Chios Town
Photo: Greece Field Guide
The Verdict
A working harbour with a Genoese citadel above it and a market worth crossing the Aegean for.
Why go
Chios Town wraps around a harbour with a genuine castle district above it: the Kastro still has streets inside its walls, a mosque from the Ottoman period and a Byzantine museum in an old church. Along the waterfront the arcaded market sells mastic, citrus and fish, and the streets behind are ordinary and busy in a way no resort island manages. The town was badly damaged by the earthquake of 1881 and by the events of 1822, and you feel the weight of that more than you see it.
Understand the place
The capital of Chios, arranged round a harbour and a walled citadel, with a covered market and a waterfront of ouzeries.
Nearby
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