Four kilometers from the Chora, near the foot of the historical Mt. Exombourgo rock - the site of the ruins of the medieval town of Tinos - is the amphitheatrically built town of Tripotamos, situated between three river-ravines, from which it gained its name. A characteristic of Tripotamos is the architectural configuration of the village in which the cobblestoned lanes, the stone-built arches, the courtyards, passage-ways, staircases and steps are intricately interwoven to create a fortress without ramparts. This architectural organization—which is to be found in almost all the mountain villages of Tinos—historically provided protection and defense to the villagers against pirate raids. It was through Tripotamos that the main stone-paved pathways passed, which in past times connected the Chora with the hinterland.