The Hora in Serifos

 

'Everything architecture had to say, was told here',

said Corbusier when he visited the Cyclades in 1933.

 

 

 

 

 

A typical medieval, fortified settlement, built amphitheatrically on the rocky hill, the Hora in Serifos is dominated by the remnants of the ruined Venetian castle that was built in 1434. From there, the village cascades down the slope.

 

 

 

 

During the years of Venetian rule people lived in fear of pirate invasions and were consequently forced to leave the coast. The houses in Hora have been built in such a way as to create a wall all around the village in order to provide protection against invasion.

 

 

 

 

 

It's a typical Cycladic village - extreme minimalism

 

 

 

 

 

the houses, consecutive white cubes

 

 

 





 

whitewashed

 

 

 

labyrinthine narrow streets

paved, with white joints

 

steps

 

 

 

 

 

and more steps

 

 





 

 



 

 spectacular views down to the sea

at every turn

limited space means narrow frontages with narrow doors

 

fabulous chimneys






In tight corners, the sides of buildings 'break' to allow the loaded mules to pass through

Nowadays the image of the white houses is the hallmark of the Cyclades. Historically though, these houses were painted in various colours: ochre, gray, indigo. They often also remained unpainted in the colour of the stone: when the Aegean was swarmed with pirates, visual integration in the landscape was the only reasonable choice.

 

In 1938 cholera spread through the region and it affected domestic birds. The government ordered the whitewashing of all houses on the islands, as lime is a strong disinfectant. Police patrolled the villages to make sure that everyone obeyed. The houses have remained white ever since.

 

We visited the Hora on our first day on the island. We walked around the narrow streets

 

heading for the ruined castle. The views were spectacular

 

 



 

 

the ochre/brown of the hills contrasted with the blue of the sea and the sky.

 



 

Looking back at the Western side of Hora

 

 

An old windmill in the foreground and the sea in the distance

 

View of Livadi

 

 

  

 We eventually got to the area of the ruined castle with the church of Agios Constantinos above us.

 

We stopped to admire the view

 



  

and then reached the church of Agios Giannis Theologos. According to tradition, this is where the ruins of the ancient temple of Athena were.

A rest here






to admire more views - Livadi, again

 

 

 

then continued on the path until we got to a dead end.

 

 

The prickly pear presiding over the landscape

We then retraced our steps

walked through the village

some of the streets are so narrow

 

detail

 

 

 

 

Most of the bars and shops are closed during the day and open in the evening

 

 

 



 

 

We walked right through the village, crossed the main square

 

and went to look at the three restored windmills

 

 



 

which are dwellings now

and then it was time to take the bus that would take us down to Livadi.