Kampos

In just 5km south from Chios town, you can lose yourself in the maze of the high stone walls, wandering about district of Kampos.

The area of Kampos is widely known for the impressive mansions with their citrus gardens surrounded by unique orangish stony fences- so unique, that they are protected by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, as a historic site and traditional settlement. Let's take a closer look on this very distinctive area.

The Genoese and local aristocracy of Chios started building their mansions in the area of Kampos in the 14th century. After establishing local irrigation system, they created the extensive citrus gardens which became the apple of all inhabitants' eyes.They used a orangish stones from nearby village of Thymiana to built high walls around the houses- not only to protect the precious citrus fruits from extreme weather conditions but also from all the people snooping around. The architecture of the area was impressive. Its unique distinctive elements included decorated balconies and terraces, huge iron garden doors, marble paved yards and painted ceilings.

Unlike the rest of Greece, Chios experienced wealth and prosperity, especially due to the development of commerce. Large sail boats would transport the famous Chios mastic and citrus fruits to important ports in Istanbul, Odessa and Marseille. The wealth last till 1822 when the massacre literally ruined the landscape. A lot of the people perished, and the ones that survived fled the island. Before the massacre, there were one thousand two hundred inhabited towers and estates in Kampos. After the catastrophic events, only four hundred were restored and re-inhabited.
In the winter of 1850, Kampos suffered again. A very peculiar freeze destroyed the citrus trees.The loss was so heavy that all the estates’ owners gave up on citrus trees cultivations. However, at the time an important innovation took place. The tangerine tree was introduced to Kampos, because it is the only citrus fruit which can endure low temperatures. The tangerine tree cultivations were successful and the famous tangerine of Chios took over the market for more than a century.
Unfortunately, the 1881 earthquake destroyed most of the buildings in Kampos. This marked the end of an era for Kampos, since most of the wealthy families left the island for ever as a result of this disaster.

Nowadays, it's really nice to just take a stroll over there. Kampos is still an unique residential complex, where the natural environment is in total harmony with the local architecture. If you can get to this unique village, the spring time is the most recommended- that's the time of citrus time blossoming and this scent just can't be missed out.