Dragon Houses of Mount Ochi

The drakospita, dragon houses, are rectangular structures of enormous unmortared slabs, roofed by corbelling stones inward until they meet, and around twenty are known in southern Evia, of which the one just below the 1,398-metre summit of Ochi is the best preserved and most dramatically sited. Its walls are built of blocks weighing several tonnes, hauled up a mountain with no obvious source of labour or reason, and the roof still stands. Dating is disputed: proposals range from a temple of Hera and Zeus to a shelter for quarry workers cutting the cipollino marble on these slopes, with estimates from the archaic period to Roman times. Local tradition credited dragons, hence the name. The walk up from the road takes about an hour, and on clear days the view reaches the Cyclades.

What you actually see

• The summit drakospito - a corbel-roofed structure of multi-tonne slabs.
• The Ochi summit - the 1,398-metre high point of southern Evia.
• The quarry slopes - ancient marble workings on the mountainside.
• The Aegean view - Andros and the Cyclades on clear days.

When to go

May to June and September to October; the ridge is exposed, and cloud often caps Ochi in winter and after midday in summer. Start early and check the forecast, as wind here can be fierce.

Honest expectations

The walk is steep, rocky and exposed with no shade or water, and the last stretch crosses boulder ground. There is no signage or interpretation at the site. Anyone expecting an explanation will leave without one, which is much of the appeal.

Nearby

Karystos lies below; the Dimosari gorge descends the far side of the mountain.