Chios

Chios is a Greek island in the northeastern Aegean Sea, part of the North Aegean administrative region. It is known for its historic towns, medieval villages and the production of mastic, a botanical resin with long cultural and economic importance.

The 11th-century Nea Moni monastery with significant mosaics and medieval settlements such as Mesta and Pyrgi, the latter noted for its decorative geometric facades. The island’s southern Mastichochoria villages contain orchards of mastic trees that have shaped local architecture and economy.

The island was shaped by Byzantine, Genoese and Ottoman periods of rule; many medieval defensive settlements date from Genoese administration in the Middle Ages when local communities fortified themselves against piracy. Modern Chios preserves a mix of maritime towns, agricultural zones and tourist beaches.

Chios lies close to the coast of western Turkey in the eastern Aegean, with ferry links to the Greek mainland and nearby Turkish ports. The island’s terrain is mixed - coastal plains, rolling hills and higher inland ridges.

• Mastic production: Produces a unique resin - mastic - cultivated in southern villages and protected by EU designation, used in food and traditional products.
• Nea Moni: Contains the 11th-century Nea Moni monastery, inscribed for its mosaics and Byzantine architecture as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

What to See #

• Chios Town (Chora): A fortified medieval town with tightly packed streets and a waterfront citadel that served as the island's administrative center.
• Nea Moni: An 11th-century monastery famed for its surviving mosaics and ecclesiastical architecture, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Mastichochoria: A cluster of towered hilltop villages in the island's south, historically organized around the production of the island's resinous mastic gum.
• Pyrgi: A fortified medieval settlement with characteristic black-and-white geometric façade patterns and narrow streets in the Mastichochoria area.
• Mesta: A well-preserved medieval village with narrow lanes and defensive walls, built during Genoese rule to protect against raids.