall surrounding the village.
Mesta, Chios is like traveling in time to the Middle Ages
The cobblestone streets are very narrow, as well, creating a kind of labyrinth.
This type of fortress, a four-cornered structure, was built for protection against the frequent attacks by pirates and Turks, as well as for better cultivation of the valuable mastic bushes which grow on the island. It lies in a small, treeless valley far from the sea.
The gray houses have doors and windows that faced only the interior of the wall, that is, inside the village. The outer walls contained adjoining parapets with small towers at the corners and gates at two or three points.
At the center of every medieval village rises the defense tower, a form of Acropolis, where the inhabitants took refuge in case of attack using a movable bridge.
The people of Mesta still preserve the traditions of the fourteenth-century village.
The village’s most important annual event takes place during the Carnival festivities, where the “Agas” trials, a satirical recreation of the trials which used to take place during the Turkish Occupation are presented. This event also takes place in other villages, such as Olympoi and Lithi.
The village is well known for its unique wine, called “Mestousiko,” which is one of the best wines of Chios and “souma,” a drink that is produced by the distillation of figs and grapes. It is a drink for robust drinkers but pure and with a unique flavor.
Surrounded by the sparkling, deep sapphire waters of the Aegean Sea, Chios is the fifth-largest island in Greece, and it is a hidden gem full of stunning beaches and villages waiting to be unveiled by you.
Together with the smaller islands of Psara and Oinousses, it offers almost endless experiences and stunning vistas, and it is hospitable to visitors all year long.
Chios is famous for its mastic, a gum resin from a tree related to the cashew tree, but this magical, natural flavor is not the only magic one can find on this magnificent, mountainous island.
You will undoubtedly feel as if you are on a different island every day while visiting Chios.
