Chios

Chios is an island of sudden, surprising beauty. The old quarter of Kastro climbs from the port of Chios town, where the houses of the medieval Genoese still stand and the town walls rise above the harbour. South of the town lie the Mastic Villages, the extraordinary group of fortified villages that produced the mastic resin that made Chios rich. Pyrgi, the largest, is like nowhere else in Greece: its houses are decorated with a pattern called 'xysta', scratched into the plaster in black and white. Mesta is a perfect medieval village of covered lanes and archways, and the mastic groves are walked through, where the trees are tended with care and the resin is collected drop by drop. Higher still is the mountain monastery of Nea Moni, with its superb mosaics, while the beaches of the south and west coasts are for swimming. Chios has a strange, layered history — of wealth and of tragedy — and it is one of the most distinctive islands in Greece.

Chios has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and it was one of the most prosperous islands of the ancient Aegean. In antiquity it was a member of the Delian League and later a centre of learning, the home of the poet and historian Ion of Chios, and of Hippocrates' school. In the Middle Ages the island was ruled by the Genoese Mahona company, which controlled the mastic trade for more than two centuries and made the island immensely rich; the fortified villages of the south, built to protect the mastic growers, date from this period. In 1822, during the Greek War of Independence, the island suffered one of the great tragedies of the war: the Ottoman massacre of Chios, in which much of the population was killed or enslaved, an event that horrified Europe and inspired the painting by Delacroix. Under the Ottomans, Chios recovered and its towns prospered again, and in 1912 it was joined to Greece. The mastic of Chios — the resin of the mastic tree, used for chewing gum, sweets, and medicine — is still the island's unique product, and the Mastic Villages, with their xysta-decorated houses, are among the most extraordinary sights in the Aegean.

The name is recorded by Stephanus of Byzantium in the sixth century AD. His Ethnica is not a book of stories but a dictionary of Greek place-names, and for this one it says: "From Chio daughter of Ocean, or from the snow (chion) which falls there in great quantity, or from the nymph Chione". (Ethnica, s.v. Χίος).

That is the whole of what an ancient source has to say about how the place got its name. It is a shorter answer than the guidebooks give, and it is the only one with a source behind it.

Chios has long beaches of sand and pebbles around its coasts. The north and west coasts are lined with long, quiet beaches — including the beautiful Strands of the west, reached by rough roads, and the beaches of the north around Vrontados. The south coast, below the Mastic Villages, has the beaches of the Emporio and the pretty coves of Mavra Volia, where the black pebbles make the water look like ink. The east coast, near the town, has the convenient beaches of Karfas. The water is clear and the beaches are spacious; even in August you can find solitude on the west coast. Bring a mask, and expect some of the wildest, loneliest coastline in the Aegean on the western shore.

Chios food is the cooking of a rich island, and its specialities are famous throughout Greece. The island produces superb mastic — the resin is used in sweets, chewing gum, and a whole cuisine of its own — and the local pastries, including the mastic-flavoured 'tsoureki' and the mastelo. The island's citrus groves give its famous kumquat liqueur and its oranges. By the harbours of Chios town and the villages, the tavernas serve the daily catch — grilled fish, octopus, and the small fish of the Aegean — with the classic Greek table and a warm, welcoming ease. For a proper Chios meal, order the fish, a plate of the local cheese, and finish with a mastic sweet and a glass of kumquat liqueur. And try the island's 'revithada' — a slow-cooked chickpea dish that is a Chian specialty.

May, June, and September are the ideal months on Chios: warm, green, and quiet, with the island at its most beautiful. July and August are the main season, especially on the beaches and around the town. Spring is lovely, when the mastic trees flower and the island is at its greenest. Autumn lingers warm, and is a good time for the quieter beaches. Whenever you come, give Chios time — the Mastic Villages, the monasteries, and the beaches all deserve more than a day each.

Chios is reached by ferry from Piraeus, from the neighbouring islands and from the Turkish port of Cesme. Flights from Athens land at the island's own airport.

A car is the best way to explore the island. Do not miss the Mastic Villages — especially Pyrgi and Mesta — and the monastery of Nea Moni. Walk the Kastro of Chios town, swim at the beaches of the west coast, and try the mastic sweets and the kumquat liqueur. And plan to stay at least a few days: Chios is a large, rich island with a great deal to discover.