Description

Description: Piles is a small vilage demographically, built in the western side of the island 14 km from Pigadia. It has an amazing panoramic view to the island of Kasos and the mountains of Crete when the weather permits.

Leave the car in the parking you can find before you enter the village and walk through its narrow streets to the other side and in the forest. Probably you will not find any car in the street as its only used by the villagers. Visit the Agricultural Museum, near the parking lot, for a sneak pick of the village life in the past. In the center of Piles the church of the assumption of Virgin Mary celebrated on August 15th in a festival with traditional food and dance, follow the central street to the church of the Holy Cross with the little Spring underneath, celebrating in the same traditional way on September 14th. It has 3 small coffee shops, a tavern and souvenir shop where you can buy Greek, local art and traditional products.

First colonized in the 17th century with refugees from the coasts of the island as they were trying escape the attacks of the pirates.It is called by many people the "Green Village" as it is surrounded by fruit trees in the small fields the villagers have and also on the other side the pine trees forest, ideal for long walks!

About the name there are many opinions, with the most common ones being, that the village itself was a gate (Pili in Greek) to the northern villages or that it was taken from the Clay (Pilos in Greek) that someone could find here. It was very well known for the skillful teachers and it still has a fully equipped school, most probably the best elementary school in Greece, which unfortunately doesn¢t operate anymore due to lack of budget funding since Greece got in financial crisis. The school has the biggest library in Karpathos with more than 3500 books, periodicals etc.

Distance from Pigadia: 14 Km / 25 mins

Road condition: Good