Stylianos (Stelios) Apodiakos welcomes us with his characteristic warmth and profound love for his homeland. His family has deep roots in the Kampos of Chios, specifically in the Giazos area—named after the prominent Genoese Ghersi (Giazi) family, owing to the numerous estates they once owned there. The ancestral estate, located on Argenti Street directly opposite…

In the lush green Kampos of Chios, we met the lovely Aunt Evangelia Paliou (née Flatsousi) and her son, Stefanos Palios, owner of the estate and the torchbearer of a tradition spanning many generations. Stefanos runs the traditional sweets workshop, a family craft he inherited from his mother. She patiently and lovingly taught him the…

An interview with Mrs. Eleftheria Manolaki, owner of the estate known as “Tris Margarites” (Three Daisies)—a name inspired by the coat of arms of the prominent Karalis family, to whom the estate belonged in the past. We discussed the history of the estate and her family, who have been tirelessly caring for and maintaining the…

A special and deeply moving interview was granted to us by the wife of the late Nikolaos A. Platis, Mrs. Maria-Eugenia Plati (Marie-Eugenie Elena), in the presence of my dear friend and her daughter, Loukia (Lucy) Plati. She spoke to us warmly about their life and the history of the Platis family, which constitutes an…

As part of my ongoing field research and documentation of Kampos, I had the distinct pleasure and honor of speaking with our beloved schoolteacher, Mr. Nikos Papamichalakis. Educators have always stood as the most reliable guardians of a community’s collective memory. Our conversation focused on the historic area of Kardamada, one of the most pivotal…