The lovely small village of Mili or Myli is situated on the route Koumaradei - Megalis Pangias monastery - Mili and then continue towards Pythagorion (which is 8 km away), in a green valley with mainly orange and olive trees. The area is agricultural and in former times also tobacco was grown here. Mili is situated in a fertile area on the River Imvrasos and is named after the nearby mills that date from the time of the Turkish occupation of the island Samos. Myloi in Greek means "mills". These mills have now disappeared but the name of the village remained. Formerly the village was called Kilitzkioi after the Turkish admiral that posessed the island.

In Mili there are two churches: a small, picturesque church at the top of the village and a large one on the village square. The small church on top of the village is photogenic but inside the church is not very spectacular. Unlike most churches on Samos, this church is open. The oldest part of the big church on the square dates from 1832. One of the other "sights" of the village is a Mycenaean tomb, but those who will follow the sign to take ay look at it will not really be impressed. It is not much more than a hole in a rock and not really something special

The large square of Mili is very pleasant and cosy with beautiful trees and flowers, and in many of the streets in the village you will see pots with flowers. On the square are a number of tavernas where you can enjoy a meal. It is a place that doen't have a touristic feel to it. It has a more authentic Greek feeling: no rushing traffic and there are not so many tourists. This makes Mili an attractive place to visit and to take a drink or a simple Greek meal here.

Like I said before it is nice to spend some time on the attractive square of Mili with the flowers and the beautiful old trees. Here are a number of Greek tavernas with a limited menu (in this case a sign with the menu written on it) where you can choose from. We tried the "zorbena", which was an oven dish with potatoes, eggplant, bacon and cheese. It was tasteful and very filling. The bread was fresh and came in one piece and the tzatziki was fine. The cappuccino was a regular nescafe with milk, but you can expect in a village like this where tourism has not really developped. Maria herself is a friendly lady and it's just nice to sit on this spot and enjoy the Greek life and the peace.

Our verdict: a 7,5 out of 10