Volissos

The noble Volissos is about 40 km away from the town of Chios and it has a population of 563 residents. It is one of the oldest villages and is considered, according to tradition, the birthplace of the great poet Homer.


It is worth visiting the village to stroll at the quaint cobbled streets with the stone houses. You also can enjoy traditional specialties in local taverns and restaurants.


The most beautiful sight of the village is the imposing castle, which dominates on the hilltop just above the village. Other two remarkable places of Volissos are the Byzantine church of Metamorfosis tou Sotiros (“Transfiguration of Jesus”) as well as the church of Panagias (“Holy Mary”). The village has a small museum with archaeological finds, housed in a stone building of the 19th century and you can visit it.


In the surrounding area will have the opportunity to admire the numerous windmills and the small Byzantine churches. A large plain with lemon trees as well as with olive trees covers the area until the nearby beaches. For lovers of hiking we would suggest them to follow the green path in the valley of the river Malagkioti among the olive trees and the old water mills.


Outside the village you will find two of the most famous monasteries of the island, the Moni Moundon near the village Diefxa and the Moni of Agias Markellas (“Monastery of St. Marcella”), on the homonymous beach. In addition, it is worth visiting the deserted villages of Palia Potamia (“Old River”) and Tamarkou near the village Pispilounta. Palia Potamia was abandoned several years ago because it was built at a place where the rays of the sun could never reach the residents. The medieval settlement of Tamarkou was abandoned after the massacre of the Turks in 1822.


For swimming you can go to the nearby cosmopolitan beaches of Lefkanthia, Managros, Lemnos, Limnia or on the isolated Magemena and Gonia (“Corner”) or even go a little further away on the beach of Agia Markella with the homonymous monastery.