Alaçatı is a part of İzmir on the Western coast of Turkey, often noted for its architecture, vineyards, windmills, and sea. Alaçatı is one of the most traditional towns in Turkey, with stone houses, narrow streets, boutique hotels and restaurants with tables on the streets. The area is also home to the Alaçatı yacht marina and the famous Port Alaçatı development, created by the French architect Francois Spoerry and his son, Yves Spoerry.
Alaçatı has stone houses with coloured windows and narrow streets with pavements. The centre of Alaçatı has houses from the Ottoman period; the ones that belonged to Ottoman Greeks are distinct, by having an additional enclosed balcony area, alcove window or cumba in Turkish. Typically, enclosed cumba balconies are painted by lilac or pale blue colors. The town was declared as a historical site in 2005; the buildings are well protected. The newly built houses refer to the past architectural principles of the Ottoman houses of the agora of Alaçatı.
Mastic is a natural resin that runs down when a mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus) is cut. Originally mastic is sun-dried into pieces of brittle, resulting in producing translucent resin. When chewed, the resin softens and becomes a bright natural white and opaque gummy substance. The flavour is bitter at first, but after some chewing, it releases a refreshing, Mediterranean-maple-syrup-like flavour, however it has a stickier texture than maple syrup. TEMA, The Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion for Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats, has been leading a project to protect the native mastic trees and to plant new ones in Çeşme peninsula to revive viable commercial production. As part of this project, which is expected to last through 2016, over 3,000 mastic tree saplings were planted between 2008 and October 2011 to over 368 acres (149 hectares) of dedicated farm areas provided by the Izmir Institute of Technology. From a 15-50-year-old mastic tree, 300-350 grams of mastic can be collected a year. Price standardisation of mastic meets 100-120 Euro per kilo. Traditionally, mastic pudding and mastic ice cream would be consumed after dining. Specialities made with mastic are offered in the whole town of Alaçatı, as well as Çeşme. Some popular mastic delicacies of the town follow as mastic Turkish coffee or Turkish coffee served with mastic water, mastic pudding, mastic ice cream, mastic jam, mastic biscuit balls, as well as the savoury meze of mastic artichoke. A local mastic desserts shop Imren has been chosen as the representative of mastic culture in town. Imren has multiplied to four shops due to high demand as the locals prefer to eat at home and have ice cream after dinner. The shop also offers a complimentary book about the history and production of mastic.
Alaçatı is nominated by numerous windsurfing magazines as the best spot for beginners to learn windsurfing due to having a shallow bay that makes beginners to feel safe. Alaçatı bay which is known as one of the world’s leading windsurfing bays with continuous and steady wind throughout the year. Alaçatı also offers good waves for freestyle windsurfers when the wind blows from the south. Alaçatı windsurf schools meet the international standards by offering material for canoeing, kitesurfing, sup and windsurfing. Alaçatı recently has made a name for hosting international windsurfing championships and tournaments and world’s most known windsurfing tournament PWA. PWA racers nicknamed Alaçatı as ‘the Slalom Capital of the world’.
