Afytos

Since about 3000 BCE people came and settled in the area where Afytos is now. The place was a natural fortress, which was a very important factor at the time. The crag would protect the city against any attacks from the sea. Also, the little lake that existed till 1963, and which was very close to the sea, would serve as a small bay, a natural harbor for the mooring of ships.

During the archaic and classical times, Afytos was a very prosperous city which minted its own currency bearing the head of its patron god, Ammon Zeus. This prosperity was mainly due to agriculture and viniculture.

Shipping must have played a great role in the financial situation of Afytos, taking into consideration the size of its harbor, which is to be found today in the seaside park with the pine trees.

In 1307–1309, the village was destroyed by Catalan invaders and the inhabitants settled, for a period of time, in their scattered farm houses. Afytos had been destroyed numerous times by the invaders of the times. The last catastrophe recorded was the one in 1821 during the Greek revolution against the Turkish oppression.

In 1995, the inhabitants of Aphytos, resisting the wide use of concrete in modern villages, and supporting the initiatives of the then president of the village, Vasili Pavli, pushed forward the idea of a traditional village by re-erecting the old stone houses, paving the streets, creating pavements, etc. So the old local porous stone quarries reopened and today every contemporary edifice is built with the local stone.