We are driving around the "Mastichochoria" as they call them, and we are about to enter this very popular village-castle .....Come along to explore it with me.MESTAAnother medieval village (14th and 15th centuries) located in the southern Chios. It is very popular and it seems to be one of the villages with the most life.It is the best preserved fortified village and one of the very old Churches of "Taxiarche" is found here. The old Church is 5 minutes walk from the central square of the village and is visible from a distance because it is really large, covering an area of 450 m2.Mesta has been designated a listed monument and has been perfectly preserved village-castle of the Byzantine period. It keeps its houses tied tightly together in what seems like a closed and compact form. The streets are narrow and stone-paved and are connected to the central tower square. At frequent intervals there are transverse archways supporting the structures, as well as vaults and arches supporting the rooms. The houses, especially those that form the castle do not provide any open space or gardens and the reason is that they were built in a way that unites them all. There are cases when the boundaries of two neighbouring houses can be hardly distinguished. I walk through the narrow streets and I come to Aghia Paraskevi. This road brings me to the Square of the village, where I learn that the villagers call it “Livadi”. For the locals, a daily stroll in this Square is considered a necessity. It is the place where everyone can see each other, friends meet to chat and have a drink and talk about the daily routine. It seems like an oasis to the locals after an exhausting day.I am sure nobody leaves Chios without visiting Mesta .....