The medieval villages of southern Chios — the Mastichochoria — are among the most extraordinary settlements in Greece. Built between the 12th and 15th centuries to protect mastic production from pirates, they are living fortresses, not museums. People still live, farm, and cook inside walls that have stood for 700 years.
Pyrgi is unlike any village you have seen. Every surface of every building is covered in intricate black-and-white geometric patterns called 'xistá' — a technique where dark plaster is applied over white and then scraped away in patterns using a wooden comb. The tradition dates to the 14th century and nobody is entirely sure how it started. Columbus reportedly visited Pyrgi before sailing to America.
Mesta was built as a collective defence mechanism. The entire village IS the fortress — the outer ring of houses serves as the defensive wall, there is only one entrance (a narrow gate), and the streets inside form a labyrinth to confuse attackers. It worked: Mesta survived pirate raids that destroyed neighbouring settlements. No cars enter. A handful of families still live year-round inside the walls.
Anavatos is the most haunting place on Chios. In 1822, during the Greek War of Independence, Ottoman forces massacred most of the island's population. The village of Anavatos was abandoned — its inhabitants chose to throw themselves from the cliff rather than be captured. The village has been empty for 200 years. The stone houses have merged so completely with the rocky outcrop that it is impossible to tell where the village ends and the mountain begins.
Olympi is the quietest of the mastichochoria, centred around a tall defensive pyrgos (tower). The village is architecturally perfect but sees a fraction of the visitors that Pyrgi and Mesta attract — most people drive past without stopping. Two kilometres outside the village sits the Olympi Cave (Ανδρότρυπα), a spectacular stalactite cave discovered in 1985 and now open for guided tours. Formations up to 150,000 years old, extraordinary acoustics, and a temperature of 18°C year-round make it the surprise highlight of the south.
Avgonyma nearly died when its residents emigrated to Athens and Australia in the 20th century. Then something remarkable happened: the diaspora returned money and bought back their family homes, restored them as stone guesthouses, and the village came back to life. It now has some of the best accommodation on the island. The view from the village edge — across the ridgeline to the sea — is extraordinary.
Volissos sits in the remote northwest of Chios and claims a connection to Homer (the castle was supposedly built on the site of his grandfather's home — almost certainly legend, but a good one). The village is dominated by a crumbling Byzantine fortress and a cluster of traditional stone tower houses, some of which have been beautifully restored as guesthouses. The northwest coast nearby — Elinda beach, Managros — is the wildest and most unspoiled part of the island.
Lagada is where Chios locals eat fish on a Sunday. A small fishing village with a working harbour just 8 km north of Chios Town, it has none of the medieval drama of the south but all the relaxed, salt-aired charm of a genuine Greek fishing settlement. Three or four tavernas line the harbour wall, all serving whatever the boats brought in that morning. No menus, no tourists — just grilled fish, cold white wine, and cats waiting for scraps.