Megalochori windmills

The windmills of Megalochori, witnesses to the past

We walked up to see the windmills at sunset. It was our last afternoon on Agistri and a man from Megalochori had told us: «Go to the windmills before the sun goes down. It is the best spot on the island». He was right.

The windmills of Megalochori stand on top of a hill next to the church of Zoodochos Pigi. They are whitewashed stone structures, cylindrical in shape, with wooden sails pointing at the sky. The oldest one dates from the early nineteenth century. They no longer grind wheat, but they are in good condition and they are the symbol of Agistri’s farming past.

Before tourism reached the island, Agistri lived off the land and the sea. The mills used the constant Saronic wind to grind the grain grown on the island’s terraces. Only these two are left today, but there were several more dotted along the coast.

The sunset from up here is something we can still picture with our eyes closed. The sun hides behind the mountains of the Peloponnese and the sky explodes into oranges, pinks and purples. The sea turns into a sheet of gold. The pines below take on long shadows. Aegina floats on the horizon like a mirage.

We sat on the stone steps of the mill for nearly an hour. Without talking. Just looking. Every now and then the wind moved the sails with a soft creak. As if the mill were still alive.

The windmills are a minute’s walk from the church of Zoodochos Pigi. There is no entrance fee. There are no queues. There is no souvenir shop. Just the wind, the old stones and the best sunset in the Saronic Gulf.

If you come to Agistri, climb up here at least once. Ideally with a cold beer in your hand. And stay until the last of the light disappears behind the mountains. We promise you will not forget that moment.