Kazantzakis met the old shepherd he mentions in his book "Zorba the Greek (Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas)" here. The old man impressed him due to his ability to live alone without anybody's help, entirely self-sufficient. He owned nothing manufactured, everything was handmade. He wore tsarouhia (traditional shoes) made of pig skin, his clothes were all made of sheep wool, his cape made of goat hair and he used wild pear thorns as buttons!