Naxos Island

Outside the castle area there are developed two other settlements. Bourgo, on the western side of the hill near the sea, with its Orthodox Cathedral and Nio Horio (New Village), originally inhabited by Cretans, as well as a Jewish quarter nearby. The need for some kind of defense against enemy attacks, a prudent use of the limited available space and the durability of the local building materials determined the way the houses of the ordinary people were built not only in Hora but also in the villages.In the traditional settlements the houses are adjoined to each other, with small courtyards.

These houses were often extended over the next door house or over the street, creating the "stegasta" (sheltered streets), a distinctive feature of the streets of Naxos. The streets paved with slabs of stone are very narrow; they are usually less than 2 m wide. Nowadays, the same narrow streets of Hora are full of life and colour and visitors can enjoy shopping facilities, night entertaiment, tradiotional food and music, etc