Mastic cultivation, still alive today in Chios, is visible even to the most unsuspecting visitor to the island. Approaching Mastichohoria, the more rocky the landscape becomes, the more clearly the stone terraces are visible, while the trees that have a white substrate at their roots gradually dominate. These are the ropes that produce the mastic.
The Mastic Museum of Chios is located in Masticochoria, in the south of Chios. Only in this part of the Mediterranean is Pistacia lentiscus var. Chia and mastic is produced, which is consumed all over the world.
The production of mastic is based on a laborious cultivation practice, the “tear” of the rope is often identified with the toil of the cultivator. The weeping tree has an age and certain strengths, as do the people who take care of it.