Ceramics in Serifos

Kerameio is a pottery studio and shop in Kato Hora in Serifos. A large range of ceramic pieces was on display when I visited, some made in the studio and some from ceramicists from all over Greece. It was very difficult to work out the names of the makers, so I gave up in the end.

A second shop, in Livadi, owned by the same people

sells clothes, jewellery, and some ceramics too

Finally, a re-working of Cycladic art,  a sculpture made out of pumice stone, by Dimitris Psomodotis,
which now hangs on a wall of our minimalist terrace.

The castle in the Hora in Serifos

This was our second visit to the Venetian castle in Hora in Serifos and it was, again, highly enjoyable. The castle is situated right at the top of the hill and was built in 1434. Right at the top is the church of Agios Constantinos, a bit higher than the church of Agios Giannis Theologos, built inside the rock and according to tradition, on the ruins of the ancient temple of Athene.

It's uphill all the way in the Hora, but then you get to a set of steps that twist three times before you get to the summit.

Hard work.

Looking back you get a good view of the Hora

Looking ahead, the coast and the Aegean

Once you reach a plateau, another set of steps that lead to the church of Agios Constantinos.

Yet another church on the plateau - whitewashed and very Greek

Then, the descent starts, on the other side of the hill. It was midday, the sun was strong, and it was very hot, but I managed to find a shady spot here and sat for a while. Two terraces, obviously belonging to the house on the other side of the lane: one with three pots positioned just so, and the other with two comfortable chairs. I could imagine the people who own this, sitting here, with the fantastically panoramic view below.

And then we got terribly lost. I had this idea that if we walked around the hill and down we would eventually get to the other side of the Hora, but we could not find a way through

it got too twisty and risky




with no clearly designated path

so we retraced our steps

past these five folding chairs which had been left in the middle of nowhere, and walked down to the Hora and the square for a much-needed cooling drink.

The Hora in Serifos

The Hora in Serifos is considered to be a model of a medieval castled settlement, built amphitheatrically on the hill above the bay of Livadi. The aim was to protect it from pirate invasions. 

Most of the houses are two storey, with narrow frontages

connected by narrow lanes

as Ken is demonstrating here.

At night the whole place changes and comes to life, as lots of people come to wander the streets and sit in the square

All the houses are white-washed

and, because the town is built on a hill-side, steps abound, which makes exploring hard work.

Most doors and shutters are painted blue, blue and white being the colours of Greece

Views of the surrounding countryside abound

sometimes viewed from narrow slits

And up one keeps going

Detail on a whitewashed wall

As we neared the castle at the top of the Hora, the views got more spectacular

Lots of chimneys

We reached the steps that would take us to the castle, but this is the subject of another post.

After our visit to the castle, we retraced our steps heading for the main square - a rest and a cold drink were in order

More chimneys, each one different

a nice piece of driftwood outside this door

and we reached the square, empty in the middle of the day, as there is no shade.

Each kafeneion or bar has its own colour for the chairs





At night, it's a different matter - the place comes to life






There was a wedding on when we visited at night, so the place was particularly packed as one of the bars was hosting the reception

The neo-classical town hall dominates the square

as does the church.

During our day visit, we stopped here for a while, then started the descent, wanting to explore the area around the windmills and then catch our bus

Gaidaros (donkey) is one of the popular bars

Three windmills survive, all three have been renovated and turned into homes

looking back

We walked up the hill wanting to find out what this building is - just a door, no windows. But no clues...

Nice views of the Hora from here,

and of the windmills.