Nestled in the Saronic Gulf, a one-and-a-half-hour ferry ride from Athens, the village of Hydra rises sharply up the hillside behind its horseshoe-shaped harbor, creating the feeling of an amphitheater. Massive stone houses dominate the upper levels, and the austere exteriors hide vast ballrooms, painted ceilings, and marble-tiled terraces. The architecture is far from the whitewashed sugar-cube houses of many other islands. Ornate doors, colonnades, and the lavish interiors are reminders of bygone times when the island flourished in the early 19th century, and fortunes were made from shipbuilding and international commerce, assured by an unrivaled merchant fleet.
One such property is the Old Carpet Factory, now a legendary recording studio high on the hillside, where the likes of Haim and Sébastien Tellier have pressed hits. Its story begins during Hydra’s golden age. Members of the island’s great naval families became key players in the Greek War of Independence of 1821, which played out on local waters and on those of neighboring Spetses. Many of the homes are tied to storied names; in the case of the Old Carpet Factory, it is the Tsamados family, a dynasty of admirals and maritime heroes.
