GREECE IS | CRETE 2019

EXPERIENCE CULTURE, GASTRONOMY & MORE

CRETE

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ISSN: 2529-041X

ISSUE #39 | 2019 EDITION

08 - 26

FIRST LOOK

A photographic introduction to the amazing landscapes and the legendary figures that define this amazing island and its heroic history of resistance and triumph.

30 - 60

IN D E P TH

Crete by bicycle offers insights into the local culture and way of life, including the island’s unique culinary tradition and its epic feasts that go on forever.

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T HE MINOANS

With the Palace of Knossos as our starting point, and stunning archaeological discoveries as our torch, we shed light on Europe’s earliest civilization.

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GAS T RONOMY & T HE GRAND T O UR

From beaches to mountain peaks, Crete is a myriad of destinations and experiences all packed into one great isle.

© GEORGE TATAKIS

WELCOME

A LAND APART This island is so rich and varied that it feels like an entire continent.

BY NATA SH A BL AT SIOU / E DI TOR , GR E E CE I S C R ET E

I sit down for lunch under the shade of a mulberry tree outside Nektarios’ kafeneio (coffee house) on the Askyfou Plateau. There are shepherds at nearby tables having coffee or enjoying raki, the local spirit, and meze after a morning of milking. Nektarios hesitates when I ask for a menu. “Leave it to me,” he says. I don’t love surprises, but Cretan hospitality has its own rules and is, above all, incredibly generous. My table is soon covered in plates: gamopilafo, tsigariasto, Sfakiani pita names unknown even to a Greek like me. A carafe of raki also appears, paid for by one of the other tables - it’s customary for the person who arrived just before you at the kafeneio to treat you to a drink. “Crete is like a continent on its own,” Nektarios says when I ask him about rumors that vendettas, the custom of sasmos (the settlement of disputes by an elder rather than a judge) and a rather gun-friendly mentality are all still prevalent among the mountain folk here. “We’re just different.”

At the crossroads of three continents, and cut off geographically from the rest of Greece, Crete has been a culture apart since the start of recorded history. It was the home of the Minoans, described by the American historian and philosopher Will Durant as the earliest modern Europeans. It has been fought over by a succession of rival powers who left their marks with Roman palaces, Byzantine churches, Venetian walls and Ottoman buildings, not to mention the villages decimated during the

Nazi occupation. New aspects of Cretan history keep coming to light, and new finds, too, such as the impressive Roman-era statues of Artemis and Apollo from the site of ancient Aptera that went on display at the Hania Archaeological Museum just this summer.

This turbulent and violent history has also shaped local temperament: fierce, proud and patriotic, residents of the island introduce themselves first as Cretans and then as Greeks. They also do a lot of things differently than other Greeks. They speak in their own dialect; grow fruit and vegetables not farmed elsewhere in Greece; cook distinctively Cretan dishes; and have their own traditions of music and dance. They even defy the supposedly inherent competitive nature of sports by organizing ski mountaineering races and rock climbing festivals governed by a spirit of communality.

Today, the island welcomes more than 3.5 million visitors a year, and urbanization has radically transformed the Cretans’ lifestyle, testing the durability of local ways and traditions.

Nonetheless, out here under the mulberry tree at this kafeneio, it seems to me that so much about their customs, their culinary heritage and their character has survived, and that’s a victory.

We have dedicated the pages of this magazine to this indomitable Crete, an island so defiantly idiosyncratic and wonderfully diverse that it is, indeed, like a continent of its own.

A wedding in the village of Anogia; social celebrations are part of what keeps these communities so tightly knit.

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www.visitheraklion.eu

CONTENTS G R E E C E I S - I S S U E # 3 9 C R E T E 2 0 19 E D I T I O N

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162 08. AMAZING LANDSCAPES 14. LEGENDS OF CRETE 30. THE BIKE AND THE BEAST Experiencing the magical diversity of Crete on a bicycle.

38. THE JOY OF LIVING The Cretan art of celebration.

48. FABLED TABLES What exactly are the secret ingredients of the world-famous Cretan culinary tradition?

56. SQUEEZING THE OLIVE A new generation of olive oil producers is reshaping age-old traditions for the 21st century.

64. THE BEDROCK OF CIVILIZATION The ancient Minoans were once described as “the first link in the European chain.”

But just who were they?

72. KNOSSOS UNCOVERED Exploring the Palace of Knossos brings both Minoan Crete and the fascinating field of Cretan archaeology into sharper focus.

ISSN: 2529-041X PUBLISHED BY:

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Explore 80. HANIA 48 hours in the city; The last boatbuilder; Sfakia, the land of resistance; The world-famous Samaria Gorge; What to see and do in the region.

112. RETHYMNO 48 hours in the city; The origins of cheesemaking; The champions of mountain tourism; The region’s best experiences.

COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT:

Eva Loudi Tel. (+30) 210.480.8227 Fax (+30) 210.480.8228 E-mail: sales@greece-is.com emporiko@kathimerini.gr PUBLIC RELATIONS:

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144. IRAKLEIO 48 hours in the city; The renaissance of Crete’s ancient wine culture; Aghiofarago, a hidden gem for climbers; The region’s best experiences.

170. LASITHI 24 hours in Aghios Nikolaos; The Lasithi Plateau; The Ha Gorge; What to see and do in the region.

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ON THE COVER: Detail of an oil sketch for a poster by the Greek artist Nikos Engonopoulos (1907-1985). Oil on cardboard, 1949.

PHOTO: DIMITRIS TSOUMPLEKAS

© PERIKLES MERAKOS

L ANDSCAPES

STUNNING SCENERY Some locations resemble the Alps, others the Carribean, and yet they’re all on the same Greek island.

BY NATA SH A BL AT SIOU

MESSARA PLAIN

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© GIANNIS GIANNELOS

BALOS BEACH

LAND AND SEA

On the one hand, Crete is all about hundreds of kilometers of coastline and countless beaches, from secluded beaches to endless stretches of sand. On the other hand, it’s a land of fertile plateaus producing an abundance of products, the most prominent of which is the island’s exceptional olive oil. Isn’t this what you’ve been dreaming of all winter, a dive into crystalline waters followed by a delicious meal with a crisp fresh salad, addictively tasty fried potatoes and vegetables with plenty of olive oil?

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© CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU

GAVDOS ISLAND

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ROCK AND SAND

© FROZEN AMBROSIA

MT PSILORITIS (IDA)

The Cretan landscape is largely one of tall mountains: Mt Dikti in Lasithi, Mt Psiloritis in central Crete, and the Lefka Ori (“White Mountains”) in Hania. During the winter, the barren peaks are covered in snow, and skiers who are seeking alternative sites far from organized skiing centers will find much more than an unspoiled natural landscape. The snow quality is high, the temperatures are mild, and there are sea views to boot. Within easy access of the mountain tops, the island’s coastline offers exciting year-round opportunities for everyone, from solitary kayakers or adventure-seeking hikers to whole families – or just Instagram lovers.

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© PERIKLES MERAKOS

Right: Once you exit the Kourtaliotiko Gorge (the name means “the Rattler”), you can swim at its outlet point, the famous Finikodasos (Palm Tree Forest) of Preveli.

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© NICOLAS ECONOMOU

GORGE-OUS!

From the waterfall of Mastoras (total height: 215m) in the Ha Gorge to the gorge of Arvi (see photo on left) with its cave system that reaches a depth of 150m below the ground to the waterfall of Sifoni, inside a doline-type sinkhole in the gorge of Portela, the wild beauty that can be experienced in this trio of Cretan gorges have led canyoners to rank them among the most beautiful in the world. Yet these gorges feature much more than stunning sights. In the dramatic clefts that cut through the island’s mountain massifs, some of the bloodiest pages in the history of Crete were written.

In the natural shelters created by the island’s mountainous relief, revolutions were planned, fierce battles took place and women and children sought refuge during times of persecution by the enemy.

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HISTORY

LEGENDS Famous figures from Crete whose acclaim has traveled far beyond the borders of the island.

B Y VA S S I L I S M I N A K A K I S

LA PARISIENNE, CA. 1450 BC

Š GETTY IMAGES/IDEAL IMAGE

One of the best-known murals of the Minoan period is known as La Parisienne and depicts a young woman in profile with oversized eyes, full rouged lips, an upturned nose and curly hair. Sir Arthur Evans, who excavated the Palace of Knossos, named the work thus because he thought her characteristics reflected contemporary ideals of female beauty as espoused in the French capital (Archaeological Museum of Heraklion).

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Š GETTY IMAGES/IDEAL IMAGE

HISTORY

DOMENIKOS THEOTOKOPOULOS (1541-1614)

Born in Crete, this painter became better known as El Greco. Theotokopoulos trained as an icon painter in Irakleio before traveling to Venice, and later, in 1577, to Toledo, where he lived and worked until his death. He is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest artists of all time. This work, presumed to be a self-portrait, was painted between 1595 and 1600 (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York).

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© VISUALHELLAS.GR

HISTORY

ARKADI MARTYRS (NOVEMBER 9, 1866)

Among the most important events in the Great Cretan Revolution (1866-1869), the Arkadi Massacre serves as an enduring symbol of heroism and reflects the free and indomitable spirit of Cretans. On this day, Cretans besieged in Arkadi Monastery by Ottoman forces chose to blow themselves up rather than surrender (Giuseppe Lorenzo Gatteri, National Gallery–Alexandros Soutsos Museum).

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© GETTY IMAGES/IDEAL IMAGE

HISTORY

ELEFTHERIOS VENIZELOS (1864-1936)

One of Greece’s most prominent modern statesmen was born in Hania, and grew up to play a leading role in uprisings aimed at achieving Crete’s freedom and its union with Greece (1897, 1905). At the forefront of political life in the early 20th century, Venizelos served as prime minister of Greece a total of seven times. His grave is located in Akrotiri, on a hill overlooking Hania.

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“Τhis is true happiness To have the stars above, the land to your left and the sea to your right”

MHTE 1040Κ015Α0079700

Nikos Kazantzakis

bay@eloundabay.gr www.eloundabay.gr

Sail-in bar

Thalassa restaurant

HISTORY

FREEDOM FIGHTERS (1941)

By May 1941, Nazi forces had occupied much of Europe. Mainland Greece had fallen but Crete was still free when Germany staged an airborne invasion of the island. The Cretan people – men, women and children – fought bravely and inflicted heavy casualties on the elite German paratroopers. For resisting, many civilians were executed but, like these elders in the village of Kondomari, they faced the invader with contempt and death with courage.

