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Anavatos (Ανάβατος) is an almost completely abandoned medieval village that sits hauntingly on top of a small mountain in Chios, Greece. When approaching it on the road from Avgonima, the village suddenly appears out of nowhere. To me, it looks like a scene out of Game of Thrones. The village is only 16km from Chios Town.
The Ruins
Access to the ruins is available from a path near a small plaza next to the church. A sign clearly indicates the dangers of climbing on the ruins, but the path up to the top is well-maintained. As long as you stay on the path, there’s no danger.
Climbing through the 400 or so ruined stone homes is a surreal experience, especially knowing they were abandoned after the 1822 Massacre of Chios. The views from the ruins were fantastic.
The Taxiarchis Church is the only building that has been preserved in this ghost town. Thankfully, it was even possible to go inside this partially ruined church, which was under restoration at the time of my visit. I hope to see the results of the work on a future visit to the village.
