Ypsilometopo

Ypsilometopo is a small village 2 kilometers east of Stipsi. It is surrounded by tactile rocks, rich foliage, streaming brooks and forested areas with pines, oaks, cypresses and fruit-bearing trees. Ypsilometopo is on the hiking itinerary that joins Kapi, Molyvos and the areas in between. Do take the opportunity to visit the village: built at an altitude of 400 meters, Ypsilometopo offers panoramic views to the mountains and the Aegean sea.

The Aslanis area is of particular natural beauty. Planted with plane trees, it provides a shady haven for visitors who come here to admire the luscious green foliage and relax to the sound of its gently trickling spring.

Ypsilometopo is home to two of the oldest and particularly interesting fountainheads on Lesvos island:  the lion that decorates the spring in Aslanis and the carved fountainhead on the main village spring. As the latter spring was located between the Greek and the Turkish ‘mahalades’ (neighbourhoods), the fountainhead incorporates symbols of both cultures - a Christian cross is carved on the right side of the fountainhead and a Turkish ‘briki’ (small coffee-making pot) on the left.

The village temple of Taxiarches is a basilica with a carved wooden iconostasis. Situated 1 kilometer outside Ypsilometopo is the church of Saint Dimitrios, another early Christian basilica of much larger proportions.