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© NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS MUSEUM ARCHIVES

HISTORY

NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS (1883-1957)

Born in Irakleio, this author, translator and journalist was undoubtedly one of Greece’s most famous writers, not only because of his literary output, but also thanks to his personality and his attitude towards life, which was so representative of his birthplace and his countrymen. His epitaph, which he chose, reads “I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free.”

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W I L D B E A U T Y. U N R I VA L E D I S L A N D ST Y L E .

Nestled in a generous terrain of wild beauty, lies Blue Palace Resort & Spa. Here you can unearth iconic Crete, a must-visit place, where you can still sense an older, truer, more timeless Greece.

WWW.BLUEPALACE.GR WWW.BLUEPALACEBEACH.GR

© DIMIS ARGYROPOULOS

HISTORY

NIKOS XILOURIS (1936-1980)

Although the “Archangel of Crete” died nearly four decades ago, his memory is very much alive everywhere on the island. Born in the village of Anogia in the region of Rethymno, Xilouris was a talented musician and one of Crete’s most skilled lyra players. In honoring him, Cretans acknowledge not only the great artist himself, but the vital role of music, dance and the lyra in their everyday lives as well.

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THE REVAMPED CHANIA “IOANNIS DASKALOGIANNIS” AIRPORT

At Chania Airport passengers now enjoy an upgraded travel experience, new services, a hassle free and speedy arrival and departure process. The “Ioannis Daskalogiannis” terminal has been reorganized and now offers comfortable departure areas more gates, expanded security control and a modern baggage handling system.

Foreseeing a new era of growth in the country, Fraport Greece has prepared a comprehensive plan for the modernization and development of all 14 airports, whose management and operation the company recently took over.

The project concerns the operation, management, development and maintenance of 14 regional Greek airports, three of which are on the mainland and the rest of which are on the Greek islands. Some immediate development works for upgrading airport facilities have contributed significantly to improving the overall customer travel experience, while catering for the expected increase in passenger traffic. In the first four years of the

NEW SCREENING AREAS REDUCE PASSENGER WAITING TIMES

40-year concession period, major development works to be implemented include building five new passenger terminals – at the airports in Corfu, Kefalonia, Kos, and Lesvos and Thessaloniki.

Terminal expansions will be completed at Aktion, Mykonos, Samos, Santorini and Skiathos airports, while the Chania, Kavala, Rhodes and Zakynthos airports have already been remodeled.

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TOURING

THE BIKE AND THE BEAST Why hopping on your bike and getting off the beaten track is the best way to experience the true magic and diversity of Crete.

BY A L E X K I NG / P HOTO S A NGE L BA L L E ST E RO S

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TOURING

C

rete is its own beast. Even Greeks can find themselves adrift when they come faceto-face with a new dialect, distinct customs, complex local dances, and the warm, welcoming, yet fiery temperament of the locals. Crete is the land of mythology, the home of the Minotaur; it’s the place where the Minoan civilization emerged and thrived. It’s where seaside caves transfixed alternative travelers like Joni Mitchell in the 1960s, and where village life still revolves around the kafeneio. In fact, it’s so large, diverse and culturally rich that when you try to talk about Crete as a whole, you quickly find yourself surrounded by a labyrinth of contrasts. Crete can all too easily seem overwhelming. Perhaps the best way to grab this mythical beast by the horns is to leave the tourist trail behind, cycle around the island and meet the amazing people that live here.

Our pathfinders on this bicycle adventure were Angel Ballesteros, 34, a Spanish documentary filmmaker based in Athens for the last six years, and Iasonas Stavrakis, 26, a music producer and graphic designer from Athens.

INTO THE UNKNOWN After rolling off the ferry from Athens, the pair completed some last-minute planning before warming up their legs with a cycle around Hania’s ancient sites and its old harbor, a Mediterranean patchwork shaped by centuries of Venetian and Ottoman rule, watched over by the Yali Tzamisi (“Mosque by the Sea”).

The western gateway to Crete, Hania is one of Europe’s most picturesque port cities, and can beguile visitors for days, but Angel and Iasonas were keen to start eating into the 58 kilometers of coastline that separated them from Rethymno to the east. Avoiding the heavy traffic along

Previous page, clockwise: Iasonas leaving Lentas; Outside Hora Sfakion; Cacti near Irakleio. This page: Sheep near Aghios Nikolaos; Beach at Myrtos; Family in Epano Episkopi; Road sign in Aghios Nikolaos.

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TOURING

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TOURING

Shaping homemade bread in Epano Episkopi; A local woman from Tertsa

the E75 highway, they took the old road, which follows a quieter if more winding and hillier route, with more frequent opportunities for stops.

The Venetian town of Rethymno buzzes with youthful energy as Greek students and their counterparts from across Europe on Erasmus exchanges keep the city’s bars heaving with vibrant nightlife until all hours. However, Angel and Iasonas chose not to spend all night drinking with the bright young things of Rethymno. Instead, they bivouacked (a legal alternative to free camping, which is illegal across Greece, bivouacking precludes erecting a structure such as a tent) on a beach just outside of town and were rewarded with a majestic sunrise over the sea the next morning.

The second day took them all the way to Irakleio, an 86km ride. The route conditions presented more of a challenge, with 1180m of climbing and zig-zag switchbacks that seemed to go on forever. Together with the ancient ruins of the Knossos and Phaistos Minoan palaces, Irakleio’s biggest draw is the Archaeological Museum, a masterful presentation of the art and remains of the Minoan civilization, which flourished from c. 2700 to c. 1450 BC. Many creative people here introduce themselves as “contemporary Minoans” and see their Cretan heritage as a primary inspiration in their work.

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THE CYCLES OF TIME Crete is a time machine. Ancient ruins can transport you back to civilizations from millennia ago, or you can climb to one of the remote villages high in the mountains, where day-to-day life has changed very little in the last few centuries. These isolated hillside villages are places where the reassuring rhythm of the seasons still guides traditions, feasts and festivals, and where sharing what you have with strangers – whether it be water, fruit, olive oil or bike tools – is an inviolable part of the code of hospitality.

One such place is Epano Episkopi, the ancestral home of one of Angel and Iasonas’ friends from Athens. You won’t find this village in the tourist guides; it’s a window into the authentic lifestyle of Cretan villagers. To reach the village, our cyclists had to cross one of the most challenging mountain sections of the

entire trip, as they traveled from Aghios Nikolaos, the regional capital they visited after Irakleio.

After four nights of sleeping on beaches alongside the road, both appreciated the chance for a night in a real bed. But they didn’t have long to relax, as they were up at dawn the next day to help make paximadia – a hard bread and a staple of Cretan cuisine – with the elders of the village. The soft loaves were placed in two lines on a long plank of wood, then thrust into an enormous, traditional wood-burning stone oven. At around midday, people from the village gathered around for the finished product, which they enjoyed warm from the oven with plenty of raki, the ubiquitous Cretan spirit.

Angel and Iasonas timed their stay in Epano Episkopi to coincide with August 15 – the Dormition of the Virgin Mary

THESE ISOLATED HILLSIDE VILLAGES ARE PLACES WHERE SHARING WHAT YOU HAVE WITH STRANGERS IS AN INVIOLABLE PART OF THE CODE OF HOSPITALITY.

.

. .

AVRA IMPERIAL HOTEL AVRA CITY HOTEL AVRA APARTMENTS Chania, Crete, Greece info@avracollection.gr www.avracollection.gr

.

TOURING

A sticker on Angel’s bicycle frame.

The south, however, is much wilder, with very basic tourist services that appeal more to independent travelers and campers. The busy tarmac roads of the north were replaced here with mostly unpaved, quiet thoroughfares, although the few cars that did pass were driven erratically by hot-headed Cretans, sending pebbles flying and raising dust clouds.

and Greece’s biggest Orthodox summer celebration. As evening fell, they took boxes of paximadia and set off for the nearest panigyri, or festival, in the village of Maronia, where people flocked from the surrounding hills to dance long into the night, among tables laden with meat from spit-roasted pigs and goats, as well as other local specialties.

This being Crete, the raki flowed freely and the traditional lyra, with its throaty, atmospheric sound, was the master of ceremonies, with dancers linking arms and moving in hypnotic spirals until the early hours. Angel won five kilos of sea salt in the raffle. “Everyone was dancing and eating with everyone else,” he

AS THEIR EYES ADJUSTED TO THE NIGHT SKY, MORE AND MORE STARS CAME INTO VIEW, UNTIL THE ENTIRE SKY WAS A DAZZLING ARRAY OF TINY SPECKS OF LIGHT.

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remembers. “Teenagers were dancing with their grandparents, and strangers were dancing together, too. This is what I love about the panigyri, how it unites everyone, even the tourists who, on this night, aren’t seen as tourists at all.”

On the road the next day, their eyes were blurry and their legs were heavy, but their souls were light. After reaching Crete’s eastern tip at Paleokastro, they explored the caves and beaches around Xerokambos. Riding through the night, they leaned their heavily laden bicycles against the rocks on an isolated beach near Tertsa. Lying flat on the ground, they looked up into the sky. Far from the lights of the major cities and resorts, the night was profoundly dark. As their eyes adjusted to the night sky, more and more stars came into view, until the entire sky was a dazzling array of tiny specks of light – and the odd shooting star. Here was more proof that, on Crete, the further you get from the crowds, the more you see.

Contrasts with the north grew sharper as they headed deeper into the south of the island, towards Myrtos, Tris Ekklisies and Lentas. The northern coast is highly developed; it’s where most of the island’s multibillion-euro tourism industry is concentrated, home to everything from all-inclusive resorts for the masses to Crete’s own version of the French Riviera, the Elounda Coast, with its world-class, ultra-luxurious spa resorts.

THE FINAL SHOWDOWN After sleeping on the beach near spectacular Agiofarago Gorge, Angel and Iasonas embarked on the long and hard journey back to Hania. “I was absolutely exhausted when we got back to Hania, but thrilled, too.” Iasonas remembers. “The cities are all special in their own way, but the countryside is even more diverse; you see olive, palm and even banana trees. Some mountains are forested, while others are so dry they’re as bare as the surface of Mars.” However, although the landscape and terrain may have varied, the open nature of the people never wavered. “The villages by the sea have a totally different atmosphere to those in the mountains,” Iasonas says.

