Location

Vouno     (= Mountain)

Vouno village is located in the southeast part of Chios, 21km from the town center. It is a small village close to Nenita, with few inhabitants, mainly farmers. They cultivate mastic trees, almond trees, olive trees and vineyards. The village maintains its medieval architecture. The houses are tall stone made buildings that are linked to each other with roofs called “votes”. The “votes” were useful to the defense of the inhabitants against the pirates’ attacks during the middle ages.

Vouno fascinates the visitor with its architecture; it is a result of the forced cohabitation of the people, imposed by the menace of pirates and the desire of Genoese to control effectively the mastic production. The village, like almost all “Mastihohria”, is built far away from the sea. Its fortification is based on the integral exterior wall houses, which are all around the village. The communication of the people with the external world was achieved by two gates, which were open the whole day and closed at night. Nowadays, only the walls that used to support them, have been preserved. The narrow streets of the village and its labyrinth layout gave an advantage to the inhabitants over a possible invasion. Vouno is almost entirely built on a rock and that is the reason for which the village had little damages in the big earthquake of 1881.

Until 1985, “Mastihari” was the most famous and frequented street of the village. In the afternoons its stone benches were used by around 80 villagers. A little further to the station, there was also the Makri’s cafeteria, which had been operating up to the 80’s. In the past, the Trikyla’s barbershop, the Hatzidaki’s cafeteria with its delicious “kataifia” and the Zisimopoulos’ grocery were operating. 200 meters below there is the main entrance of the village, the famous “Stathmos” (=station).

In the surrounding area there are wonderful beaches, ideal for swimming; sandy beaches, like Komi, beaches with black round stones revealing its volcanic origin, like Emporios, pebbly beaches with crystal clear waters, like Gridia, Ag. Giannis, Lilikas and the picturesque small port of Vokaria.