A beautiful cape is situated at the southernmost tip of Evia, and the physiognomy of the entire region is determined by the unique mountain that dominates the area.

“And Ochi is the name of the island and identical is the name of its largest mountain” Strabo

As the quote above indicates, Ochi was so impressive that it was considered the largest mountain in Evia. Ochi has a variety of landscapes owing to its geographical position and the diversity of its terrain. The terrain of Ochi is mountainous, the main mountains being the Prophetis Ilias range (1339 m.) and Giouda (1386 m.). The northern and northeastern sections are intersected by ravines and they slope steeply towards the sea. The rock is mainly shale and cipollino marble. The terrain of the southern and western sections is smoother, but rock formations intermittently rise up in the landscape.

The southernmost bastion of Evia The two faces of Ochi The region is geographically distinctive in that it has two radically different and discrete terrains: The northern and northeastern section of the mountain has steep forested slopes and is reminiscent of Pelion, while the southern and south-western is similar to the Cycladic islands. Ochi is situated between two seas. To the south and west is the Evoikos Gulf (Evia Gulf ), a large, protected gulf with relatively shallow waters. To the northeast is the Aegean Cavo d’Oro that has strong currents and very deep waters, even near the shore. In terms of climate, the north that looks out over the Aegean is humid and colder than the south, which has less rain in the winter and is dry in the summers. Ochi is a mountain on a cape full of contrasts.

Karystos stone and cipollino marble.

Karystos stone, or cipollino marble, is a type of marble that has shale layers. Cipollino marbles are coloured marbles; the word comes from the Latin word cipolla which means onion and they were given this name because the colour and the contours on the marble are reminiscent of onions. Cipollino is made up of calcium carabonate that is not always white or grey because it contains ores that are found in shale (chlorite, serkite etc).

The surface of the marble has shale ores, but its basic structure is carbonate, which is the reason why Karystos stone is referred to in the market as slate.

The colour and texture of the stone has the appearance of shale, but inside it is as hard as marble.

Most quarries are in areas in which the cipollino marble is horizontally layered in thick strata as it is easier to extract in such places.

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 The main quarry area is on the western foothills of Ochi and in the broader region of the Aghios Dimitrios valley.

A mountain with hundreds of Springs

Just below the summit of Ochi there are springs that are full of water all year round.

 Most of them gush out through different kinds of bedrock such as cipollino marble and shale. The largest part of the area, with the exception of the illuviations of the lowlands, is covered by crystal shale with alternations of cipollino marble.

The shale, which is not permeable by water, holds the water on the surface of the land.

 In contrast, marble and limestone store the water and create subterranean aquifers.

 When water is efficiently gathered, an aquatic economy ensues that provides water even to the highest points of the mountain.