“But every person we told we were cycling around Crete wanted to help us.”

Over two weeks (with nine days’ cycling), Angel and Iasonas rode through all of Crete’s four regional units. They sweated in the sunbaked scenery, swam on isolated beaches, gazed at distant stars, and drank and danced with people from tight-knit traditional societies. Pumping out a fierce rhythm on the pedals, they rode nearly 1000 kilometers through this labyrinth of contrasts and contradictions, all the while circling the savage Minotaur at its center. At times, the labyrinth (or should that be the crazy Cretan drivers?) nearly defeated them. But finding the strength to keep pushing forward, our heroes – just like Theseus, the Athenian adventurer – looked deep into the beast’s piercing eyes and triumphed over the wild and mythical creature that is Crete.

CUSTOMS

THE JOY OF LIVING On Crete, there’s an art to celebrating that’s rooted not only in the traditions of the past but also in a timeless appreciation of joy that forms part of the eternal Cretan soul.

BY N I KOS P SI L A K I S

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© CHRISTOS MANIOROS

© DIMITRIS CHARISSIADIS/BENAKI MUSEUM PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVES

CUSTOMS

“THEY’D PLACE TWO LYRA PLAYERS IN THE MIDDLE OF A SPACE, GATHER AROUND THEM, AND THE DANCING WOULD BEGIN. STARTING THE PARTY WAS EASY; ENDING IT WAS THE HARD PART.”

Wedding at Anogia, circa 1954. Guests display an enthusiasm characteristic of Cretan dance.

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and the multi-instrumentalist and composer Stelios Foustalieris, from Rethymno – who spoke to me in the mid-1980s are especially memorable. Both died a few years later.

Iraklis Stavroulakis: “Back in the day, people would look for any excuse for a party – on the feast days of small churches, at the kafeneio (coffee house), at people’s houses, anywhere. There was no electricity, of course. They’d place two lyra players on two chairs in the middle of a space, gather around them, and the dancing would begin. Starting the party was easy; ending it was the hard part…”

Stelios Foustalieris: “Glendia used to go on for days everywhere, but in Sfakia they really seemed endless. They could go on day and night for as long as a fortnight. Our fingers would swell up, our nails would tear, our hands would be bloody. But we played. I fell asleep a few times while playing my boulgari and the lyra player beside me would give me a nudge to wake me up. It was an unwritten rule that the party should never stop. By the end, I’d have blisters and welts under my arms…”

These things don’t happen anymore, but they are indicative of just how important the glendi – a word which describes

CRETAN DRESS • vrah-kah: Pantaloons introduced by pirates, made of dark blue felt-like fabric.

• kah-poh-to: A short, ornately embroidered cape with a hood, worn loosely over the shoulders.

•

poo-kah-mee-so:

A shirt, white for weddings and other festive occasions and black when the wearer is in mourning.

• my-ee-dha-knee: A short, red-lined felt jacket with tight sleeves worn on top of the shirt.

• yea-leh-key: A sleeveless vest that fastens in the front.

•

zoh-knee: A belt made of fine wool or pure silk, with a length of approx.

8m and a width of 50cm.

•

sah-ree-key: A black silk headscarf with a thick, tasseled fringe (which is said to symbolize the tears of the once enslaved Cretan people).

•

ah-see-mow-mah-hair-row:

A dagger, the only one in the world with a V-shaped hilt, with a sharply pointed steel blade.

•

kah-dhe-nah: A man’s necklace, the only piece of jewelry in the traditional male costume, often attached to a pocket watch.

•

stee-vah-nya:

Knee-high leather boots

ILLUSTRATION: ANNA TZORTZI

L

et’s go back in time a bit – to Crete in 1930 – to a village in the Sfakia highlands in the northwest of the island.

There’s been a wedding and the party (the glendi or glendia in the plural) is in full swing and shows no sign of winding down, as the hours turn into days. Two bleary-eyed musicians struggle to stay awake and yet continue to play: for two days, three days , four days... a week.

A few people are dancing, some are singing, others are pouring out wine and passing around platters of roasted goat. Further away, others still are getting a spot of sleep; soon they will wake up to do it all again. This is what a Cretan village looks like in festive mode.

I was fortunate enough to meet almost all of the leading protagonists of Crete’s legendary glendia, those musicians who left such an indelible mark on the island’s heritage of music and dance. The words of two very prominent musicians – Iraklis Stavroulakis, an incredible fiddle player from the village of Episkopi in Irakleio,

© THALIA GALANOPOULOU

CUSTOMS

THE ISLAND’S TRADITIONAL DANCES CONTINUE TO CONSTITUTE A COLORFUL MOSAIC THAT LACKS NOTHING OF THE FORCE, PASSION AND JOIE DE VIVRE OF YESTERYEAR.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS • lee-rah (Lyra): this is a threestringed pear-shaped instrument, of which there are three types (distinguished by shape, sound and use).

• lah-oo-toe (Cretan lute): it accompanies the lyre in rhythm and harmony, though it’s often used as a solo instrument as well.

• man-doh-lee-no (Mandolin): this is an instrument with European roots that’s mainly played solo.

vee-oh-lee (Fiddle): a traditional folk instrument in Crete, the fiddle helped shape much of the island’s music.

•

• as-koh-ban-doo-rah (Cretan bagpipes): important in setting the mood for dancing, this instrument is made from the entire skin of a small goat, and has wooden components as well.

dah-oo-lie-key (Small drum): it’s played with two drumsticks and always accompanied by at least one melodic instrument, such as the Cretan bagpipes, lyra or fiddle.

ILLUSTRATION: ANNA TZORTZI

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• bool-gah-ree (Long-necked lute): the bass chord of this three-stringed lute delivers a distinctive sound.

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sfee-roh-hah-bee-oh-lo

(Cane flute): this flute is usually carved from one length of cane; it delivers a different tonality depending on its length and its internal diameter.

From left to right: Kanakis Kozonakis, Cretan lute; Antonis Martsakis, fiddle; Nikos Marentakis, Cretan lute; Charalambos Pitropakis, small drum.

both an event and a state of mind – is to the Cretans. We have ancient references to men dancing in full battle gear and accounts of such festivities taking place even in tough times like the Nazi occupation, of dancing that expressed the brutality of war together with the tenderness of love.

The Cretan glendi is linked to the past, but it’s also all about having joy in the present. This is why some of the most iconic dances performed on these occasions evoke such passion and intensity – dances like the pentozali or the maleviziotis, also known as the pidichtos in some parts of the island. Even now, when dance schools have, to a large extent, become the guardians of Crete’s heritage, imposing a uniformity on these arts that is not part of their natural character, the island’s traditional dances continue to constitute a colorful mosaic that lacks nothing of the force, passion and joie de vivre of yesteryear. The pentozali, one of the most popular and also most dynamic of the dances, is said to stem from the ancient Greek Pyrrhic War dance. Another dance that also appears to have the same origins is the sousta, the intensity

and rhythm of which evokes something almost erotic that speaks ti the dominant role of women in Cretan customs.

If you’re very lucky, you might find yourself at a genuine village party, one that doesn’t have microphones, hasn’t been organized, and doesn’t feature formal dance moves like those we see at tourist events. All you need is two or more musicians to start off the singing with a mantinada, a native form of poetry consisting of short verses with rhyming couplets that tell a full story. Everyone sings, not just the musicians. Every so often, a mantinada may evoke a response from another reveler, sparking a “conversation” in sung verse. And, of course, someone is almost certain to get on their feet and dance.

The people of western Crete have their own kind of glendi and often don’t even need a musician to get things going. It usually starts at a long table, laden with meats, cheeses, breads and pies, where a gathering of friends will drink and talk, inspiring a guest to start singing, usually in thanks to the host and hostess: “I revel in your valued company / worthy and wise…” sings one member of the party, as others repeat the verse and answer with a second. These non-rhyming songs are called rizitika and are deeply rooted in the Cretan soul, dating back to Byzantine times. They may inspire

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Regardless of whether the celebration is religious or secular, food always plays a major role.

Traditional specialities being served at a prewedding gathering in Anogia, attended by the entire village.

dancing or they may not. The people here have their own type of glendi which may go beyond just singing and dancing.

It’s basically about camaraderie, about the sentiment it evokes. “I felt such a frisson, I got up on my own and started to dance,” says my friend Eftychis of one of his experiences; today he’s a member of a group that is dedicated to preserving the authenticity of the rizitika.

While it’s rare in this day and age to find these more spontaneous celebrations, it’s certainly worth trying to attend an organized Cretan glendi, whether in the square of some remote village, at an event organized by a cultural association or, better yet, at a panigiri (usually a celebration of a church’s or village’s patron saint). At these gatherings, the glendi is an element of the local identity, with older residents passing the torch onto

the young. The village ovens are put to work days ahead, as every Cretan glendi is also about flavors and aromas – a feast of local culinary delights, which often involves villagers bringing huge pots and trays of food that they have cooked at home to the main square to share with everyone else.

I once found myself in a village in Sitia, to the east, called Tourtouli (or Aghios Georgios), in the company of good friends who hailed from these parts. The square filled up within minutes as locals came out to greet them. Then all these platters started to come out of people’s homes, laden with all sorts of treats that included the family’s food for the day and pies that had made for the occasion. A lyra started to play and the musicians started to sing. The people in the square joined in with mantinades, either “gno-

THE SQUARE FILLED UP WITHIN MINUTES AND ALL THESE PLATTERS STARTED TO COME OUT OF PEOPLE’S HOMES, LADEN WITH ALL SORTS OF TREATS.

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mikes,” meaning they imparted a piece of wisdom, or “erotikes,” romantic verses, songs full of feeling. It was then that I realized that these people weren’t just singing for the sake of their friends; they were filling their own souls with music.

The party went on into the small hours, even though it was August and the villagers had to be in their vineyards very early to harvest the grapes.

