VILLA PRAXITHEA
& VILLA ARISTEA

Praxithea Pipinou-Zervou

 The very first building was very different from what you can see today. It was a one storey building occupying the present day site of Villa Praxithea and Villa Hiona next door. This building was a small factory, where sponges were turned from their initial condition to what the ladies of that time used to take care of themselves.

 A very well known story of Halki took place in that building, on 14 May 1893. A bunch of dangerous pirates under the leadership of the fearsome “Psiroukis” came to the island in order to deprive Yannis Pipinos of his gold. They found him in the living room of the ground floor and asked him to surrender his gold to them or else they would take his life. He decided to hand in his gold, and probably that was the beginning of the end of his business. That money was meant to be given to the captains who operated the sponge caiques as a prepayment, in order to prepare their long trip to North Africa, where they used to collect their precious merchandise. This true story has been turned into a local song, and if you are lucky enough you may hear it during a local fiesta.

 When Yannis Pipinos decided to lead his first daughter Praxithea to marriage with George Zervos, a promising young doctor who studied in Munich/Bavaria who was the son of a Kalymnian sponge merchant, he turned half of the sponge factory into a noble two storey neoclassical style house, for the new couple. At that time, when daughters were getting married they should have at least a house as a dowry, a “prika” as we call it in Greek. That happened in 1909, as the marble slab which is set on the wall above the main entrance, witnesses. However, this slab is not the original inscription. The original one was painted on the wall above the main entrance of the villa facing the sea, saying “Σήμερον εμού, αύριον ετέρου και ουδέποτε τινός”, which in free translation means “today it’s mine, tomorrow will be somebody else’s, but it will never belong to anybody ”. Wise words written by a wise man. Apparently it seems that it was a kind of fashion to put this inscription on houses at that time, and I have come across it two more times in my life. One of them was at the old family house of my future (at that time) wife, at Kastri Kunourias, in the middle of Peloponnese. Spooky !!!

 The young couple stayed at the house after their wedding where Praxithea gave birth to most of her 5 children. It was the time of the First World War. George who was the doctor of the island as well as the mayor for some period, used the second room on the left of the ground floor as a surgery. For hygiene reasons, he turned the floor of the room into concrete, now it has cotto tiles. When the children grew up, the family decided to leave Halki and move to Kalymnos which was a much bigger island and did not suffer from the economic crisis as Halki did at that time.

 When my grandmother Maria, the first daughter of Praxithea, got engaged in Kalymnos, she wanted to show her dowry, “prika”, to her future husband who was a Kalymnian who had never been to Halki. So, while being in Halki, she sent him a black and white postcard. (You can see it in enlargement on the walls of the villa)

 She had written on it: “This is to see our house and Halki during its glorious era”. I think she was exaggerating a bit, as many houses were ruined.

 After their departure, the Italian army used the house as a “caserma” or garrison where the soldiers lived. My grandmother Maria told us: ‘they used the basement bellow the living room as a detention room’. I hope nobody suffered there!

 It was only in 1995 when Villa Praxithea came to the property of my brother Jacob and mine and we decided to restore it and turn it into a traditional tourist accommodation. As we are both engineers, my brother a civil engineer and me an architect, our main goal was to treat the house with respect, make the minimum of the necessary alterations and maintain its traditional character. The restoration started in 1997 and finished in 1999. The house initially had an interior wooden staircase where the bathrooms stand today. The new staircase was relocated outside the villa in order to divide the building into two independent apartments. The wooden doors and windows were replaced, and the wooden ceilings were restored where it was needed.

  We hope the result meets your standards and while being here, you feel as comfortable as being in your own summer house.

“Today it’s mine, tomorrow it will be somebody else’s, but it will never belong to anybody.”

 The only village of the island, called Nimboriò, is made up of traditional island-style houses, scattered around a picturesque harbor. The clarity of the water around Chalki is astounding, a place that the snorkelers will adore. The main archaeological interest of the island is the ruined medieval castle on the top of a hill beyond the village. Apart from that, the remains of the old town, now deserted, provide a fine opportunity for a quiet walk and for the view of the sea losing itself in the sky.

 The climate of Chalki is very dry, therefore is very pleasant for holidaying. Normally the last rains stop by the end of April and begin again at the end of October giving plenty of opportunity for swimming. The region is famous for long, sunny summers when temperature normally varies from 25 to 35 Celsius degrees.

  The dock, which is called Piatsa, is the heart of the village and takes on the role of a market square: people gather there to talk, drink coffee or tea at one of the Kafenion, or eat fresh fish and local specialties at one of the restaurants. You can shop food at one of the mini-markets, natural local products from shops as “Jio Herbs” or at “Dimitris” bakery where you must try the local pies with cheese or spinach. After a delicious breakfast, hire a small boat or walk to one of the sandy or pebbly beaches of the island, such as Pontamos, Ftenagia, Kania, for a swim. A day trip to Alimia (deserted island close to Halki) is an option not to miss.

The island is equipped with an ATM machine where you can get cash 24 hours per day.

 The first port is in Rhodes Town (14 kilometers from the airport), where you can catch the big ferryboat of ANEK Lines. Usually during summer time it departs twice per week and it takes 2 hours to get to Halki. Another company which operates for Halki is Dodekanisos Seaways with speedboats catamaran. Duration of the trip is 75 minutes. You can check the routes at www.12ne.gr . The latest addition is the Stavros ferry which offers direct connection with Symi island. For further information please visit their website http://www.saos.gr

 The second port is Kamiros Scala (35 kilometers from the airport) where you can catch the daily speed boat Sebeco II. It takes only 35 minutes to cross to Halki and the ticket costs 4.5 euro. For further information please visit their website http://www.alkoferries.gr Nissos Halki and Fedon are two caiques which run the same itinerary and they have a page at Facebook.

 On request we can arrange your transportation from the airport to Kamiros Scala and vice versa. We are always at your disposal for any kind of help, in order to arrive at Chalki quickly and safely.

  One of the best routes is to depart from Chalki’s port and walk to the Venetian Castle (45 minute walk). The castle is in very good condition offering fantastic views of the most beautiful areas of the island. From the castle you may then continue towards the Monastery of Ai Giannis (St. John). The entire walk takes about 2 hrs.