In the context of Erasmus+ programme, we welcomed in Amorgos the second group of students of the Department of Management and Protection of Nature of the Lycée Agricole de Matiti, part of the French Guiana educational organisation EPLEFPA BTS, from 20 to 24 April 2026.

Planning of the activity was made in collaboration with the travel agencies Offbeat Travel and FindinGreece, offering the participants the opportunity to get to know Athens too, a necessary stop on their long journey to our island.

As with the first group last March, the 17 students and their accompanying professors worked with us on the restoration of dry stone walls in the outskirts of Langada, learning the craft from our craftsman Antonis Vlavianos.Furthermore, as part of their specialisation, the studied the flora and fauna of the area, particularly that of the micro-ecosystems created in dry stone structures. A work of special interest was the restoration of a wall that formed part of a well, as our team is interested in resuming activities related to traditional water management systems. What’s more, a theoretical introduction to the principles of dry stone building was presented, allowing students to better understand the works realised on site.

The programme included a tour of Amorgos, visiting the old olive press of Langada, the Monastery of Panagia Chozoviotissa and the capital of Amorgos, Chora. In addition, we enjoyed a hike in the area of Langada, so that the students could see a wider range of dry stone structures and other elements, such as cisterns, wells, stables, threshing circles and churches.

Concluding this circle of collaboration this year, we are grateful for the opportunity we had to meet young people from so far away – and we thank them for the company, their willingness and the presents they brought from their homeland.

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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.

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Social 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. Ihese stone structures are a cultural and material testimony to the time and work that generations ...

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Another 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...

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A visit to Tilos island on the occasion of the dry stone school of “Petra Tilos”

It is exciting to see more and more projects related to dry stone masonry in the Aegean being organised, giving us the chance to visit new places, meet new groups of people and join new initiatives, always with the common element of the love towards the land and its tradition.
During the first weekend of April 2024, we had the opportunity to participate in the Dry Stone School which was organised by ...

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Events and projects of autumn 2023

The autumn season of 2023 has been a period during which several events regarding the intangible heritage, the environment and sustainability have taken place in various parts of Greece. The Cyclades, experiencing unprecedented pressure and limited resources, have no doubt been in the centre of such developments. It was therefore unsurprising that several important events took place in the area, such as the Workshop on the Endangered Landscape of Sifnos Island...

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