The Chios Mastic Museum, opened in 2014 near the village of Pyrgi, is an architecturally striking underground structure designed by Anamorphosis Architects. It sits mostly below ground to minimise its visual impact on the landscape — the roof is visible as a curved form emerging from the hillside, but the building is essentially invisible from the surrounding mastic groves.
Inside, the museum covers the full history of mastic production on Chios: the biology of the Pistacia lentiscus tree, the traditional harvesting techniques, the commercial networks that distributed mastic across the ancient and medieval world, and the contemporary uses in food, medicine, and cosmetics. The displays are well designed and the building itself is one of the more interesting pieces of contemporary architecture in the Greek islands.
The museum is located in Pyrgi, about 25 km south of Chios town. Allow 1–1.5 hours for the visit. Combined with a walk through Pyrgi village, it makes a full half-day excursion.