“Kampos” is called the plain that lies along the eastern coast of Chios, south of the city. It is completely flat. It is about 13 km long and 3 km wide and it is divided in 19 smaller regions. Westwards it is encompassed by low hills which lead to the plateau “Epos”, that lies to the centre of the island. To the south the Kampos ends up gradually in the region of “Mastichochoria” , to the east is the sea and to the north the city.

The soil of the Kampos is very fertile and water is abundant. In the area there are two torrents “Parthenis” and “Kokalas” where a considerable amount of water is accumulated in winter after the heavy rains. The wells, which abound in the region, are used by the residents for the irrigation of the orange trees that cover the biggest part of the land.

The private properties of the Kampos were immured by high walls and included, apart from the resident, the “magganos” (a system of pumping water from the well), and the cistern (a big stone or marble reservoir) in which water was stored before being used for the irrigation of the orange trees.

The residents of the Kampos built the main rooms of their homes above the tops of the trees so that they are able to enjoy the view, the clear air and the sun. For this reason the ground floor usually included the stables, the storerooms and generally the auxiliary spaces. The servant’s rooms were on the first floor whereas the main rooms on the second floor.

The walls and the domes of the houses are built of stone which is found in the region called “Thimiana” in two colours: brown-red and soft amber. Sometimes however Pendelikon marble, pink and grey marble that is mined in Chios are also used as well as hard grey limestone from “Erithres” in M. Asia. The systems of stonework that are used are “plinthoperikliston”, “argolithodomi” and carved stonework. Sometimes they used wide rabbets in which vertical and horizontal small square or circular pieces of red stone, called “chalichakia” were applied. In some cases the walls are coated.

The types and domes usually used in the storerooms and stables are two: the simple dome (“gadarovota”) and a complex dome shaped by the intersection of two or more simple domes (“stavrotholio’’). On the other floors more complex types of domes are used such as “technokoumpes”, “lioneta” and “fournokoumpes”.

The roofs over these domes are flat. This surface is often covered with brown-red concrete known as “astrakia”, which was constructed by builders called “astrakarides”. A lot of houses, instead of domes, have wooden inclining roofs on the above floor which are covered with Roman curved tiles.

The central gate of this residence, usually arch-shaped, is imposing and impressive. Above the central stone of the arch is often placed a curved stone which portrays the blazon of the householder family. At the top the gate ends up in a carved eave which some times bears decorative waves or a frame with curved shapes.

Elaborately carved patterns are found not only in the interior of the house (transoms, cupboards), but also in the courtyard (capitals, cisterns). The bas-reliefs depict forms of animals’ patterns of leaves and flowers and in some case the blazon of the householder family. The flat roofs of the rooms bear also decorative coat or even plaster bas-reliefs. Sometimes we also see flat wooden roofs and wooden panels.

The courtyards and the paths are usually paved with stone plates that shape various patterns. The most common are red and yellow or red and white diagonally placed and alternated colour squares. At a bigger frequency, however, white and black pebble (“liladakia”) which makeup a composition are used.

The local architecture of the Kampos experienced successively the effects of two prevailing civilizations, the Byzantine and the Genoan. The central gate, the enclosed courtyard, the cistern, the exterior stair case, the use of alternate red and yellow stone in the arch and in lines on the walls, the “stavrotholia”, the curved domes are all elements that were imported from Italy or were influenced by the Byzantine architectural tradition that existed on the island. On the contrary, the Turkish effect on the architecture of the Kampos is obvious mainly in the decorative details in man elements of the house and courtyard such as the cupboards, the transoms, the embossed plates, the cistern and the “magganos”.

Some mansions are used nowadays as restaurants or hostels (Mavrokordatiko, Argentiko, Soyrediko) while others are private residences.

The designation of the Kampos as a traditional settlement led to the preservation of the physiognomy of the region and most of the architectural elements of buildings. Much freedom is observed in the choice of colours for the façade. New technologies have been incorporated in the construction in order to serve the new uses of the buildings and the requirements of new regulations. In the interior of the mansions, the change is intense although the owners try to preserve to a certain extent the identity of the buildings.