Ruled by the Genoese from the 13th to the 16th century and then by the Ottomans until it became part of Greece in 1912, Chios has always been valued for one of its unique products: mastic. The trees that grow in the Mastic Villages of south Chios (Mastichohoria) yield the cherished mastic, or mastiha, used since antiquity in sweets, perfume, spirits, cosmetics and gum.
Chios enjoyed special favours during the Ottoman era but things changed rapidly during the Greek revolt of 1821 and the population was massacred by the Ottomans inspiring Eugene Delacroix’s famous painting The Massacre of Chios. The old town enclosed in the walls of the Byzantine fortress in Chios Town (Chora) is worth a visit. South of Chora, Kambos was the favourite of the old Chiot aristocracy with fine Genoese mansions, gardens and waterwheels.
Nea Moni, inland from Chios Town, was built by Byzantine Emperor Constantine VIII in the 11th century and its mosaics are among the finest examples of Byzantine art. Nea Moni is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Legend has it that at Vrontados, north of Chora, stands the stone, or Daskalopetra, on which Homer sat and sang his epic poems. Popular beaches and resorts are Elinda, Kardamila, Skala Volissou or Limnia.
