At the entrance of Dryopida hamlet there is a complex of fountains that once served as the central water supply point.
At the western entrance to Dryopida, if you head down the hill to the left, you will come across a stream, which used to be called ‘nerofama’ (water eroded soil), and a rainwater collection tank. Before 1950, local volunteers from Dryopida used local construction materials, such as stone and ceramics, adding cement, and came up with a technique of their own to construct the tank, utilising the natural rainwater flow through clay pipes. There were four fountains and the rainwater flowing through the clay pipes was used to water livestock.
Katovrisi was constructed by the local community and its key architectural feature was the ceramic statues depicting korai that looked like the Caryatids. Unfortunately, in 1960 the statues were destroyed, but the fountain remains an imposing structure.
The fountain water was used only for washing and it poured out of three scuppers. The women carried their tubs their and placed them on the ledges, washing the clothes there. Older women went to Katovrisi to do the wash, because it was closer to the village, and the younger women went to the Mathias wash-houses. For cooking and drinking water, they went to Tourakas, where the water still flows to this day. There is this characteristic reference regarding the location: “Any visitor who drank water from Tourakas would stay on the island and marry”. Filling the water jugs was women’s work, and when they headed to the fountain the boys would wait for them and use it as an excuse to become acquainted and find a wife.
To fill their jugs with potable water they also went to the Provarma well (above Agios Vlassis). There is one more spring called Gourounaki tou Spileou (Piglet of the Cave). A trough was made by the spring, which exists to this day, to serve those who lived on that side of the village.
The reservoir collected drinking water until 1970. Women would carry their water jugs there, too. It is worth noting that each jug weighed about 15 kilos when filled with water, and that each woman carried one jug and one half-jug, which carried about 8 litres of water.
