Central Tour Karies - Nea Moni - Avgonima - Anavatos - Elinta - Lithi This is the shortest, but also one of the most surprising tours of the island. It leads through valleys as well as mountains, towards the island's western and somehow roughest coast. The first interesting site is the monastery of Nea Moni. It is one of Greece's best example of byzantine art and architecture, due to its church's unique shape and to its wonderful mosaics. This church, dedicated to the Mother of God (Panayia or Theotokos) is one of the island's most holy places, attracting lots of pilgrims from Chios and from the whole country. But it is also a place of national interest, for in 1822, Turkish troops pillaged the monastery, slaughtering hundreds of victims who had fled the town and the villages of Chios. Their bones can still be seen in the monastery's Holy Cross chapel. Three other monasteries can also be visited after Nea Moni: Panayia Kourna, Saint Mark (Agios Markos) and the Holy Father's (Agion Pateron) monastery. Continuing west, we reach Avgonima, another medieval-era village whose place offers an excellent sight. Near Avgonima, the hill of Anavatos is really worth a visit, since it is covered bya medieval village and a fortress of the same era, built on the edge of a precipice. Reaching the coast west of Anavatos, we reach Elinda, a beautiful cove with a preserved, desert beach where nature is still ruling. From there, we arrive at Lithi, a coastal village,whose shallow sandy beach is one of the island's nicest ones.