Pyrgi
Pyrgi is Chios's most visually distinctive mastic village, its streets lined with façades patterned in geometric black-and-white xysta.
Why go
At a glance
- Time needed
- 90 minutes–2 hours.
- Best time
- Morning or late afternoon.
- Accessibility
- Historic lanes include uneven paving and occasional steps, so some routes are easier than others for visitors with reduced mobility.
The experience
Pyrgi is instantly recognisable for its black-and-white xysta, the geometric scratched decoration covering many house façades. The central square is lively and welcoming, but the real pleasure is wandering the lanes and seeing how the patterns, arches and house fronts change from one street to the next. Beyond the architecture, Pyrgi remains a living Mastichochori, closely tied to the cultivation and culture of mastic.
More of the place
Look for
- 1Xysta techniques and patterns.
- 2Street-to-square transitions.
- 3Agioi Apostoloi.
- 4Signs of everyday mastic culture beyond façades.
The story behind this place
Official Chios material identifies Pyrgi as a fortified medieval settlement and xysta as its defining decorative practice.
Practical information
Map and directions
Related stories
Sources & accuracy
Photograph: supplied by the publisher
Sources S03, S07, S23, S25, IMG01. · Photography and rights