I had a similar experience earlier this year in the town of Sitia, where I’d been invited to speak about my new book. My friends had booked an entire taverna for the after-party. The strum of a single lute was enough to get things going! And so many mantinades! Everyone sang, as though passing the baton from one to another. In the middle was an amazing poet called Manolis Miaoudakis, who had been asked to read his latest satirical poem. Within minutes, the eroticism of a mantinada had given way to Aristophanic proclamation. How we laughed!

We laughed non-stop. The wine flowed non-stop, too, courtesy of a winemaker friend who had bottled some specially for the occasion, with labels reading that the wine was not for sale, and was only to be given as a gift. I’ve kept one of those bottles as a memento.

It really doesn’t take much to get a

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In Crete, celebrations can start spontaneously, such as this impromptu roadside party set up by these musicians.

Cretan glendi going. A visit from a good group of friends, a name day or the return of a relative from distant parts are the most frequent excuses for smaller-scale family parties, while weddings, engagements, baptisms and other important social occasions usually call for bigger, more organized festivities.

The church festivals (panigiria in the plural) are special occasions, and something that those who have moved away from their villages really miss. Local religious celebrations often end up in a glendi and, in older days, several parties would be set up in every village during the panigiri as all the eateries would invite groups of musicians to perform. Today, gatherings like these are organized by local cultural societies as well, and are no longer limited to events on the Greek Orthodox calendar. Some are organized to promote a local product or custom, or some other element of the area’s identity, so we have multiple festivals throughout the year: for snails, for shepherds, for cheese and for potatoes, for example.

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myself in Kastamonitsa, a village 40 kilometers from Irakleio, for the Eftazymo Festival. Eftazymo (derived from aftozymo, or “self-rising”) is the area’s traditional bread and the ovens in the village had been turning out hundreds of loaves of the stuff for days; some were being given out to guests, others were for sale. Decked out in all its finery, the village looked like a museum of traditional crafts, as the local women had lined the streets with beautiful rugs and fabrics they had woven or embroidered by hand.

The “glendi” started in the schoolyard as soon as the sun went down, but this venue was just too small to accommodate the thousands of locals and foreign guests who’d come to join in.

On the rare occasions when social events others might consider private, such as wedding or baptism feasts, are held in the village square, outsiders are always welcome. No one is allowed to

pass by without being treated to a plate of food and a drink. It is, to me, evidence of the innate Cretan sense of hospitality.

It’s also quite common to see locals dragging some foreign visitor along to teach them the steps of a dance. This kind of public, grassroots party has, unfortunately, almost disappeared, as such celebrations have been moved into huge events venues that have appeared all over the island. Today, these are often where weddings and baptisms are held. They can accommodate hundreds of people and may even have a chapel on the grounds for the religious component of the event.

Other changes have also had an immense impact on the character of the glendi. It has, for one thing, largely lost its polyphony, as now only the musicians sing, and they use modern electrical equipment set at such volumes as to be jarring. Nonetheless, the three-stringed Cretan lyra is still the star instrument, though the fiddle is more prevalent in some parts, like eastern rural areas for example, with the lute and mandolin treated as backing instruments and the askomantoura (called the tsambouna or askavlos in ancient times), a bagpipe made from a goat’s skin, adding its own special note to the island’s musical heritage.

In many cases, the glendi may have lost certain elements of authenticity. At times, it may appear to be a hollow reconstruction of older customs, or overly influenced by modern urban-style festivities, but it is still a fundamental expression of the traditional communities and the way of life of Crete. It gives deeper meaning to notions of tradition and harkens back to the roots of a culture which has suffered war and occupation, but which never once stopped celebrating the joy of life.

OUTSIDERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME. NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO PASS BY WITHOUT BEING TREATED TO A PLATE OF FOOD AND A DRINK.

A table full of delights at the Manousakis Winery.

FABLED TABLES FOOD

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It’s said, and rightly so, that Crete’s greatest treasure is its cuisine. But what exactly are the secret ingredients of this world-famous culinary tradition?

BY N I KOS P SI L A K I S

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he Cretan dietary archetype is known today all across the world. Scores of medical studies have found it to be of significant benefit to human health, while dishes inspired by the island’s traditional cuisine are served in many cosmopolitan restaurants in big European and American cities. And yet, it seems that contemporary Cretans took some time to discover its value for themselves.

It was associated with the frugality of agricultural life and with the privations that accompanied Cretan society for many centuries, and were due, primarily, to the complex paths of history, to wars and to the consecutive conquests by foreign powers. Strange as it may seem, Cretan cuisine only began to be talked about seriously in the early 1990s, when the results of those medical studies started to become more widely known.

Today’s 60-year-olds grew up eating plenty of greens and vegetables, a lot of pulses and very little meat (only on Sundays and major holidays). This was how the island’s diet was described by the American researchers at the Rockefeller Foundation, who compiled a ground-breaking study on the island’s society and economy shortly after World War II. This was followed by the seminal Seven Countries Study, the brainchild

CRETAN CUISINE ONLY BEGAN TO BE TALKED ABOUT SERIOUSLY IN THE NINETIES WHEN THE RESULTS OF THE MEDICAL STUDIES STARTED TO BECOME AVAILABLE AND MORE WIDELY KNOWN.

01. Cretan olive oil is added to nearly everything, from salads to stews.

02. In Cretan coffee houses, the local spirit raki is often served with olives, cheese, tomatoes and a bean dish, as in this picture, taken in the village of Mesa Lasithi.

03. Food, like good company, improves every occasion.

04. Typical fillings for savory Cretan pies include greens and different kinds of cheeses.

of another American, Professor Ancel Keys. It is largely to him that the Cretan diet owes its international fame.

The island’s inhabitants relied on their land for nearly everything they ate, and food did not come in great abundance – yet they lacked nothing. They were the healthiest of all the population groups in Keys’ study. (Several newer studies, as well as statistical data from international organizations, have confirmed Keys’ findings.) Cardiovascular diseases were almost unknown and cancer was even more scarce. The island’s local population, consisting mostly of poor farmers, lived their days happily in a beautiful natural environment; they worked their fields and enjoyed delicious fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as a small glass or two of wine with each meal.

Field studies for the Seven Countries Study began in 1958. Researchers studied population groups from two Greek regions, Crete and Corfu, and from Yugoslavia, Italy, Holland, Finland, Japan and the US. People selected ranged from 40 to 60 years old. Approximately 30 years later, in 1990, nearly all the participants from the other groups had passed away.

On Crete, more than half were still alive.

In 2004, 154 people from the original group of 620 were still alive, according to the Medical School of the University of Crete, which in 1990 took over observing these people. Newer data hasn’t been published. Who knows, some could be centenarians, and still with us. © GEORGE DRAKOPOULOS

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03 © BASTIAN PARSCHAU

01 © BASTIAN PARSCHAU

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CRETAN OR MEDITERRANEAN DIET? Cretans sometimes get upset if someone today speaks to them about the “Mediterranean” diet. The term, a construct devised by scientists, does essentially describe the Cretan food regimen in the 1960s, but academics, researchers and local community representatives on the island believe that the term is too generic and does not accurately express important distinctive features unique to Crete. Only one term is acceptable here: the Cretan diet. They do, of course, acknowledge that every Mediterranean country has developed its own distinctive diet with several shared elements between them; the differences, however, aren’t negligible. A particular people’s diet isn’t only the result of what is produced locally. It is also shaped by socioeconomic conditions, cultural idiosyncrasies, historical background and, also, in a significant way, religion. On Crete, those who follow Orthodox dietary rules don’t consume animal products for more than a third of the year!

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Many ask what the much-vaunted Cretan dietary prototype really is. The answer is simple: it’s the diet of the island’s poorer farmers, of those who lived in mostly rural areas until the late 1970s. At that point, they began to be influenced by the modern way of life, to consume more and more meat, and to use processed foods and more sugar in their cooking.

THE SECRETS OF CRETE One might well ask how such a notable culinary tradition could have evolved in a place where the diet of those who lived there depended almost exclusively on local agricultural production. The underlying principle behind this entire culture, behind the techniques and the different ways of food preparation, is necessity: different flavors – that is to say, different dishes – had to be created from the same ingredients. There were wild greens at lunchtime and wild greens in the evening, and yet on the Cretan family table there was always a real wealthof diversity. In the book “Cretan Cooking,” for instance, which I wrote with my

Seasonality reigns supreme in Cretan kitchens; here, Eleni Palopetraki prepares stuffed zucchini flowers in Roustika.

wife, we record more than 40 ways of cooking snails; snails are to be found in great abundance on the island, and have always constituted a favorite food for locals. There are dozens of culinary processes for wild greens, for vegetables and pulses, devised to make the most of all the different treasures that nature could offer. The famous Cretan wild green pies, for example, are prepared using multiple combinations of wild greens, depending on the season and the local flora, so that the result smells wonderful. If one were to ask a local how many different types of wild greens she needed to make a pie, she would probably laugh and answer: “As many as nature can provide.“ Yet not all will do. Those that have a powerful scent will be used in moderation, and those that have a bitter taste will never be used in a pie, where sweet, mild-tasting wild greens dominate; it is from these

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WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, THE TRADITIONAL DIET OF THE CRETANS IS THEIR TRUE WEALTH, AND IT IS BOTH MATERIAL AND IMMATERIAL. .

Seasonal greens, both wild and cultivated, are vital to the Cretan cuisine.

sweeter greens that the harmony of a simple yet ever so important and prized dish will emerge. The bitter-tasting wild greens are, of course, highly sought after on Crete as well, but for different dishes.

Wild greens constitute perhaps the greatest asset in Cretan cuisine. No one knows exactly how many different species of plants are used for human consumption, but more than 120 have been identified. They grow everywhere, from coastal zones to high mountain regions.

One of the great advantages of Cretan cuisine is its simplicity, the purity of its flavors. Spices and aromatics are used very sparingly and heavy cream almost never, so that each ingredient can maintain its distinctiveness.

The most common ways of preparing meat and fish on the island furnish prime examples of how to make the best use of natural resources. They are often combined with wild greens or pulses. The traditional Easter dish of the Cretans, for instance, used to be lamb or kid goat served with artichokes, or sometimes with lettuce, chicory or other spring greens. Beef, on the other hand, is very rarely used. On Crete, most meat dishes are made using goat or sheep (which still graze freely on the island’s mountains), or poultry, rabbits and, mainly at Christmas, some pork.

