What a contrast between the ever-crowded streets of Chora, the capital of Mykonos, and the sleepy atmosphere of Ano Mera, the island's second-largest 'agglomeration' with around 1,500 year-round residents! Ano Mera is also the only real Mykonian village. Elsewhere on the island, groups of houses tend to form seaside resorts that lose all activity in winter, which is not the case here.
Ano Mera is a small farming village with a strong attachment to the land, despite the fact that Mykonos is all pebbled. The small country roads around the village run through plots of land that are always bordered by low stone walls, where you might come across a donkey or a few goats. The houses are scattered, as Ano Mera is spread out, occupying the whole central area of the island and in places offering beautiful views of the coastline and the Aegean Sea.