Tower

The tower at Gymno, in central Evia, is a modest Venetian relic from the 15th century, standing beside the village’s main church. It belongs to a period when the Venetians, having taken control of the Frankish territory of Chalkis in 1383, fortified the island with a scatter of such structures. Their rule lasted until 1470, when the Ottomans arrived, and this tower is one of the more unassuming survivors of that era. It is not a grand fortress but a functional watchtower, likely built for local defence and oversight rather than large-scale military display. Its condition today is average, with the stonework still recognisable amid the village setting, though it no longer serves any defensive purpose. For the visitor, it offers a quiet, tangible link to a short but significant Venetian chapter in Evia’s history, easily missed unless one looks up from the churchyard.