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EXCLUSIVELY OLIVE OIL! If the first three great secrets of Cretan gastronomy are the harmonious blend of produce used, the simplicity of the finest dishes and the ingenuity of the local people, the other great secret goes by the name of virgin olive oil: no other cooking fat is used in the traditional diet of the Cretans. Even their desserts are usually prepared with olive oil, rather than with butter. What’s more, the entire island is effectively a vast olive grove, with 30-40 million trees. According to official international statistical data, each Cretan consumes more than 35 liters of olive oil annually – more than any other population group. In Italy and Spain, the other main olive oil-producing Mediterranean countries, the average is just 10.5 liters! For visitors today, the exploration of the island’s local cuisine is an additional journey of discovery and a significant culinary experience. Unfortunately, it is not always readily available, and one needs to search in order to discover the island’s authentic flavors. There are certified restaurants that make a concerted effort, but these are few in number. In most cases, what are called “Cretan” dishes are simply inspired by traditional cooking. Thankfully, the drive to make the best use of the local gastronomy has

been making major strides over the past few years. Several small hotels, tavernas, restaurants and cafés have set examples for others to follow. An important role is also being played by a number of local cultural associations which, since the mid-1990s, have been organizing yearly festivals, mostly in the summer, in some of the villages. At these festivals, the women of each village cook together and offer tasting sessions featuring the local dishes. These festivals, however, are not enough to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for the authentic island cuisine.

THE GREATEST RICHES There’s a saying in this corner of the world: if you own a fine field, make sure to keep both cows and… Cretans out of it. This bit of folk wisdom may in fact point out the philosophy that evolved on the island regarding dietary habits.

The everyday experience of the Cretans over many centuries gave rise to a culinary tradition that insisted they make the most of the resources of the land.

When all is said and done, the traditional diet of the Cretans is their true wealth, and it is both material and immaterial.

It’s material in the sense that it has to do with food, a real thing that you can taste, touch and smell, but it’s immaterial, too, since it carries the weight of a long historical trajectory, the experiences of the human journey on this island.

In Crete, most olives are still harvested by hand and gathered in large nets beneath the trees.

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SQUEEZING THE OLIVE

A new generation is reshaping age-old traditions for the 21st century.

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he island of Crete is a vast, diverse paradise for olive oil lovers. Rolling hills, valleys and plains are covered with olive trees, whose silvery green leaves shimmer in the sun and dance in the wind in landscapes dominated by steep mountains, dramatic gorges, and views of the deep blue Aegean Sea. In the winter, many of the olive groves are blanketed with wood sorrel. Even before spring starts, dozens of species of yellow, pink and white wildflowers appear. In autumn, the changing foliage of deciduous trees contrasts with evergreen olive leaves as harvest nets carpet the ground.

Approximately 30 million olive trees cover one-fifth to one-quarter of the island; 55 to 65 percent of the cultivated land on Crete is dedicated to olive groves. Most of them produce small, hardy Koroneiki olives, although many Tsounati olive trees grow at higher elevations. On average, Crete produces one-third of the annual olive oil yield of Greece, itself the third-largest producer of olive oil in the world.

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THROUGH THE AGES Archaeologists tell us traces of food from a bowl found in Rethymno show that Cretans were using olive oil as early as 4500 BC, starting with oil from wild olive trees. Systematic olive tree cultivation seems to have begun around the 3rd millennium BC, in the early Minoan period. Cretans may have been the first in the world to cultivate olive trees and to create written records and artwork about olive trees and olive oil.

The island’s mild climate and dry, sunny summers enabled continuous olive cultivation over the centuries. Olive oil was used as food, medicine, a preservative, lamp fuel, body rub, lubricant and perfume, as well as in religious ceremonies and in the care of the dead. Many of those uses continue to this day.

Olive oil exports flourished under Venetian dominion in the 17th century, and olive oil was particularly crucial to the Cretan diet during the difficult years of Ottoman rule (17th to 19th centuries), and during World War II.

The sculptural nature of Crete’s ancient olive trees makes them eminently photogenic.

THE CENTER OF CRETAN LIFE Today, as Alkiviadis Kalabokis, president of the Exporters’ Association of Crete, confirms, “Olive oil and its exports have a very important role in Crete’s economy.” In 2018, olive oil exports brought Crete €154 million – 35.4 percent of Cretan export income.

Elidia Olive Oil’s Dimitris Chondrakis considers olive oil both the “backbone of the rural economy in our region, and the most important ingredient in Cretan cuisine.” He likens it to salt and pepper, as “it’s found in any dish, regardless of whether you’re frying, stewing or baking.” Emmanouil Karpadakis, export manager at Terra Creta and vice president of the Exporters’ Association of Crete, believes “the olive oil culture of the island is stronger than in any other producing area in the world,” which is not surprising, since extra virgin olive oil

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(EVOO) “consumption is the highest in the world.” Estimates of Cretans’ current annual use of olive oil range from 28kg to 34kg per person.

Regional Governor of Crete Stavros Arnaoutakis points out that the traditional Cretan diet, centered around Cretan olive oil, “is a social practice, a set of skills, knowledge, practices and traditions that are transmitted from generation to generation, remaining closely related to the history, culture and customs of the island.” For many families, this includes cultivating and harvesting their own olives for their annual supply of olive oil; surplus oil may be sold. Karpadakis believes olive oil production is “important for each family, not only for their income, but for their way of life.”

A NEW GENERATION This way of life seems likely to continue, thanks to the involvement of the island’s youth in ventures based largely around small family farms. Karpadakis contends that young people’s involvement in olive oil production is crucial,

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because it brings “a new dynamism” to the sector, which “makes it easier to improve the quality. We need fresh minds.”

Those fresh minds sometimes turn to olive oil after studying something completely different. For instance, Chloe Dimitriadis earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at McGill University in Montreal. Then, in a reversal of the brain drain among Greece’s talented youth during the economic crisis, she returned to her family’s business, Biolea Astrikas Estate, in northwestern Crete.

There, the Dimitriadis family’s updated versions of a traditional stone mill and hydraulic press occupy an unassuming building overlooking their olive groves, which slope down towards dramatic cliffs, rocky hills and the distant sea. Biolea is an unusual example of the agritourism destinations in Crete where visitors can learn how olive oil is made – and taste the result.

Shadowing her father to learn about the olive oil business, Chloe came to share his dedication to sustainable, artisanal organic production of high-quality

01. Christina Chrisoula examines one of the olive trees that provides fruit for Taxidi olive oil.

02. Pamako has been one of the the top Greek award winners at international competitions in 2019.

bottled and branded extra virgin olive oil. Her mother reported that Chloe wore “every hat there is around here,” from harvesting olives with handheld rake-like implements to being “up to her armpits in olive paste.” Full of new ideas for “innovation through tradition,” Chloe eventually took over Biolea. She came to see that, “in Crete, young people have opportunities to use the agricultural wealth to their advantage, if they really want to.”

Some really want to – in one case, enough to learn Spanish in order to attend an expert-level university course focused on sensory analysis of olive oil.

Eirini Kokolaki completed this intensive three-month course at the University of Jaen, Spain. Now a consultant, seminar and tasting panel leader, international C R E T E 2 019

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Cretan olive oil is bottled on the island for export throughout the world.

Olive trees cover much of the island, from mountain foothills to seaside areas.

olive oil competition judge and president of the new Elia Quality Group, she aims to “promote the high quality and culture of virgin olive oil.”

Kokolaki had originally left her family’s Cretan olive groves to study French literature, but she turned back to olive oil to help support both her own family’s O-Olive business and other olive oil professionals and consumers. Kokolaki now applies what she has learned, improving cultivation and production processes, leading tasting seminars and helping with her family’s harvest in the southernmost olive growing region in Europe, the Messara Valley in south-central Crete.

Over in Zakros, on the eastern edge of the island, translator Christina Chrisoula and her brother Antonis, a therapist, also headed back to the land. They are managing their family olive groves and embarking on a new personal and professional odyssey, reflected in the brand name of their olive oil, Taxidi, the Greek word for “journey.” This new effort affirms Chrisoula’s strong interest in agroecology and her love of nature. Much like Dimitriadis, Chrisoula believes “the olive oil sector in Greece can bring together a whole spectrum of activities, including sustainable agriculture, gastronomy, tourism and artisanal production.”

THE HEALTHIEST FAT IN THE WORLD Terra Creta’s Karpadakis points out that it’s important for Cretans to educate visitors about olive oil and its health benefits through activities such as olive oil tasting sessions and production facility tours, “because a good EVOO may be the healthiest fat in the world today.”

Increasing numbers of scientists agree with ancient and modern Greeks that olive oil’s health benefits are wide-ranging and significant, especially in the case of EVOO, the tastiest and healthiest grade of oil, which Cretans estimate comprises about 90 percent of the olive oil produced on the island in a good year. The many benefits of EVOO – especially the kinds highest in polyphenols, which are antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidants – include helping decrease the risk of strokes, heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

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THE FUTURE Former translator Chrisoula says her foreign language skills have given her access to foreign methods and ideas, enabled her to communicate with tourists and helped “build a whole mindset of openness to the new, to the different, something we need in Greece regarding

our olive oil.” Shaped by individual study, seminars, international influences and competitions, such new perspectives are beginning to push the Cretan olive oil sector towards a greater focus on high-quality, extra-healthy bottled and branded products. Even when families sell their olives to established Greek companies for bottling rather than creating their own brands, this helps reduce bulk exports to Italy, where Cretan olive oil is blended with other oils, its unique flavor lost in the mix, and its added value denied to the island.

“Crete has great potential in the olive oil sector,” says Karpadakis, “because of the land, the climate and the heritage, which have yielded fantastic EVOO products for the global market” – as many awards in international competitions confirm. As Governor Arnaoutakis declared at the Cretan Olive Oil Competition, which encourages excellence among the island’s producers, “The gold [i.e. the olive oil] of the Cretan land must continue the upward course of recent years.”

For more about olive oil in Crete and Greece, plus some agritourism and culinary tourism suggestions, see the Greek Liquid Gold: Authentic Extra Virgin Olive Oil website (greekliquidgold.com).

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ARCHAEOLOGY

The ancient Minoans were once described by the historian Will

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Fresco depicting a male bull-leaper with two female attendants.

Knossos, ca. 1450-1400 BC (Archaeological Museum of Heraklion).

