WeekendSignature
Chios Mastic Villages
Walk the mastic fields at harvest and see the resin 'tears' that grow on one island only.
- 2 nights, 3 days
- Chios Town
- June to September; harvest mid-August, often a second in September
- Up to 10 guests
Mastic is a resin from a tree that only yields it in southern Chios. Spend a weekend in the medieval mastic villages, out in the fields with a grower and in the museum that tells the story.
The hands-on moment
Walk the mastic fields at harvest and see the resin 'tears' that grow on one island only.
The weekend
Friday evening
Arrive in Chios Town
Fly from Athens. Supper with mastic-scented sweets and a glass of mastiha.
Saturday morning
Into the mastic fields
Drive 40 minutes south with a grower. See the kentima, the cut in the bark the resin bleeds from, and the tears drying on the white ground beneath.
Saturday lunch
Mesta
Lunch in the best-preserved of the medieval mastic villages.
Saturday afternoon
The Mastic Museum
The story of mastic, from field to factory, at the museum in Pyrgi, then a walk through Pyrgi's painted streets.
Sunday
Armolia and home
A slow morning in Armolia, the pottery village, before the flight back.
When to go
June to September; harvest mid-August, often a second in September
Good to know
Field visits run with organised groups. The Chios Mastic Museum in Pyrgi is closed on Tuesdays.
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