Kambones 1615 Wins European Heritage Award/Europa Nostra Award for Conservation and Adaptive Reuse: A Living Story of Heritage

On the island of Naxos, where olive trees have stood for centuries and a Venetian tower house watches over the fields, Kambones 1615 has been given a new voice—and now, the world is listening. This summer, Kambones received one of only 8 awards given in this category: European Heritage Award/Europa Nostra Award. Category: Conservation and Adaptive Reuse, one of Europe’s most prestigious recognitions for cultural heritage.

For us, this award is not just a celebration of a building, but of everything Kambones stands for: resilience, tradition, and the belief that heritage can guide the future. 

A Home with Five Centuries of Stories

Kambones 1615 is not a museum; it’s a place where life and history meet. For over 500 years, it has stood as a Venetian tower house, with its double-aisled chapel—honouring both Orthodox and Catholic traditions—serving as a spiritual anchor for the surrounding land and community.

When we began the restoration in 2012, the tower was on the verge of collapse. It had weathered countless seasons, but water damage and neglect had left deep scars. Instead of letting it fade into ruin, we chose to listen to the building’s voice—its stones, wood, and ancient plaster—and work slowly, with respect.

The Journey of Restoration 

This award recognises a decade of labor that was as much heart as it was hands. We worked with local craftsmen, reviving traditional techniques that had nearly been forgotten. Where no craftsman could be found, we learned to do the work ourselves.

From hand-mixing lime plaster to repairing centuries-old furniture and copperware, every step of the process was guided by the principle that heritage is alive, not frozen in time. We added modern touches—solar-powered water heating, discreet plumbing—but only in ways that would let the old building breathe, unaltered. 

A Living Community

What we are most proud of is that Kambones is now full of life again. The old olive press hosts music lessons, small concerts, olive oil tastings, and social gatherings. Our chapel, always open, continues to welcome baptisms, weddings, and private moments of prayer.

We see Kambones not as a private estate but as a shared cultural space, where the rhythms of the past meet the creativity of the present.

Why the European Heritage Award/ Europa Nostra Award Matters

The European Heritage Award/ Europa Nostra Award is given to projects that set an example for how Europe can protect and celebrate its cultural heritage. For Kambones 1615, this recognition feels like a validation of every painstaking choice: to reuse rather than replace, to restore rather than modernise, to share rather than privatise.

The Awards’ Jury wrote:

“Through low-impact interventions and traditional methods, the project achieved modern comfort while contributing to climate resilience. Kambones is a model for sustainable rural conservation in Europe.”

This is exactly what we hoped Kambones could be—a model for how heritage can inspire communities, encourage sustainable tourism, and spark pride in what is local, handmade, and enduring.

A Thank You to Our Community

This award is not ours alone. It belongs to the stonemasons who rebuilt the walls, the elders who shared their memories, the neighbours who taught us old skills, and the many friends who continue to bring music, prayer, and laughter to this place. 

Kambones 1615 is a home, not a monument. The European Heritage Award/ Europa Nostra Award is a reminder that heritage is not just about preserving the past—it’s about building a future that values craftsmanship, community, and care for the land.

Please VOTE for the Public Choice Award 2025 here: https://vote.europanostra.org/ The winner will be announced at the European Heritage Awards Ceremony on 13 October 2025 at Flagey in Brussels. The Awards Ceremony will be livestreamed via www.europanostra.org

To find out more about Kambones 1615, visit www.kambones.com or reach out to sophiaemmanuel@yahoo.gr