The
village Olympi is 31 kilometers south of the town of Chios and 6 kilometers
after Pyrgi. The village has beautiful houses connected to each other forming
a defensive wall. The narrow streets, cobbled roads and the rigid but simple
architecture are also some other beauties of the village. The villagers' main
occupation is agriculture and beekeeping.
The
whole village has been designated a listed medieval monument. Skepastra and
doxharades are one of the things that one can see here. Very impressive is
also the defensive tower of the village, which is one of the few that survives
in the villages of Chios.
The
wonderful beach of Phana is not to far from the village and it is maybe the
most famous beach for the villagers' summer baths. Here there are also the
remains of the temple of Phanaios Apollo, which was founded in the same date as the sacred temples
in Delos. Besides, the stalactite cave in Olympi is estimated in 200,000 years
old.
Today,
the carnival activities in the mastic villages, such as Olympi, continue the
Turkish judge trials' charade. This event dates back to the Ottoman Occupation
where the Aghas or Turkish official tried the citizens and forced them to pay
taxes in mastic. During the carnival season, the man who is dressed as
"Aghas" usually mock political officials currently in office and charges them with the
legislature they disagree with. This satirical performance is unique to other
mastic villages such as Mesta, Elata, Lithi, and others.
