Nenita — Mastic Country, Off the Tourist Map

Nenita is the kind of village that reminds you what most of Chios actually looks like: not medieval xysta facades or tourist tavernas, but olive groves and mastic trees, stone farmhouses, a church square with a fig tree, and the sound of agriculture rather than tourism. It sits in the southeastern agricultural zone about 25km from Chios Town, in the heart of mastic country.

The area around Nenita produces excellent olive oil — the Chian olive has a distinctive flavour, lighter and fruitier than mainland Greek oil — as well as local wine and of course mastic resin. In late summer and early autumn, when the harvest is underway, the roadsides around Nenita are lined with trucks carrying crates of olives and sacks of dried mastic crystals.

The coast near Nenita has some secluded swimming spots that almost no tourists know about — small rocky coves accessible by dirt track that you will likely have entirely to yourself. This is one of the pleasures of exploring the southeastern corner of Chios by car: the landscape rewards the effort of going slowly and stopping when something catches your eye.