The Semeli Hotel Magazine - www.semelihotel.gr Semeli The Hotel - Magazine | Page 90

Unique Traits
The “Chora” of Mykonos is indeed one of the most beautiful
of the Greek Islands. It is flat, and in that respect differ-
ent from the amphitheatrical settlements most commonly
found in other Cycladic towns. From afar Chora looks like
a solid white mass with labyrinthine streets. Its aesthetic
cohesion was maintained throughout the ages, although it
was developed over at least five centuries with the constant
addition of new buildings and structures.
It’s architecture is in effect the result of a multicellular plas-
tic synthesis. Small volumes in strict geometry located on
steep hillsides were added to the main residence according
to the family’s needs. Their size was determined by the local
materials and their construction was specific: floorings built
from sand and timber, walls from rocks and roofs from sea-
weeds and timber – all of them found on the island.
Traditional Mykonian houses typically feature flat roofs.
This was necessary in order to collect rainwater and have
the minimum resistance to fierce wind. The frames were
small at the north side of the structure and bigger at the
south; where also, all the forecourts were built, for effective
protection from the “meltemia” in the summer and the cold
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northern winds in the winter. Corners were curved so people
and donkeys that carried supplies could pass easier from
the narrow streets.
The public and private space were not only adjacent
but also, inventively, integrated into each other. All build-
ings in the main town were abutting and the public space
was minimum to ensure protection from invading pirates
and prospective conquerors. As a result, streets in Mykonos
served the same purpose as that the square did in the rest
of Greece and Europe – they were in effect a space for
socialization and recreation. Shelters, passages, irregularly
shaped widenings, recesses and steps were its most com-
mon features.
Another Mykonian landmark is the windmills of Cho-
ra; while the picturesque neighborhood of “Alefkandra” in
town, with its colourful, sea front houses –once the homes
of wealthy merchants and captains– evoking memories
of Venice and aptly named after the famous Italian city,
completes the picture. An idyllic one at that, elegant in its
functionality, anthropocentric and a source of inspiration for
artists, writers and architects, all over the world.
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