Hikers on the picturesque route through the lush woodland environment will come across a unique circular stone formation. It’s low-lying, barely half a metre from the ground. Upon first glance, you’d be forgiven for being unsure whether it’s a natural or a man-made structure. But on closer inspection, the human factor is made clear by the care with which each stone has been placed. Far from being haphazardly tossed together, this carefully built structure appears to have served a purpose in times past. But what purpose, exactly?
The word “mitato” is frequently encountered both in local toponyms and in the literary output of authors. Mitata were impromptu dwellings built atop stone foundations, often far from the nearest settlement and meant to provide shelter for brief stretches. They were used extensively by farmers and shepherds in the 19th and early 20th centuries. For pre-industrial agricultural populations, these structures provided both shelter for their livestock and a place to store their tools. But other accounts also relate that farmers and shepherds themselves would spend time in these structures. In fact, entire families lived in them when agricultural work, such as the olive harvest, required prolonged presence out in the fields. The word “mitato” is widely used on Chios and Lesvos to describe these small and makeshift but sturdy structures that were so vital to the livelihood of the local agricultural population in times past.