Durant as “the first link in the European chain.” But who were they, really?

CIVILIZATION

BY JOHN LEONA R D

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The now-mostly-deciphered Phaistos Disk (17th c. BC) may be a prayer to the Cretan Mother Goddess.

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ne of the great traditions of modern Crete is…ancient Crete. The island’s history and archaeology have been an appealing subject, a scholarly calling and an expanding local industry since at least the last decades of the 19th century. Catering to a public seemingly never tired of such stories, media headlines often touch on the island’s distant past.

Archaeologist Arthur Evans sailed to the island in 1894 as a curious, wellheeled history buff pursuing a mysterious prehistoric script. At Knossos, he found its source. He also discovered a lifelong passion, a career and an avenue for sharing his own world view of both the past and the present. Just as, in antiquity, all Cretan roads led to Knossos, so too, after Evans’ excavations began in 1900, have all things Minoan essentially begun there.

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Whether or not Knossos “owned” the entire island under a single powerful king, perhaps memorialized in the “King Minos” of later legend, it certainly became the most powerful palace at a time when an island-wide Minoan network of administrative, storage and export centers put their timeless stamp on the histories of Crete, its Aegean neighbors and its distant trade partners east and west.

MANAGING ISLAND RESOURCES Crete’s first monumental buildings rose at Knossos, Phaistos and Malia, while smaller settlements sprung up around the island as well. During Middle Minoan/Late Minoan times (1750-1490 BC), a devastating earthquake (ca. 1700 BC) meant the main palaces had to be completely rebuilt, setting the stage for the culture’s greatest era (17th-15th c. BC).

Further secondary centers were founded at Kydonia, Archanes, Galatas, Gournia, Petras (Sitia) and Zakros. Independently, or as part of a later, more unified system, these sites served as collection and redistribution points for agricultural crops, craft products, artistic works and other commercial goods.

DISRUPTIONS AND RENEWAL Minoan history is marked by a series of natural disasters or major social disruptions, the first of which was the volcanic eruption of nearby Thera (Santorini) – now newly radiocarbon-dated from a charred fragment of olive wood to the early 1500s BC. More consequential was a fiery event about 1490 BC, when all of Crete’s secondary Minoan centers or settlements were destroyed, perhaps through a violent takeover led by a core

THE BIG PICTURE Scan here to access a fascinating overview of the history of Crete

by Chris Moorey.

© MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND SPORTS/HERAKLION ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

GREAT MOTHER Ancient Crete was a place of original Woman Power. The island’s main deity in prehistoric Minoan times was a central female goddess known today by various names: Cretan Great Mother, Great Goddess, Mountain Mother and Mistress of Animals. A powerful nature goddess, she appears on engraved seal stones, gold jewelry and ivory-carved cosmetic boxes, often flanked by two lions, griffins or wild goats. In our own era of increasing recognition and empowerment for women, she has been described as a modernist female archetype: primitive, complex, nurturing, fertile, imperious and dominant. Respect for women and their powers endures in Cretan art and culture – from curvaceous, fecund Neolithic figurines to the Linear B goddess “Eleuthia,” later to become post-Bronze-Age Eileithyia, goddess of childbirth. The Minoan Great Mother was handed down culturally in the Cretans’ Rhea/Cybele, mother of Zeus; in Homer’s Artemis Agrotera (“Potnia Theron”); and in Britomartis, a huntress, with powers of fertility, life, death and resurrection.

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defensible sites, where they could better protect themselves from an increasing inflow of Hellenic immigrants. Nevertheless, Crete remained a sea power, sending, according to Homer, a contingent of eighty ships to aid in the Trojan War.

of Knossos in 1894, then the remainder of the palace area in 1900. Early excavations at the other main Minoan palaces – Phaistos (1884, 1900-1904) and Malia (from 1921) – were launched by Italian and French scholars. Harriet Boyd-Hawes, an American female pioneer in Greek archaeology, led the first excavations at Gournia in 1901-1904. Notable Greek archaeologists in Crete have included Spyridon Marinatos, Nikolaos Platon and Yiannis (J. A.) Sakellarakis.

AN INTERNATIONAL CAST Political turmoil and the rugged natural landscape were obstacles to early archaeological attempts in Crete, but perhaps the greatest obstacle was the reluctance of government officials to issue permits. In 1879, Minos Kalokairinos, a lawyer, businessman and antiquarian from Irakleio, hired twenty workers and simply began digging. He was stopped by the authorities three weeks later, but not before he had revealed portions of the palace’s West Wing and West Magazines. Soon, others appeared, too.

Heinrich Schliemann himself joined the throng in 1886, hoping to buy the mound, but was deterred by its Turkish landowners’ exorbitant demands. Evans, less concerned with cost, purchased 25%

LARGE AND SMALL Knossos was by far the largest, most monumental Minoan center on the island. During the Late Bronze Age, the palace grew to include over 1,500 rooms, rising 3-4 stories and covering an area of about 20,000 square meters. The city around it was also enormous, occupying some 750,000 sq.m. Comparatively, the Phaistos and Malia palaces reached only about 10,000 and 7,500 square meters.

The secondary centers had far smaller scales, as we see at Kydonia (Hania), in the west, and Zakros, in the east. The smallest complexes, or country “manor houses,” are exemplified by Myrtos-Pyrgos, west of Ierapetra, or Vathypetro, south of Archanes, where a wine press and pottery kiln have been found.

Terracotta nude male figurine, from the Petsofa peak sanctuary, wearing a belt, codpiece and dagger, ca. 2000 BC (Archaeological Museum of Heraklion).

group of local elites, or by an invasion by forces from the Greek mainland. A newly formed elite class of Minoans/Mycenaeans now ruled the island from virtually unscathed Knossos, with an increasing mainland influence detectable in Minoan art and religion. This “Third Palace Period” was a time when Crete enjoyed its greatest overseas influence. Homer retrospectively describes Late Bronze Age Crete as “a land…in the midst of the wine-dark sea, a fair, rich land, begirt with water; and therein are many men, past counting, and ninety cities.”

AFTER THE PALACES Around 1370 BC, Knossos was also destroyed; it would be approximately 400 years before it was repopulated. During the subsequent “Postpalatial” period (1370-1100 BC), Crete’s outlying administrative centers, towns and villages became more independent, as the island’s now-fully-Mycenaean overlords ruled not from Knossos, but the mainland. Many native Cretans relocated inland to more 68

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KNOSSOS STANDS AS THE PREEMINENT, ARCHETYPAL MINOAN PALACE, GROWING TO INCLUDE OVER 1,500 ROOMS – A MASSIVE STRUCTURE RISING THREE TO FOUR STORIES HIGH AND COVERING AN AREA OF ABOUT 20,000 SQUARE METERS.

MINOTAUR Crete’s best-known myth is perhaps the tale of the Minotaur (“Bull of Minos”), a man with a bull’s head, who was confined to a labyrinth devised by the inventor Daedalus.

Bulls appear as recurring themes in postBronze-Age Cretan myth, possibly echoes of beliefs from earlier Minoan times. The Minotaur was the offspring of the Cretan Bull gifted to King Minos by Poseidon.

This handsome creature was intended to be sacrificed in honor of its donor, but

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Minos refused. In punishment, Poseidon made Queen Pasiphae fall in love with the animal. This love produced a “child” – the monstrous Minotaur. The Cretan Bull was carried away by Heracles, but the Minotaur remained, fed on Athenian hostages delivered to Minos in recompense for the murder of his own son in Athens. Theseus ultimately killed the Minotaur and escaped from the labyrinth, aided by Princess Ariadne and her thread. The myth may reflect real-life frictions in ancient Knossos-Athens relations.

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SHARED CULTURAL IDENTITY Minoan centers exhibit a cultural consistency both in architectural features – including ashlar masonry, light wells, shrines, storerooms, multiple floors with staircases and courtyards – and in the extraordinary artifacts unearthed.

Characteristic Minoan objects at the Archaeological Museum in Irakleio include masterpieces such as the Harvester Vase, Knossos Snake Goddess figurines, the Phaistos Disc and the painted Aghia Triada sarcophagus, as well as stunning gold jewelry, wall paintings, inscribed tablets and signet rings and engraved stone seals, with imagery alluding to a central female deity; animal sacrifice; and daemonic creatures symbolizing the dark side of nature beyond human control.

KINGS OR COLLECTIVE POWERS? Perhaps most intriguing is the reinterpretation of Minoan Crete’s “palaces.”

Rather than royal residences, these “court centers” may have been the setting for collective powers, not only for administering agricultural resources but for communal feasting and other group activities that reinforced societal and political relations. The elites of the main palaces were dependent on ordinary Minoans, the society’s producers. They provided necessary additional storage facilities for agricultural resources and ensured a constant upward supply of goods to larger centers and ultimately to Knossos. The diverse network of Minoan centers, some with “palatial” architecture, are no longer perceived as a strictly ranked system.

A “goddess with upraised arms,” believed to depict the Minoans’ Great Goddess, the protector of nature. (Archaeological Museum of Heraklion).

developing a “bottom-up approach.”

The complex picture currently emerging is no longer one of a hierarchical series of palaces controlled by Knossos, but of individual polities competing with each other, heavily influenced by socio-religious ideologies emanating from Knossos and involved in Knossos-led economic interactions. But these were only firmly unified under a single (external) authority in the final stages of the Late Bronze Age, after 1370 BC. What’s more, the Minoans knew warfare, as telltale clues indicate, including weapons in shrines, tombs and residences; the existence of settlements

HUMBLE RUINS Following the final collapse of Crete’s Bronze Age civilization (ca. 1000 BC), Iron Age city-states gradually arose. However, Crete only returned to peace and prosperity after Rome’s annexation (1st cent.

BC), with Gortyn becoming the island’s capital. Knossos, a community marked by affluent villas in the 2nd century AD, eventually declined during medieval times. In 1857, a French scholar lamented that the area of Knossos, “the oldest city of ancient Crete,” was marked by “one miserable village, whose name, Makrytichos (Long Wall), informs the antiquarian that there were once great constructions here; but…[now]…only … vague, formless…mounds of bricks.” If he could only see the site today!

