Old Cooperative of Pagondas
Old Cooperative of Pagondas
Old Cooperative of Pagondas
Old Cooperative of Pagondas
Old Cooperative of Pagondas
Cooperative and Agricultural Store of Pyrgos
From Koumaradei, following the central road for 4.5 kilometres (about 7-10 minutes), you will reach the kefalochori (head village) of Pyrgos, renowned for its honey production. There, on the left hand side of the main street, you can see the oldest facilities of the Pyrgos Cooperative, as well as the agricultural supply store. The Cooperative of Pyrgos was of pivotal importance, as it gathered and recorded production from all surrounding areas. The Cooperative of Pyrgos was established in 1934 with the founding of the UWC. It ceased operating in 2016, after the lifting of the obligation law.
Cooperative and Agricultural Store of Pyrgos
It is a two-storey building with an external stairway that leads to the upper floor, where the offices used to be housed. The agricultural store, on the ground floor of the building, supplied vine-growers with all the necessary agricultural supplies and tools. For about a decade it also operated as a grocery store.
The building is in relatively good repair and has been sold to a private individual.
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The Folklore Museum of Mesogio, Former Cooperative
The two-storey building of the old Mesogio Cooperative is located at the entrance of the village, taking a right at the intersection for Pandroso.
The ground floor has been rented privately and is being operated as a traditional café and catering enterprise, while the upper floor that used to house the offices has been successfully transformed into the Folklore Museum of Mesogio by the area’s cultural association. It receives a significant number of visitors every year, who can see the traditional tools and vessels related to the area’s long tradition in vine-growing.
The Folklore Museum of Mesogio, Former Cooperative
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Mesogio Stafylodochos, Thymaria Location
Taking the uphill road heading right from Pyrgos, you will drive up to the traditional vineyards of the villages of Mesogio and Pandroso. The route to Mesogio by car takes you uphill and round corners with very limited visibility. Travelling the 4 kilometres by car takes 10 minutes.
Mesogio Stafylodochos, Thymaria Location
The stafylodochos of Mesogio village, which Samiots also call Kato Arvanites, is located at the entrance of the village, at the Thymaria location. It is a raised cement platform that is about 3 metres tall, so that transport vehicles could load the grapes. It is now abandoned and unused, despite being relatively well preserved.
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Mountain Vineyards heading to Profitis Ilias, peak of Mt Ampelos
From the vineyard in the Kydonies area, on the way back to Pandroso village, you will find the road that leads to the chapel of Profitis Ilias (Prophet Elijah), at the peak of Mt Ampelos. On this route, which can only be completed by 4×4 vehicle, one can see the organic mountain vineyards spread out before them, mainly in the Fleves Karvouni and Agriadia locations
Mountain Vineyards heading to Profitis Ilias, peak of Mt Ampelos
Profitis Ilias, with the chapel by the same name, is located at the end of this mountainous and difficult route that leads to the peak of Mt Ampelos, at an altitude of 1153 metres.
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Cooperative of Pandroso
The route from Mesogio village to Pandroso is uphill, with lots of twists and turns that limit visibility, and takes about 4 minutes (it’s only 1 kilometre away).
The old Pandroso Cooperative building is at the entrance of the village, at a location with an idyllic view of the slopes of Mt Ampelos and the mountain vineyards that look like waves on the landscape.
Cooperative of Pandroso
The building stopped operating as a place for recording the local production of Samos wine in 2017, with the lifting of the obligation law. In recent years, it has been privately rented and is now used as a home.
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