DAMALAS, NAXOS: POTTERY AND OLIVE OIL IN A SMALL TRAGEA VILLAGE

Damalas is a hamlet of the Tragea valley in central Naxos, and one of the smallest inhabited villages on the island. It has no major monuments and no large squares. Its significance is cultural and economic: it preserves two traditional trades that shaped the valley, pottery and olive-oil production, and both can be seen in practice or in restored form within a few hundred metres of each other.

Location and Setting

The village is built in an amphitheatre-like arrangement at the foot of Lagos hill, a name usually translated as “hare hill”, at an altitude of about 230 metres. Distances are given as roughly 14 to 15 kilometres southeast of Naxos Town, depending on the source and route. It sits within the Tragea valley, the island’s largest area of olive cultivation, and forms part of a cluster with nearby villages: Damarionas is about 0.9 to 1.2 kilometres away, Vourvouria is a short distance beyond, and Halki lies about 1.4 kilometres away. Administratively it belongs to the community of Damarionas within the Drymalia municipal unit. Because of its position on the hillside, the village is visible from several points around the valley and has wide views over the plain.

A Very Small Community

Census figures illustrate how small and how variable the population is. One compilation of official data gives 148 residents in 1951, 49 in 1991, 38 in 2001, 32 in 2011 and 55 in 2021. Local accounts describe a year-round population of only a few dozen at most, with some guides citing “a little over 20” permanent residents and tour descriptions rounding to about 100. The differences reflect different counting methods: census figures include people formally registered in the village, while casual estimates refer to those who live there through the year. As in many Greek villages, the population rises in summer when families return.

The origin of the name is not documented. Some guides repeat a tradition linking it to Damaris, the Athenian convert mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, but the same tradition is more commonly attached to neighbouring Damarionas, and the sources are not consistent. It is safest to treat the name’s origin as unexplained.

The Pottery Workshop

Pottery in the Tragea valley is tied to the clay-rich soil of the area, and Damalas is the place where that tradition remains active. The workshop at the entrance to the village is run by Manolis Limpertas (the surname is also transliterated Lybertas or Liberta in different sources), described as a fourth-generation potter whose craft was passed down within the family. Visitors can watch pieces being thrown on the wheel and buy finished work; some guided tours of the valley stop here for a demonstration. A separate showroom is reported on the road towards Halki.

The range includes functional tableware and cooking dishes as well as decorative pieces, including some fired using the Japanese raku technique. Two traditional forms are often mentioned. The sfouni is a Naxian wine jug used to draw wine from a barrel, filled by suction through a small hole. The “Pythagorean cup” is a drinking cup with a hidden siphon that empties it if filled beyond a set level, and is attributed by tradition to Pythagoras of Samos. The attribution is a long-standing tradition rather than a documented fact. Opening hours are reported as daily and extending into the evening in season, but they are not formally published, so they should be confirmed locally.

The Restored Olive Press

The second landmark is the village olive press. Guides describe it as a 19th-century installation that remained in use until 1961 and has since been restored and opened to visitors, with the stone mill and pressing equipment preserved. The village also holds an annual event demonstrating the traditional method of extracting olive oil. Tastings of local oils are sometimes offered, though availability depends on the season and on who is present. The press gives context to the valley around it: for centuries the Tragea olive groves were the island’s agricultural core, and the press is one of the few places where the process can be seen in its original form.

The Parish Church and the Village Fabric

Damalas has a 19th-century parish church dedicated to Agia Irini, noted in one guide for its marble iconostasis and marble font. The rest of the village consists of stone-built houses, paved alleys and gardens, with bougainvillea and flowers in pots. It is a residential settlement with few services; a bakery, mini-market and taverna are available in a neighbouring village, and a wider choice is found in Halki and Filoti. Some traditional houses in the area are let for short stays.

Visiting Damalas

By car, Damalas is about 20 to 25 minutes from Naxos Town on the road into the Tragea valley. A public bus serves the stop labelled for Damarionas and Damalas on the main inland route towards Halki, Filoti and Apeiranthos, with a journey of about 25 minutes; the timetable is seasonal and tickets are normally bought at the terminal in Naxos Town before boarding, so current information should be checked on site.

The visit is short, typically one to two hours including the workshop and the press. It combines easily with Damarionas (see the Damarionas guide) and Halki (see the Halki guide), both reachable on foot along old paths through the olive groves. As the village is residential, visitors are expected to keep to the lanes and to the workshop and museum areas, and to respect private houses. Late spring and early autumn are the more comfortable seasons for walking between the villages.

Quick Answers

What is Damalas known for? It is known for its traditional pottery workshop and its restored 19th-century olive press.

How far is Damalas from Naxos Town? It is roughly 14 to 15 kilometres, a drive of about 20 to 25 minutes.

How many people live in Damalas? The 2021 census figure cited in one compilation is 55; informal estimates of year-round residents are lower.

Can visitors buy pottery? Yes. The workshop sells tableware, cooking dishes and decorative pieces, including the traditional sfouni and Pythagorean cup.

Damalas is useful as an example of how much of the Naxian interior depends on small, specialised places. A single workshop and a single press, set among olive groves and a few dozen houses, document both a craft and an agricultural system that once supported the whole valley. For planning a stay in the island’s interior, see the fabnaxosvillas villa portfolio and the guide to getting to Naxos.