Klista

From one end to the other, Kythera landscapes are stone-built. Walled properties are called “klista”. During the British rule there was a form of subsidy for their creation, which also led to the acquisition of land titles by their developer. Beyond the demarcation of the properties, the dry stone walls were used to clean the fields of stones and the impoundment of animals. Most times the walls were built high to enclose the animals. Some “klista” were built on a wall edge, leaning against the wall of the fence. Some klista had a cistern and an orchard while in others people sowed “meslin”, lathiri or other legumes and cereals.