ARMOLIA - PYRGI - MESTA - EMPORIOS

Departing from Chios town, your journey will take you to the medieval village of Pirgi. On the way, you will pass through the famous mastic villages. This is the only place in the world where the famous mastic bush pistacia lantisca grows. The resin scrapped from these bushes has been used for centuries in medicine, cosmetics and mostly for producing an aromatic gum. After driving through the lush chios countryside, you will arrive at Pirgi. It is the most colorful of the villages, with its unique black and white geometrical decor of the outside walls of the houses. These patterns are called "xista" and are cut into the plaster and then outlined with paint. You will visit the 12th century byzantine church of the St. Apostoles located on the northeast corner of the central square. After an 11km drive, you will arrive at the village of Mesta, considered to be the finest example of its genre. From the main square, a bewildaring maze of cool, shady lanes, provided with antiearthquake buttresses and tunnels between the usually unpainted houses leads off in all directions. But most streets end in blind alleys, except the critical few which lead to the village gates. A visit will be made to the largest church on the island Taxiarchis. Your last stop will be at the village of Armolia, where you will be given the opportunity to visit two reknown workshops in order to admire the process of making clay and ceramic articles.