Kataste(g)i is the covered passage for pedestrians and animals within hamlets. In Greece, these special passages are also known as diavatika or skepasta. These are constructions (balconies or rooms) above the lanes meandering the hamlet. They were constructed either to span the passage using wooden beams as a bridge or to support a bridge with stone arches so that a floor and walls can be constructed. Kataste(g)ia connected rooms in buildings flanking a lane, which usually belonged to the same family or created ‘yard’ spaces or balconies (liakota) for housekeeping chores. In many cases, this space was built to meet housing needs of the family and was used as an extra room to provide more space, given that hamlet land plots are small.
Kataste(g)ia were also used for defence purposes against invaders (e.g., pirates), imitating the entry points to strongholds such as castles. Combined with the maze-like deployment of the hamlet, kataste(g)ia or diavatika were so narrow and intricate that helped disorient and invaders, while they were also used as attack points through their floor openings.
As far as bioclimatic design is concerned, these passages cool houses and create cold points; they accelerate air movement due to the intense difference between hot and cold hamlet points. Furthemore, kataste(g)ia create covered outdoor spaces that are protected from the rain and the midday summer sun, creating a resting spot for humans and, in older times, for animals, too. The interior of spaces above such passages is cooled due to the air current passing through floor beams, while the air is refreshed, which is often useful for preserving food and other goods that might perish in humid conditions.
Kataste(g)i in Chora
The pointed arch, probably a Venetian architectural element encountered in Italian cities, a likely remnant of Venetian Occupation, is underpinned by a stone cantilever base to secure the stone wall of the residence above the passage.
The transverse wooden beams also create the floor of the room. These beams are supported by the masonry of the walls forming the passage. Timber was usually imported from other regions of Greece; however, there are references to the use of Phoenician juniper , (Juniperus phoenicea) an indigenous species of the island. The wooden beams of the juniper are also called phides, due to their snake-like shape. A layer of wooden planks is placed on top of the beams to create the floor of the room above. The stratification is completed with a layer of timber, slates, or ceramic tiles for the interior floor surface. Insulation is achieved by placing bunches of seaweed or reed leaves in between the timber beams and the stone slates.
