Chios

Avgonyma is a village of western Chios, about 16 kilometers from the island's capital. It is a mountain village where the few locals are engaged in agriculture and beekeeping. The village that lies on a rocky hill surrounded by the pine forest of Provatas overlooks the endless blue of the Aegean Sea. During sunset, the view of the Aegean and the neighboring island of Psara is amazing.

Avgonyma as well as the neighboring village of Anavatos is a medieval fortified type village that according to local tradition was built by the same workers who built the New Monastery in the 11th century AD. and then settled on the island. The houses are built of stone, have small windows and are very close to one another, to be protected from pirate raids during the Middle Ages. It was almost abandoned in the 60's and thus was saved by potential urban type reconstruction. Even today the houses retain the architecture of the past and most of them been restored with respect to local architecture.

Small streets lead to the village square where the parish church (the "village church"), is located, honored to Agios Georgios (St. George). On the night previous to Resurrection day, a huge fire is made outside St. George ’s church on the main square, on which Juda’s dummy is burnt. Lots of visitors come to the village on the night to see the fire and congregate at the Church. There you can also find some traditional taverns serving delicious local food such as lamp, fried balls with herbs and chickpeas. Other old churches and chapels worth visiting, include Panagia and Agios Isidoros. North of Avgonima lies the medieval village of Anavatos and in the south the village of Lithi. East of the village stands the New Monastery, one of the most important and historic monasteries on the island.