Why are all those little houses in the fields?
Metochi ‘s are there as tool storage
If you drive through the Greek wine and olive fields, you will regularly come across small houses in the landscape. These small houses, sheds or huts are called Methochi. In these houses the farmer has his siesta and keeps his tools.
The farmers take great care in these houses, because the cultivation of the grapes takes all summer and the irrigation of olives also takes a lot of time, the farmer is present on the land and in the heat he would like to be able to relax. . If he has a good place to relax, he does not always have to drive home to have his siesta there.
A metochi on every piece of land?
The challenge for many Cretan farmers is that they own a lot of small pieces of land, which are also spread all over the island. A Methochi on any small piece of land would be too much of a good thing and is priceless for farmers. If you own a large piece of land as a farmer, you have an advantage in terms of relaxation. You can then be in one place all day and also take your rest there.
Inherit land ownership
The cause of all these different pieces of land is that more and more couples come together from different parts of the island. They inherited land from their parents and so they often have pieces of land in those different regions that they cultivate. So they travel all over the island and have less opportunity. To have a Methochi on every piece of land would not be affordable. The farmer with one big piece of land has an advantage.
Available Routaki routes:
This topic is mentioned in….
A special fragment in route 42 – ‘Margarites’, where a village name is mentioned with the word ‘Metoxi’ in it…..
“The village of Metoxi Lazorokosta is mentioned, which seems peculiar as there are no houses in the surrounding area near this sign. It could be that the sign is indicating a singular Metoxi.
A Metoxi is a small building where the farmer takes his siesta and stores his tools. These houses are well-maintained by the farmers, as grape cultivation spans the entire summer, and irrigating olives also consumes a significant amount of time. With the farmer spending much of his time on the land, especially in the heat, having a comfortable place to relax is crucial. If he has a suitable spot, there’s no need for him to constantly drive home for his siesta.
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