Volissos – Palaia Potamia - Agio Gala

Heading northwest from the city of Chios you will find Volissos, only 40 km away. At the top of the hill a Byzantine castle dominates the area. It had a trapezoid shape with six circular towers. Inside the castle there were several buildings, cisterns and churches. Volissos is the biggest village in the area of the mountain Amani.

After Volissos on the road to Agio Gala, it is worth visiting Palaia (old) Potamia. It's an abandoned village, since several decades ago. The village stands, sourrounded by oak trees and old windmills, on a sunless ravine, in order to not be easily seen by the pirates.

Among the ruins and rubble of the stone houses, it is still surviving the public school, built in 1912, and the church of St. Anthony. The ruins of Palaia Potamia is now one with the surrounding environment creating exciting, breathtaking and scary scenery.

Then, passing by the villages of Amani you will arrive at Agio Galas (69 km from the city). A unique cave extends below the village, with a group of at least three chambers, the largest of which is approximately 200 square meters.

People settled in this cave during the Neolithic period (6000-5000 BC) and lived until 2700 BC. Pieces of clay objects indicate that the cave was a sanctuary from Archaic to Roman times. From the Byzantine period until now was as a Christian place of worship dedicated to the Virgin Agiogalousena. There is also a small chapel of St. Anne within the cave.

The wine lovers can visit the wineries Ariousios at the village Egrigoros and Kefalas at Volissos.

TIPS

For swimming we recommend Managros beach and Lefkathia beach at Volissos

When you are at Volissos do not forget to buy fresh baked bread from the old wooden oven of the village.