The climate is mild, characterised by the prevalence of north winds, a significant percentage of rainfall during the winter months and dry and warm summers with cool winds, the so called ‘meltemia’. A comfortable hike is possible in all months except July and August. In these months with temperatures around 25 to 35 degrees Celsius, and sometimes higher, it can be a little too hot for most people to enjoy a long hike. However in the summer when the moon is full, or close to full, night hikes are possible.
Architecture in Andros island doesn’t follow the strict rules of the traditional Cycladic patterns. Typical Aegean-type houses co-exist with neoclassical buildings, Venetian towerhouses and stone-houses. Common types of houses found in Andros are “makrynari”, various types of towers and tower-houses, farm-houses and typical mansions of navy captains and merchants. Other interesting buildings with special elements are “konakia”, small farm houses, springs with characteristic “bousounari” or with a roof, water-mills and pigeon-houses (peristeriones). Characteristic elements of andriotic architecture are the visible slate stonework, “sardeloma” (outer plaster), “kanalos” (gutter), “stimata” (vertical slates) in stonewalls, etc.
Many stone bridges are intact in various places of the island. Made of schist, simple and in harmony with the landscape, served as part of the old transport network. In the beginning of the 20th century there were approximately 150 water-mills functioning in Andros island. A few dozen of them are preserved in good shape in “Dipotamata”, a valley starting from Gianisaio and ending to Syneti bay. This valley is declared a protected area and the buildings within protected monuments of the pre-industrial period. A similar network of water-mills exists in “Frouseoi”, near Amolochos, while isolated ones are scattered in other parts of the island as well. There are also wind-mills in the island and among them a very rare type, having a horizontal wheel. One of them is in good state near Piskopeio.
The special rural architecture completes the unique character of Andros. “Xerolithies” (dry stone-walls) are an integral element of Andros’ cultural heritage. “Xerolithia” is a masonry wall construction technique, where each stone is placed next to or on top of the other, using wedges as connecting material. They are admirable not only for their wild beauty but also for the man’s ability to battle the forces of nature and transform the wild mountain slopes into arable lands through a natural use of the surrounding environment. Keeping nature’s harmony in mind and using the local stone as tool, Andros’ builders created “emasies” or “pezoules” (lit. terraced plots). Using the same kind of stone they also constructed threshing floors, wells, lodgings for people and animals, cobbled streets, fencing walls, water mills, horizontal mills, bridges etc., everything in the same color, matching the environment. It is impressive how much hand work was demanded to complete these pieces of art.
