The stone in various shapes and colors was never missed in Anafi with the abundant limestone, shale and volcanic rocks. From very early the residents of Anafi caught hold of the hammer, on the one hand because their land was infertile and on the other hand because their sea, wild and inaccessible, was not suitable for naval and other marine professions.
The skillfulness of the residents of Anafi in stone carving was highly recommended throughout Greece from the pre-revolution years. Otto, the first king of the independent modern Greek state, in order to build his palace (the current Greek Parliament), recruited hundreds of Anafi residents. The guild of Anafi’s stone masters settled along with their families in the northern slope of the Acropolis, in today’s picturesque district of Plaka, Anafiotika. They themselves starred in the rebuilding of Athens since 1840 and on.