The legend of the Drunken Houses of Old Klima in Skopelos
Across the narrow channel of sea that separates Skopelos from Skiathos lies a cultural and historical connection that stretches across thousands of years. It is a story about mythology, wine, trade, local legends, and family heritage. When placed together, the “drunken houses” of Old Klima in Skopelos and the summer house built by Alexander Karvounis in Skiathos in the 1940s become part of the same long narrative. One that begins in ancient Greece and continues into the present.
The ancient island of Peparethos and the legacy of Dionysus
In antiquity, Skopelos was known as Peparethos, an island widely celebrated for its vineyards and wine production. Ancient Greek writers frequently referred to Peparethian wine as one of the most respected wines of the Mediterranean world. Amphorae filled with this wine traveled along the maritime routes of the Aegean and even reached the markets of the Black Sea. According to Greek mythology, the island’s connection to wine was not accidental. The island was associated with Dionysus, the god of wine, celebration, and fertility. Mythological traditions even suggested that the island was connected to Dionysus through his descendants, reinforcing the idea that Skopelos was a land blessed with vineyards and wine culture. Archaeological findings and ancient coins from the island support this reputation. Many coins depicted grape clusters or Dionysian imagery, illustrating how deeply wine shaped the island’s identity. Viticulture was not simply agriculture; it was part of the cultural DNA of the island.
Skiathos and the patron god of trade
Just a short distance away lies Skiathos. While Skopelos was defined by vineyards and Dionysus, Skiathos developed a slightly different identity in the ancient world. The island was associated with Hermes, the god of merchants, travelers, and commerce. Hermes symbolized movement, trade, and communication between distant places. Skiathos, positioned along important sea routes in the northern Aegean, naturally became a maritime crossroads. Ships traveling between Thessaly, the Sporades, and the wider Aegean often passed through the waters around Skiathos. As a result, the island functioned as a trading point where goods, including wine, could be exchanged and transported further.
In a symbolic sense, the neighboring islands represented two complementary forces of ancient Greek life:
• Skopelos — the island of Dionysus, vineyards, and wine production
• Skiathos — the island of Hermes, trade, travel, and exchange
Wine produced on the hills of Skopelos naturally found its way across the sea through the trading networks connected to Skiathos.
The vineyards of Old Klima
Centuries later this relationship between the islands continued in quieter but equally meaningful ways. On the western side of Skopelos lies the hillside settlement of Klima, Skopelos, often referred to as Old Klima. Unlike the colorful seaside houses that are now famous along the water, Old Klima sits higher on the hillside. Like many traditional Aegean villages, it was built in an elevated position to protect its inhabitants from pirate raids that once threatened coastal settlements. From Old Klima the view stretches westward across the Aegean. Directly opposite lies Skiathos, and on clear days the coastline of the island can be seen clearly, including the bay now known as Achladies Beach.
For generations the land surrounding Old Klima was covered with vineyards. Among the grape varieties cultivated there was Limnio, an ancient Aegean grape that has been associated with Greek wine production since antiquity.Wine was not merely a product of the land—it was part of everyday life. Families grew grapes, produced wine, and traded it across the islands of the Sporades. Local fishermen and small traders carried wine from Skopelos to Skiathos, continuing a tradition that had existed since ancient times.
The legend of the drunken houses
Out of this deep wine culture emerged one of the most curious legends of the village. Local stories claim that in certain years the vineyards around Old Klima produced such abundant harvests that there was more wine than the villagers could store or consume. According to the legend, this surplus wine occasionally found an unexpected use. Instead of discarding the excess wine, villagers reportedly mixed it into the mortar used for construction. Wine was added to the plaster mixture and sometimes even to the foundations of houses. From this unusual practice came the poetic description of the houses as “drunken houses.” The buildings themselves were said to be intoxicated by the wine within their walls. Whether the story was literal or simply a symbolic exaggeration of the island’s wine abundance is impossible to know. Yet the legend perfectly captures the spirit of the place: a village where wine was so central to life that it even entered the stories told about the houses themselves.
The vineyards of Skiathos
While Skopelos had the reputation of a wine island, Skiathos also cultivated its own vineyards over the centuries. Among the traditional grape varieties grown there were Mavrokoundoura, Roditis, and Savvatiano. Wine production on Skiathos was generally smaller in scale, but it remained an important agricultural activity for many families. Boats continued to travel between the islands carrying goods, maintaining the historical link between the wine culture of Skopelos and the trading traditions of Skiathos.
The story of Alexander Karvounis
Remarkably, a story similar to the legend of the drunken houses appears again in modern times. In the mid-1940s, long before tourism transformed the Sporades, Alexander Karvounis owned land in the Achladies area of Skiathos. The property faced directly toward Skopelos across the same stretch of sea visible from Old Klima. At that time the land was rural, with vineyards and small agricultural activity. According to family tradition, one year the vineyards produced more wine than could be stored or sold. Following the old island belief that wine could strengthen mortar—an idea echoed in the legend of the drunken houses—some of this surplus wine was mixed into the construction materials of a small summer house built on the property. Wine was reportedly added to the mortar used for the walls and foundations of the building. That modest summer house still exists today within the grounds of the Octopus Beach Bar Restaurant.
A story that spans centuries
When these stories are viewed together, they form a narrative that stretches across time and across the sea. On the hills of Skopelos stand the drunken houses of Old Klima, born from centuries of vineyard culture and the mythological legacy of Dionysus. Across the water on Skiathos stands a summer house built by Alexander Karvounis in the 1940s, whose foundations carry a similar story of wine mixed into the mortar. Between them lies the same stretch of sea that has connected the islands since antiquity—the sea where the wines of Peparethos once traveled toward Skiathos, the island protected by Hermes, god of trade. From ancient mythology to modern family history, wine has remained a thread linking the two islands. And across the water from Achladies Beach, the green hills of Skopelos still rise above the horizon—reminding us that sometimes the stories of the past are not as distant as they seem.