THE COMPLEX PICTURE CURRENTLY EMERGING IS NO LONGER ONE OF A HIERARCHICAL SERIES OF PALACES CONTROLLED BY KNOSSOS, BUT OF INDIVIDUAL POLITIES... HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY SOCIO-RELIGIOUS IDEOLOGIES EMANATING FROM KNOSSOS. 70

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FROM THE BOTTOM UP For much of the 20th century, Minoan Crete was viewed as a place of peaceful, proto-literate people, without wars or need of more than a merchant navy, who lived in sophisticated palaces and cherished nature, art, religion and commerce.

The focus was on the elegant, luxurious lives of palace-based Minoan elites. Now, however, old myths and interpretations are being swept away.

Previous palace-centric studies of Crete’s Minoan past have provided only a narrow glimpse of the full spectrum of Minoan society. At Knossos, after decades of investigation, only 2% of the entire Late Bronze Age city has been excavated. In contrast, today’s researchers are expanding their studies to look instead at ordinary Minoans and how they lived. By combining landscape surveys, targeted excavations and interdisciplinary scientific analyses of diverse evidential materials, archaeologists working in Crete are now

in defensible positions; and the 2009 discovery of long coastal walls at Gournia that may represent fortifications.

ARCHAEOLOGY

EUROPA Among the many female figures in Cretan myths, foremost is Europa, the first queen of the island. One of Zeus’ conquests, she was a Phoenician princess abducted from Tyre and borne to Crete on a handsome white bull (Zeus). On arriving, Zeus revealed himself and gave her gifts, including Talos, a gigantic bronze automaton tasked with guarding Crete. Europa bore Zeus three sons, Minos, Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon; Minos became king of Knossos and ruled the island. Thus,

Europa was the founder of Crete’s leading family. The story of Europa in Crete – along with the mythical Idaean Daktyloi (blacksmith-magicians associated with Rhea/Cybele) and Kouretes (guardians of infant Zeus) – may have pointed to Crete’s strong ties with the East. Some scholars suggest Europa’s name, from the words for “broad” and “face” in ancient Greek, was applied to the mainland of Europe because of the landform’s massive appearance to Greek mariners as they sailed along its coast.

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KNOSSOS UNCOVERED Exploring the Palace of Knossos brings both Minoan Crete and the fascinating field of Cretan archaeology, with its own complex past, colorful characters and fresh interpretations, into sharper focus.

BY JOHN LEONA R D

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The Horns of Consecration, near the palace’s southern entrance, a favorite symbol of the Minoans.

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Sir Arthur Evans, holding the famous Bull’s Head rhyton used for sacrificial libations.

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nossos is Greece’s most popular, best-known archaeological destination after the Athens Acropolis, which means it pays to visit Knossos when there aren’t too many other visitors. Today, the early morning sun is already warm and bright, but here inside the gate, as I follow the paths channeling us toward the ruins, there is cool shade beneath the fragrant pines.

AT THE CENTER OF PREHISTORY In many ways, Knossos is where it all started. From this relatively small spot, what came to be Europe’s first major civilization was born around 2200 BC, and gradually spread to impact the culture and economies of Bronze Age settlements across the Aegean Sea. Eventually, Minoan influence was felt from Italian waters to the shores of the Levant and Egypt. Knossos was the capital of Minoan Crete, a north-coast stronghold that controlled the smaller “palaces” and settlements on the island. It was also an architectural model for some outlying communities, with smaller, similarly designed structures.

AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL MONUMENT Crossing the West Court, I am reminded by a bronze bust of Sir Arthur Evans that Knossos is also where Minoan archaeology was “invented,” some 12 to14 decades ago. The site’s archaeological and restorational history has come to be nearly as significant as its cultural history. This was the conspicuous, artifact-laden mound where a young Evans, tracing the origin of mysterious seal-stones and inspired by Heinrich Schliemann’s earlier discoveries, began unearthing in 1900 what he later dubbed the Palace of Minos.

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INTO THE PALACE… Passing exterior grain pits, a paved courtyard crossed by distinct stone paths and a western wall resting on large orthostate blocks, I recall these are features echoed at Phaistos, Malia, Zakros and other palaces. Other typically Minoan attributes include light wells, sunken “lustral baths,” storage areas, residential spaces that could be opened up and then closed, central courts, stepped theatral areas, multiple stories and flat roofs. In antiquity, I would have been approaching a massive structure, something like an enormous modern apartment building, or a complex of many adjoining buildings around an open court.

I enter through the South Propylaea, past the reconstructed Procession Fresco and a Minoan column that diminishes downward in diameter. Nearby is the colorfully restored Prince of the Lilies Fresco and the famous Horns of Consecration – identified

by Evans as a central symbol of the bull-loving Minoans.

Along the way, details stand out: the texture of the rebuilt walls – representing the original rubble-and-timber masonry designed to be earthquake-resistant; large storage jars, decorated with relief-molded bands and undulating snake-like motifs; and massive amounts of modern concrete used in reconstructed floors, stairwells, walls and ceilings. © BERTHOLD STEINHILBER/LAIF

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01. The Customs House (North Wing), overlooked by the reconstructed West Bastion; North Lustral Basin visible in background.

02. The Throne Room, with its alabaster seat for “King Minos” and its reconstructed frescoes of griffins, symbols of power.

03. Detail of the reconstructed Bull Fresco in the West Bastion. It was found in fragments in the north corridor.

A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW I ascend to the “Piano Nobile,” overlooking the Central Court on its west side. On the left, below, are the storage magazines – a row of narrow spaces equipped with in-ground vaults just inside their entrances. To the right lies the courtyard-heart of the palace. On its opposite side, a long, finely built staircase rises to nowhere, a clear indication of upper floors that once existed. Steps also lead down into this East Wing, where the royal residences could be found. Glancing ahead, I see the North Wing of the Palace, also waiting to be explored.

Snaking my way through partial doorways, I enter a small room reconstructed above the ground-floor Throne Room. Its walls are decorated with prints of the various wall paintings that used to enliven the palace’s interior. Here are bull-leapers; elegant, curly-haired Minoan ladies; a long-tailed blue monkey; a blue bird; and scenes of court life (the originals are now in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum). Dominating the space is a deep light well lined with black and red Minoan columns, providing natural illumination to the lower floor.

Descending the broad western staircase into the Central Court, I step into the vestibule that precedes the Throne Room.

This suite of royal rooms is unique to Knossos, and iconic of the essential role Evans’ interpretations have played in shaping what we see at Knossos today. Archaeology is interpretation, and nowhere is that likely to be truer than at this site.

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POWER, PEACE AND POLITICS To understand Knossos and what we often read about the Minoans, we have to consider the social and political environment in which Evans became acquainted with Crete. As a young man with wanderlust in the 1870s, Evans had traveled through the dying Ottoman Empire’s European territories, where local Christians were rising up against their Muslim overlords.

Soon recognized for his knowledge of the region, he was hired to report on the Balkans for the Manchester Guardian (1877).

During this period, he opposed the heavy-handedness of both the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian governments. Arriving in Crete in 1894, Evans witnessed more intercommunal strife, as Muslim-Christian tensions, percolating since at least the 1860s, bloodily re-erupted in 1895-1898.

At the same time, the women’s movement for social reform and greater economic and political equality was gaining steam.

Historian Cathy Gere (2009) writes that from the 1860s, Darwinism and feminism together made patriarchy questionable and matriarchy possible; and “the island of Crete occupied a privileged place in these speculations.” Since Herodotus, Crete had been identified as the origin of the Lycians, who took their names from their mothers. What’s more, ancient writers also referred to the island as a “motherland,” not “fatherland.”

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01. Dolphins and other marine life adorn the walls of the Quenn’s Megaron (1600-1450 BC).

02. The combination of staircases, columns and light is a feature of Minoan architecture.

03. These enormous jars, once filled with grain, wine, oil and other foodstuff, stand in a storeroom in the palace’s northeastern section.

Evans came to his excavations at Knossos with an acute awareness of the sociopolitical developments of the time, and an appreciation for Schliemann’s success in finding “Agamemnon” at Mycenae. His own approach was to celebrate Knossos as a nexus of ancient Cretan myths, whose protagonists were familiar to the modern public. Most important for him was “fairtressed” Ariadne, King Minos’ daughter, for whom Daedalus, the great inventor, had fashioned a dancing floor at Knossos.

When Evans observed the unearthing of the Throne Room, on April 13, 1900, Gere recalls, the alabaster seat against the wall and lustral basin opposite were immediately identified –and recorded in his excavation diary– as the “Throne of Ariadne” and “Queen Ariadne’s bath.” Although he soon reassigned his newfound monarchy to King Minos, the iconographic evidence in Crete for a central female deity encouraged Evans to construct, Gere notes, “a thoroughly modernist female archetype, the Cretan Great Mother: primitive and yet complex, nurturing, powerful and fecund.” The Minoans’ Great Goddess was later further defined by Jane Harrison, a classicist and suffragist, who, writing in 1922, described a Minoan seal: the Mountain Mother, guarded by lions, “standing with her scepter or lance extended, imperious, dominant.”

It was in the midst of this turbulent milieu of war and femi-

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Visitors exploring the Central Court, Throne Room, sacred repositories and narrow passages leading into the North Wing.

nism that Evans hypothesized his pacifist, female-dominated, yet politically male-led Minoan Crete. So successful was he in highlighting the “more benign aspects of Cretan mythology,” Gere suggests, “that Mycenae and Knossos eventually came to be seen as opposite extremes, one militaristic and patriarchal, the other peaceful and feminine.”

school for scribes, was the findspot of the famous Bull-Leaping Fresco, fallen from the story above. Then, entering the North Wing, I “discover” the Customs House, where goods arriving at the palace from near and far were checked; the North Entrance Corridor, with its impressively reconstructed western bastion and bull fresco; and the colonnaded North Lustral Basin.

THROUGH THE LABYRINTH Leaving the cool gloom of the Throne Room, I return to the sunlit Central Court, known in myth as the lair of the monstrous Minotaur. On its west side, Evans discovered in sacred repositories two Knossos Snake Goddess (or priestess) figurines. Below, to the east, the walls of the Queen’s Megaron are decorated with leaping blue dolphins and ornately patterned borders and the roofs supported on sturdy Minoan columns. The pier-and-door design, outlined on the floor, allowed an open and breezy room in warmer months that could be closed off with folding doors in wintertime, when freestanding braziers were used for heat. The Minoans even had indoor bathrooms with a plumbing system of clay pipes and stone-built channels.

