Great Greek poet Yannis Ritsos spent his most productive years, as far as his poetry goes, in exile during the dictatorship, in Karlovasi, Samos. His wife, Garyfalio Georgiadou was from Samos.

His collection ‘The Negatives of Silence’ was written in Karlovasi in 1987. He uses flattering words in reference to Samos wine in many of his poems.

In Karlovasi Yannis Ristos, the poet of Romiosini, used to sit on a large wooden chair and stare out at the Aegean Sea from a particular point on the seafront avenue of Karlovasi.

In honour of his memory, the Municipality of Karlovasi set up a stone armchair at that location, similar to what the poet used. The “chair” is visible and easily accessible to visitors, as it has been placed on a raised walled base and is cordoned off.

Yannis Ritsos’ Chair – Karlovasi