Tourist Info – Vathy, Samos
The town of Vathy, which is divided in the Upper and Lower town (Ano Vathy and Kato Vathy respectively), is the modern capital of the island of Samos. The island is noted for its rich ancient past that has been recognized by its inclusion in the World Heritage List on account of the sites of Pythagoreion (the ancient polis) and the sanctuary of Hera, the Heraion. The vivid architecture of Ano Vathy combines pre-existing local typologies with elements of Ottoman architecture. After Samos became an Autonomous Principality with its own institutions and an extrovert economy (mid-19thc.), attention switched to the hitherto insignificant port of Kato Vathy, which was embellished with both public and private buildings, designed according to the principles of neoclassicism. Today, this interesting architectural dipole of traditional/oriental Ano Vathy perched on the hills, and neoclassical/western Kato Vathy on the seaside, offers an interesting glimpse of the shifting historical circumstances and cultural patterns in the Eastern Mediterranean in the advent of modernity.
