Traditionelles – Holiday homes Azalas

The Distillery of Kitron in Chalki

Written by astrid on 17. November 2025. Posted in News, Village life, Monuments, Traditionelles.

Since 1896, the unique local Kitron liqueur has been produced in Chalkí by the Distillery Vallindrás. You can visit the distillery and see the old distillation apparatus, which is still in use, as well as taste and, of course, purchase the liqueur. Kitron is made from the leaves of the citron tree (Citrus medica), a citrus fruit. The name Kitron, like the word lemon, is derived from the original name of the citron tree in Greece: kedromelon = ‘cedar apple’, which was given...

The electrical oil mill in Kaloxylos

Written by astrid on 4. November 2025. Posted in News, Village life, Agriculture, Monuments, Traditional Buildings, Traditionelles.

On Naxos, the olive oil was produced for centuries, right up until the 1960s or 1970s, in the old traditional oil mills powered by human labour, of which every village had at least one. The village of Kalóxylos in the Tragaía boasts a particularly interesting oil mill: a nearly 100 years old mill powered by electricity that can be visited in the village. The oil mill is located in the center of the village in an old building, which is said to have originally been a...

The traditional oil mills

Written by astrid on 7. November 2023. Posted in Villages, Village life, Koronos, Culture, Agriculture, Naxos, Monuments, Traditional Buildings, Traditionelles.

The olive oil The use of olive oil on Naxos has been documented since the Cycladic period in the Early Bronze age; not only have vessels been found that are thought to be oil lamps, but also vessels with oil residues. Initially, the oil was used as lamp oil and for personal hygiene, but it was only later that its importance as a foodstuff was recognised. Today, olive oil is an integral part of Greek cuisine and there is no traditional dish that does not contain olive...

The traditional watermill near Komiaki

Written by astrid on 12. July 2011. Posted in Village life, Rivers, Komiaki, Culture, Agriculture, Naxos, Monuments, Traditional Buildings, Traditionelles.

The significance of the cereals in traditional village life Until the 50s and 60s of the last century, most of the population of Naxos grew their own grain. The harvest had to last for the whole year, as only a few families had enough money to buy additional grain or flour. The grain was stored in large earthenware pots. Every Saturday, the housewives baked bread for the whole week. The grain was taken to one of the village mills a day or two in advance and ground there;...