Alonissos Architecture

Alonissos is among the few most peaceful Greek islands and belongs to the Sporades complex. The island is of exceptional geological and architectural interest with many beautiful settlements and surviving remains. The unique architecture of Alonissos is drawn by the medieval settlement of Chora, a place with a unique traditional color that is well-preserved to this day, despite the ruins caused by the earthquake. Visitors can have a long walk in its cobbled streets and admire the stone built houses and beautiful churches. The features most houses have in common in Alonissos are the traditional verandas and balconies overlooking the gardens and backyards.

The ancient settlement is inhabited since the classical times and during the Byzantine years, locals built their houses around the castle to provide themselves protection from pirates invasions. Following the devastating earthquake of 1965, houses were repaired as an effort to retain its unique architecture. Today, Chora is a unique mix of whitewashed traditional houses with colorful shutters, folklore ornaments, and cobbled stone alleys surrounding the medieval ruins. These houses are usually divided into a ground floor for storage and a couple of upper floors for the dwelling. However, these are scarce on Alonissos Greece and more common on Skiathos.

The numerous churches of Alonissos island dating from the 17th and 18th century are scattered around its settlements which are authentically Greek. Although the architecture in Patitiri, the port of Alonissos, is not as interesting as in Chora, only a few houses survived the earthquake the other match the modern layout. In the fishing villages of Alonissos, tradition is more evident and visitors can admire several attractions like the white windmills and the small chapels.

Visitors can enjoy their stay in many of the traditional hotels that have respected the traditional architecture.

MORE GENERAL INFO ABOUT ALONISSOS