At the crossroads of history and culture
A beautiful settlement where nothing is lacking. View, history, culture, beautiful houses, class. It is the village of the windmills, once full of vineyards yet now empty of them – “Xampelo” in Greek – thus justifying its name.
Situated two kilometers from Apollonia, it is the far southern border of the central settlements with the southern coastline of Sifnos (Vathi, Platis Gialos, Chrisopigi, Faros).
It includes the following districts:
- Arades. It is the entrance of the village where once ten windmills were lined up. Nowadays, big super-markets are fully operational.
- Kato Exampela or Agia Varvara. The most important sites are the once parish church of Agia Varvara (before 1819), decorated with icons from the 17th and the 18th centuries, and the house of Nikolaos Chrisogelos, grandfather of the poet Aristomenis Proveleggios.
- Epano Exampela. At the entrance of the district we find a little plain. You can visit the two temples dedicated to Saint Nicolas, the “Old”, bearing two ancient columns on either side of the entrance to the courtyard of the temple, and the “Young” that today is the parish of the village. At the same district we find the house of the famous cooking and pastry-making master, Nikolaos Tselementes (1878-1958), in honor of whom every September a cooking festival is held in the island.
- Vorini. As it is obvious by its name – the Greek word for “Northern” – it is situated at the northern part of the settlement. It offers unhindered view to the sea, the Castle settlement and the surrounding islands.
An important site at the south-eastern end of the village is the ruins of Mavros Pirgos (Black Tower), one of the towers of the beacons dating back to the 15th century.
At Exampela, the visitor can find rented rooms, super-markets, grocery stores, restaurants, shops etc.
