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Brenda Webb visits the unique and memorable medieval mastic villages on the eastern Aegean Greek Island of Chios and gets a history lesson on nearby Samos.
A Turkish Sultan with a penchant for chewing gum ensured the survival of Chios' beguiling mastic villages. Thank goodness for that! The villages, or Mastihohoria as they are commonly known, are some of those most extraordinary in Greece.
While other Chios villages were destroyed and 25,000 islanders massacred by Turks during the 1822 Greek War of Independence, those living and working in the Mastihohoria escaped death due to the Sultan's (and his harem's) fondness for mastic gum.
The gum is produced from the resin of the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus), cultivated for centuries by residents of the Mastihohoria.
The medieval villages were built in a fortress style by the Genoese in the 14th century to protect the precious mastic crop and its people from pirate attacks.
Surrounded by thick, high walls, the villages are accessed through a handful of entrances, some still have the ancient iron gates in place.
All have a central courtyard, watchtowers and a labyrinth of narrow cobbled streets designed to confuse any pirates that did make it in.
The top storey of the houses often extends over the narrow road creating vaulted alleys which double as earthquake protection and observation vantage points.
Mesta is the best preserved of the Mastihohoria and sits in rolling, scrubby hills in the southwest of Chios, not far from the sea.
It is an enchanting place seemingly trapped in a past century. Its cobbled central courtyard with shady trees is a popular place to sit and enjoy a cold coffee or iced tea before exploring the narrow streets.
Pyrgi, only 10 kilometres east of Mesta, is completely different. Within its fortress walls the buildings have intricate facades decorated with symbols or geometric in a technique called xystra.
Walls are first coated with a mix of cement and black volcanic sand then painted with a lime wash that is scraped off to reveal the grey underneath.
Olympi and Vessa have yet to embrace tourism and it's a pleasure to visit real Greek working villages with no concession to visitors whatsoever.
Peasant farmers work the fields and cultivate the mastic trees, children play in the car-less streets, women handwash in a communal well and donkeys are used for transport.
Historically Chios relied heavily on its mastic production and during Turkish rule the Mastihohoria received favourable treatment from the sultan due to his fondness for the gum. The mastic tree thrives in the hot and dry climate of southern Chios, growing alongside the ubiquitous olive tree on rocky terraces carved from the rugged terrain.
Harvesting, drying and cleaning the resin is a time-consuming and laborious task and the finished product is used in medicines, cosmetics, cooking, confectionary and beverages.
It was discovered and first exploited during the Genoese occupation in the 14th century.
Hippocrates, the "Father of medicine", proclaimed its pharmaceutical benefits, claiming it cured stomach upsets, chronic coughs and diseases of the liver, intestines and bladder. It was also used for treating snakebites.
Today mastic products are found throughout Greece and include toothpaste, the ever-popular chewing gum, soaps, cosmetics, creams, sweets and liqueurs.
The mastic villages are definitely a highlight on Chios, Greece's fifth largest island, which lies a few kilometres across the channel from Turkey in the northeast Aegean Sea.
South of Chios lies Samos, the home of mathematician and philosopher Pythagaros, a man whose theories completely baffled me during my schooldays.
The beautiful port town of Pythagorian is named in his honour and a large bronze statue of this famous Greek overlooks the town.
It is also the birthplace of Hera, wife of Zeus, and the huge temple built in her honour was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and, despite being in ruins, is still a major drawcard for tourists.
Other famous Samians include the philosophers Epicures and Esopos and the mathematician Aristerhos who established the theory that the sun is the centre of the world.
Samos is the site of some fairly astonishing ancient engineering feats including the 1046-metre Efpalinion Tunnel, carved through a rocky mountain to carry fresh water from one side of the island to the other.
It was built in 600BC by two teams working in opposite directions – when they met in the middle they were only a few metres apart.
The tunnel still exists today, although some of the central parts have crumbled, and is a fascinating place to explore.
During the Roman period Samos was the summer retreat of many Roman emperors and has some fascinating Roman history and ruins.
Antony and Cleopatra built Roman baths here and Augustus gave Samians the rare right to become Roman citizens.
If it's too hot to explore all these wonderful archeological sites you can head for the enchanting and cooler mountain villages set in dense forests.
Perhaps the best reason to visit Samos however is to sample its wines which include a sweet muscat that was supplied to the Vatican during the Middle Ages as well as the divine dry reds and whites.
Just the thing to wash down spit-roasted Greek lamb.
- The Marlborough Express
