From 24 November to 1 December 2024, we attended the week devoted to the Dry Stone Craft, organised on the island of Tinos by the Association “Ambassada”.
The week started with apprenticeship on the site, on the ancient rural road in “Gastria”, where partial restoration of the walls along the path took place.
From 25 to 28 November 2024, the primary and secondary pupils of the island took part in various events. The pupils showed particular interest and had the chance to learn about the importance of dry stone structures and the role they play on their island.
The main event, the Dry Stone Workshop, was realised from 29 November to 1 December 2024 and included building apprenticeship, restoring fallen sustaining walls along the path that connects the villages of Loutra and Smardakito. Under the guidance of local masons, we had the chance to learn part of the dry stone craft of Tinos, to listen to what its preservation means for them, but also share the masons’ memories from the past.
In addition, on 29 November 2024, a Round Table Discussion took place in the Municipal Hall of Culture and Education of Tinos (“Moschoulios School”), on the topic of the creation of a certified Dry Stone School in the Cyclades. Participants included organisations that are involved in the education of stone crafts and traditional building methods, the Ministry of Culture, as well as the Preparatory School of Fine Arts of Panormos, Tinos Island.
On Saturday 30 November 2024, in the village of Komi, a collective kitchen was organised by the Association “Ambassada”, with locals baking bread in the traditional wood-fired oven and participants cooking in a festive mood. The week was concluded with the completion of the works on site on Sunday 1 December 2024.
We are always happy to take part in such ventures! We thank the organisers for the invitation and hospitality and we hope that similar projects are firmly established in all Cyclades.
Water on the island of Amorgos – The traditional management systems as inspiration for the future
One of the most crucial issues on the Greek islands is the management of water resources. The confined geography, the shift of local economy and society with the consequent abandonment of agricultural land, as well as the current challenges of touristic development and climate change, raise concerns regarding the sustainable future of these exceptional places and their treatment.
read moreSocial and Anthropological Aspects of Amorgian Craftmanship and the Art of Dry Stone Walling
"The Mitato of Amorgos" was created in 2020 by a group of people who share common concerns and a common vision for both the natural and the manmade environment of the island of Amorgos -and the Cyclades in general. As an organisation, during the previous years, we have worked towards the restoration of the extensive network of paths, namely the old, now partially closed, routes that used to connect the different areas of Amorgos in the past. Through this attempt, we have witnessed the importance of the dry-stone walls in the preservation and further revitalization of this network of paths. Besides, one can easily observe how dry stone walls, terraces, buildings, are not only embedded in the network of paths, but have also shaped the entire landscape of the area. In that sense, these stone structures are a cultural and material testimony to the time and work that generations of people have devoted to crafting the island’s landscape, as well as an invaluable intergenerational know-how.
read moreAnother successful completion of the Dry Stone Workshop “The Amorgian Craftrsmanship”!
Friday 25 October 2024 marked the completion of the 3rd Dry Stone Workshop “The Amorgian Craftrsmanship”, organised by the Mitato of Amorgos.
The project was concluded in complete success, with 40 participants and 18 guest speakers, masons and representatives of administrative and citizen bodies from eight islands, as well as the rest of Greece and abroad...
read moreΤhe 3rd Dry Stone Workshop “The Amorgian Craftsmanship” returns in October 2024!
We are pleased to announce the 3rd Dry Stone Workshop “The Amorgian Craftsmanship”, which will be held in Aegiali, Amorgos Island, from 21 to 25 October 2024.
Following the cancellation of our Workshop in 2023, we are very happy to organise our project anew, incorporating a broader framework of events.
Contributing to the workshops on spatial planning for the preservation of the Cycladic identity of Paros
It was our pleasure and honour to be invited as speakers in the last weekend of this series of events, on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 April 2024. During the second day, we discussed the role of civil society in preserving the Cycladic landscape...
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