This week I (Daphne) visited the small hamlet of Machalas for the first time! I am ashamed to tell you this because I have been living on the island since 1996. Anyway I loved it. Machalas is one of the oldest villages on the island and was built in an amphitheatre style and is totally protected from cold winds etc. This means also that in summer it can be very hot there. There are many ruins and deserted houses but there are some people still living there either full or part-time. A couple of the houses have been renovated and are holiday homes now. Don’t expect anything there, there’s just the houses, the beautiful nature and the view.
To get there: in Glossa; take the small road going down opposite Kyra Eleni’s bakery. If you drive a car stop after a couple of hundred meters when you get to the small car park. Park your car and walk into the hamlet and explore. If you want to walk down to Loutraki via Machalas you can do that too. At the other end of the hamlet is a path which leads to the road halfway between Glossa and Loutraki. You can take the bus going up again.
I spent a long while looking at one of those ruins, a few tears ago …
Some of the Leon family were hidden there in 1943-44
its also called Atheato – which i think means hidden place..
Also known as Atheato.As the story goes; called such because it is so nicely tucked away they did not see pirates coming and so was sacked by them. This led to Glossa being built which has panoramic views round and of course, able to see pirates coming.
I have friends who have houses there – it is a beautiful, peaceful place. In spring and early summer the green “amphitheatre” in front of the houses is alive with nightingales. It feels as though you are in the middle of nowhere although you are less than ten minutes walk from Glossa.
Any church in the village Daphne?
I did not see one Catherine.