Paleochora, literally meaning Old village, used to be the capital of the island during the middle Ages and the beginning of the Venetian period. The village remains abandoned since the 16th and today in Paleochora there are preserved ruins of houses and Byzantine churches.

Of particular interest is the architecture of the area that has a purely defensive nature and the homes were built of wood and stone with narrow windows, like little fortresses and they have one or two floors with no balconies.