Nestled amidst the pine-clad slopes of Mount Profitis Ilias on Rhodes, a stunning Italian ghost village lies, holding a compelling and often somber tale of a bygone era.
Near the village of Eleousa (Άγια Ελεούσα), the town was originally known by its Italian name, Campochiaro (“Bright Field”). This “ghost village” stands as a poignant reminder of the island’s Italian occupation from 1912 to 1947, a period that dramatically reshaped Rhodes’ landscape and identity.
Founded around 1935, Campochiaro was not a traditional Greek settlement but a carefully planned rural community designed by the Italian administration. Its primary purpose was to support the burgeoning timber trade of the surrounding forests and foster a nascent tourism industry.
The first inhabitants were Italian lumberjacks and their families, many hailing from the Alpine regions of Northern Italy, whose architectural styles influenced the distinctive buildings with their pitched roofs and once-vibrant facades.
Echoes of a past life: The village structures
Walking through Eleousa today is like stepping into a time capsule. The central Eleousas Square remains the heart of the village, surrounded by key structures that whisper stories of their former lives:
The Market (Agora): A prominent building featuring elegant arches and small curved balconies, it once served as the bustling commercial hub for the Italian community.
The Former Prison / School: Located directly opposite the market, this building served as a military prison during the Italian occupation. Following the Dodecanese’s integration with Greece in 1947, it found new life as the village school.
The Sanatorium: Perhaps the most haunting of Eleousa’s structures is the grand building that once housed the Dodecanese Sanatorium, “Queen Frederica.” Originally the village school, it was converted in 1947 to treat tuberculosis patients. Its remote, forested location was believed to offer the ideal environment for healing and isolation.
The sanatorium operated until the early 1970s, after which it was abandoned, now standing as an imposing, yet rapidly decaying, monument to a difficult period in public health. It remains a popular, if eerie, destination for urban explorers.
The Church of Saint Charalambos: The village’s church, originally a Catholic house of worship dedicated to Santa Maria, was later converted to Greek Orthodox and renamed after Saint Charalambos.
The Circular Water Well: A short distance from the square lies a large, circular artificial lake or cistern. This vital structure collects water from the nearby Koskinisti spring via an impressive aqueduct built by the Italians. This unique ecosystem is also a crucial habitat for the Gizani fish (Ladigesocypris ghigii), a small, critically endangered freshwater species endemic solely to Rhodes.
The abandonment of the Italian village on Rhodes
The golden age of Campochiaro was brief. Most Italian residents departed between 1940 and 1943, with the final families leaving by 1947 when the Dodecanese officially became part of Greece.
The buildings were subsequently abandoned, allowing nature to slowly reclaim its dominion. Today, Eleousa is not entirely deserted; a small number of Greek residents have settled there, alongside a growing number of visitors drawn to its unique history and tranquil surroundings.
Nearby Italian-Era Architectural Gems on Mount Profitis Ilias
Eleousa is just one piece of a larger Italian architectural legacy scattered across Mount Profitis Ilias, a testament to the ambitious plans of the occupying power:
The Elafos and Elafina Hotels, located further up Mount Profitis Ilias (meaning “Stag” and “Doe” in Greek), were built in an elegant Alpine style in 1929 and 1930 respectively. They quickly became the epitome of luxury tourism on Rhodes, frequented by the European elite. Even today, they retain much of their original grandeur, offering a glimpse into the glamorous past of Italian-era tourism.
The Villa de Vecchi, often popularly referred to as “Mussolini’s Villa”, is another significant and eerie relic of the Italian occupation, located further up the slopes of Mount Profitis Ilias, near the Elafos and Elafina Hotels.
The mansion was designed and intended to be the holiday residence for the Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini. This explains its grand scale and location, offering outstanding views of the surrounding landscape.
Despite the intention, Mussolini never actually spent any time in the villa. It was, however, the residence of Count Cesare Maria De Vecchi, one of Mussolini’s advisors and a former governor of the Dodecanese islands, who had the villa constructed between 1936 and 1947.
Related: Greece’s Leros Transforms Mussolini’s Legacy
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