First published: 18/07/25.

Ilya Burlak 0

Cheimarros Tower

Ancient Towers of the Aegean Sea (On tentative list)

Cheimarros Tower by Ilya Burlak

This is hardly a representative review, but given that there is no other so far for this tentative serial property, I surmise that something is better than nothing. While vacationing on Naxos a couple of weeks ago, I took time for a drive to the Cheimarros Tower.

Google visitor reviews suggested that there is not much to see there, and the tower failed to exceed my very low expectations. It is covered in scaffolds, cordoned off, and inaccessible. The scaffolding implies restoration efforts, and a simple internet search would tell you that such works have been approved all the way back in 2014. It is anyone's guess when - or if - they will be completed.

The tower is also proverbially in the middle of nowhere. The southeast inland part of Naxos is mountainous and arid, with practically no human activity whatsoever. It is only about 13 kilometers from the lovely village of Filoti, and the road has at least a handful of signs to remind you that you are going in the right direction. For the large part of that drive - and back - I saw a flock of goats and a couple of donkeys, and not a single other car or a single other person.

I don't have material knowledge of the state and accessibility of other towers. The property description mentions both that some are well preserved and that restoration efforts are in progress. Cheimarros Tower may eventually become a viable visitor attraction. At the moment, there is really no good reason to invest time in seeing it, and on this limited evidence, there is not enough to suggest that a WH inscription of the serial site would be fitting.

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