Byzantine Museum
Chios
Copyright: Chubykin Arkady/Shutterstock.comByzantine Museum
The most interesting aspect of this museum is the building itself - a mosque with the only intact minaret in the Aegean Islands. The museum contains a clutter of Hellenistic statuary, Roman slabs and a collection of Turkish, Jewish and Armenian tombstones that hint at the island’s multi-ethnic past.
Do & See
Chios Town (also referred to as ‘Chora') is a surprisingly modern city. With a crescent harbour overlooked by office blocks, warehouses and workshops; it is dominated by the forbidding walls of the Kastro. This Genoese castle partially encloses an old quarter of narrow streets, tall stone houses with wrought iron balconies and shuttered windows, and drinking fountains bearing Koranic inscriptions that hint at their Turkish ancestry. There is plenty to do on and around the island - from active pursuits to sightseeing, or simply relaxing on the beach.