4th July 2014
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| Negotiating Mestra's cobbled streets |
On the Greek Island of Chios we managed to tour two of the famed mastic villages. Mastic, or a gum resin is still refined from odd, scrubby trees that grow in the south. It’s most famous use was in the manufacture of chewy sweets, and considered by the ladies of Istanbul’s harems something of an aphrodisiac.
We bussed firstly to
Mesta and took an hour to walk through this labyrinthine medieval and
well-fortified village. Cobbled streets,
under vaulted tunnels of two storey houses, lead to a leafy town square set out
with many eateries and a large Baroque style 18th c church. Whist walking, we spotted a small craft shop,
replete with loom. We were treated to a
display of very fine weaving and allowed to wander through the cave-like
premises, presumably once a home.
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| Xysta in Pyrgi |
From Mesta, we
bussed to Pyrgi. Here, village houses
are covered in xysta, or a mesmerising mix of geometric
patterns cut into white plaster. Inside
the maze of these fascinatingly decorated houses, we stumbled on the remnants
of ancient village walls and just off from the village square, a complete
surprise, the tiny, fresco covered 12th c Ayii Apostoli. It was the xysta
however that caught my quilter’s eye, so I spent our remaining time taking
(lots of) photos of these amazing designs.
(We're in Albania at the moment and having trouble loading photos on a slow internet connection. Coming soon....)
