Chora’s mansions are perhaps the oldest type of city dwellings in the Cyclades, belonging to wealthy traders.
Their main characteristics were the large rooms, the high ceilings, thick stone walls and luxury internal design. The central chamber of the residence was the spacious living room, while the basement was occupied by large areas for the storage of products.
The mansions outside Kastro were built by rich Greeks. Most mansions were fortified structures.
Throughout the countryside one encountered the small houses of shepherds and farmers, often adjacent to their animal pens and dens.
They were single-space constructions built of stone and a little mud, featuring beams for the ceiling, a big fireplace for cooking and large containers for the wine and the olive oil.
Lesser features were demijohns for the raki spirit, the cheese-making bank, the steelyard balance for weighing products, a recess in the wall for the icons, oil lamps, the gun for rabbit hunting, a brazier for heating, a metal cubicle for storing food and a crock for keeping water cool.
The courtyard outside was surrounded by a stone wall and featured a marble trough for watering the animals.