I decide next to wander through the palace’s northeastern section, past workshops where potters, plasterers and stone carvers once worked. A room lined with benches, identified as a

SO MUCH STILL TO LEARN Viewing Knossos actually gives us only a glimpse of a small fraction of ancient Minoan society. Only 2 percent of the full city of Knossos has been excavated so far! Archaeologist Kostis Christakis suggests Knossos in the New Palace period (16th-15th centuries BC) had 25,000-30,000 inhabitants, more than Venetian Irakleio. Today, researchers are looking more closely at ordinary Minoans, on whose productivity the Knossian elites depended.

Nevertheless, Knossos remains a monument to far-reaching Minoan power and innovation, as well as to Minoan archaeology’s myth-loving, similarly innovative founder. Evans’ extensive reconstructions may be controversial today, but in this, too, he was “au courant” – he began using internally reinforced concrete at Knossos in the 1920s, shortly after this revolutionary new material was introduced to ancient restoration by Nikolaos Balanos in his work on the Athenian Acropolis.

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THE KNOWLEDGE

On this remarkable island (the fifth-largest in the Mediterranean), you’ll find a wide range of amazing landscapes, charming villages, historical sites and museums, and personal adventures, the enjoyment of which you will long remember.

Aghios Nikolaos on Crete. By Antonios von Santorinios-Santorinakis (c) Bridgeman Images C R E T E 2 019

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ILLUSTRATION: LILA RUBY KING (WWW.LILARUBYKING.EU)

E XPLORE HANIA

AT A GLANCE One of the most beautiful cities in the Mediterranean, Hania (Χανιά) is a cultural amalgam worth exploring. The wider region boasts stunning beaches, such as Elafonissi, and the “king” of the Cretan canyons, Samaria. The majestic Lefka Ori (“White Mountains”), with 50 peaks over 2000m, form a rocky barrier in the middle of the region. Nature lovers will appreciate the slopes and canyons of this mountain range, home to the Cretan mountain goat and 25 species of endemic plants which can be found nowhere else. Temperatures vary significantly within a range of just a few kilometres. On the Askyfou Plateau in July, you’ll need a jacket, while on the remote southern beaches or on the island of Gavdos even a swimsuit is optional.

CHECK OUT: GAVDOS: This pristine little island, Europe’s southernmost point, is a stop for migratory birds and a breeding ground for seals and sea turtles.

SAMARIA GORGE: An 18km hike through wild beauty takes you to the village of Aghia Roumeli on the shores of the Libyan Sea. FALASARNA, ELAFONISSI, BALOS: Get ready to share your pictures; these incredible, postcardperfect beaches are almost unbelievably beautiful.

SFAKIA: Leather-booted, mustachioed and dressed in black, the men of Sfakia have a reputation as fierce defenders of their land and honor.

KOLYMVARI: The largest olive oil-producing region on the island exports its liquid treasure to 40 countries.

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THE TOWN

THE VENETIAN HARBOR

hours in HANIA

A two-day itinerary for discovering the Old Town’s many distinct and charming neighborhoods.

BY M A R I A C OV E OU

DAY 01 09:00

MODERN-DAY CONQUERORS

When people talk about the beauty of Hania, they really mean the beauty of its Old Town; whether you’ve chosen to seek accommodations within its fortified walls or not, any visit to the city should start here. So grab a cold, caffeinated drink to go, like Greeks do, and set off!

Tourists usually head straight for the picturesque Venetian harbor and, despite the crowds, so should you, but only as a start, and only so you can walk to the Egyptian lighthouse, which enjoys a panoramic view of the harbor. Standing there, you can imagine that it’s long ago, and you’ve just sailed your ship to this magic spot on the island, intent on conquering it and settling for good. © PERIKLES MERAKOS

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DAY 01 11:00

VENICE OF THE EAST

Traces of conquerors, and of the Venetians in particular, can still be seen across town, especially in Topanas. It’s to this district that the city no doubt owes its moniker “the Venice of the East.”

It’s definitely worth losing yourself in the cobblestone alleys with their picturesque archways. Seek out the strets of Theofanous and Moschon with their elegant “palazzi” to get a sense of how the city was during the Venetian period. Explore atmospheric Angelou Street, and stroll down charming Theotokopoulou Street, where you’ll find the one time gunpowder magazine (the building with the red shutters) after which the Ottomans chose to name the district; the term “tophane,” which evolved into “Topanas” in Greek, means “armory” in Turkish.

CARMELA

DAY 01 13:00

LUNCH AND SOUVENIRS

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ANGELOU STREET

For lunch, try Tamam (49 Zampeliou, Tel. (+30) 28210.960.80) – housed in a former public baths – but get there early, as the place is always busy! It serves dishes with Eastern influences, as well as delicious Cretan delicacies. Then, set out for some souvenir shopping. At Canea (45 Zampeliou), the Old Town’s landmarks decorate everything from T-shirts to tote bags; at Carmela (7 Angelou), the ceramicist/owner sells pottery and jewelry created using Byzantine or ancient Greek techniques.

The wares here are veritable works of art!

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DAY 01 17:00 MINOAN PAST

The Archaeological Museum of Hania (28 Halidon, Tel. (+30) 28210.903.34) may be somewhat old-fashioned in the way it displays its artifacts, but it’s definitely worth a visit, even if only to admire its building (the Venetian Church of St Francis) and enjoy its pretty garden. For an outdoor history lesson, head to Kastelli Hill, where the center of the Minoan city of Kydonia (on which the Venetians built Canea, i.e., Hania) was located.

Visit the excavation of the prehistoric settlement on Kanevaro Street and then check out some of the area’s remaining Venetian edifices, before heading up Aghiou Markou for a hidden gem: the courtyard of a neoclassical building that once housed the headquarters of Prince George of Greece, High Commissioner of Crete. Known as “the Balcony of Hania,” it offers the best views of the harbor and the glorious sunset.

DAY 01 21:00 PORT LIFE

In the evenings, you’re cordially invited to drop by the port which, with its illuminated lighthouse, looks like the setting for a huge party.

Join the hundreds of tourists and locals strolling on the esplanade, or opt for one of the many cultural events taking place either near or inside famous landmarks: Greek folk dance performances around the back of Yali Tzamisi (the oldest surviving mosque in town), exhibitions inside the Grand Arsenal (the largest of the 15th-century neoria, or dockyards, of the port), concerts at Firkas Fortress, and more. For dinner, locals and visitors alike swear by the restaurant Salis (3 Akti Enoseos, Tel. (+30) 28210.437.00); it’s famed for its creative cuisine, its unusual shellfish combinations and the emphasis it places on wine. Try their taramosalata (fish roe dip) made with traditional Greek bottarga, the carpaccio of octopus, or the clams with spinach and rice. For a nightcap, pop in at the locals’ favorite all-day café-bar Bohème (26-28 Halidon) with its hacienda-style courtyard, right next to the Archaeological Museum. © THALIA GALANOPOULOU

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THE TOWN

DAY 02 08:00

A RISING STAR

Start your second day in town in the eastern district of Splantzia, the city center under Ottoman rule. This area was once synonymous with urban neglect, but in recent years many of its old houses have been restored and new businesses have sprung up, turning it into the most interesting district in the entire town. The old plane tree on Splantzia Square (aka 1821 Square) witnessed brutal hangings during the Ottoman occupation, but today it’s just an attractive part of the scenery during a morning coffee stop at any of the establishments that share its shade. Don’t leave the area without first taking a look at the Church of Aghios Nikolaos, erected in 1320 as part of a Dominican monastery, then converted to a mosque, complete with minaret, during the Ottoman occupation. In 1918, twenty years after the end of that occupation, a Christian Orthodox-style bell tower was added, completing the look it maintains to this day. From the church, head into the neighborhood’s eastern backstreets to spot some beautiful old houses under renovation.

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CHURCH OF AGHIOS NIKOLAOS

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DAY 02 11:00

NEOCLASSICAL FLAIR

Venture outside the eastern city wall towards the Halepa district which, from the mid-19th century onward, developed into a glamorous aristocratic suburb. Central Venizelou Street was home to many of the consulates of the Great Powers – some of these have been turned into hotels – as well as private resi-

dences for rich merchants and prominent citizens of Hania. Eleftherios Venizelos, the leader of the Cretan liberation movement and later the prime minister of Greece a number of times, lived here; his residence, built in 1880 and renovated in 1927, opened as a museum in 2015 (Tel. (+30) 28210.560.08, venizelos-foundation.gr). Royalty also resided in Halepa; the neoclassical palace of

Prince George, built in 1882 and located next to Venizelos’ mansion, is still standing and can be admired from the outside. Prince George was also responsible for the quirky, Russian-style Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, which he commissioned in honor of his sister Maria in 1901 (it was completed in 1903), during his time as high commissioner of Crete.

It stands within a beautiful garden.

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THE TOWN

DAY 02 14:00

Coming back to the Old Town, check out the Municipal Market (69 Agoras Square) where locals do their daily shopping and where you can find Cretan souvenirs, both edible and non-edible, to take home.

A stone’s throw from here is Skridlof Street with its leather-goods shops, including the few remaining stivanadika where old craftsmen still make stivania, traditional Cretan boots. For lunch, evade the tourist crowds and opt for Splantzia and some of the locals’ haunts.

Kouzina EPE (25 Daskalogianni, Tel. (+30) 28210.423.91) is an all-time favorite, serving more than a dozen different home-style dishes daily, plus their regular menu items. Further down the road, Maridaki (33 Daskalogianni, Tel. (+30) 28210.088.80) specializes in fish; it serves the best fish soup in the neighborhood, at a very reasonable price.

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TRADITION & LOCAL HAUNTS

© NIKOS KOKKAS

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THE TOWN

DAY 02 17:00

STROLLS, SWEETS AND KNIVES

The meandering streets west of Daskalogianni Street feature some fine examples of Ottoman architecture. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, stop by the charming little pastry shop Sketi Glika (18 Isodion), which will seduce you with its colorful rustic décor and its delectable desserts. Sifaka Street with its traditional knife shops is just a few steps away, should you wish to purchase the ultimate Cretan souvenir: a knife with a small mantinada (couplet) engraved on its blade.

SKETI GLIKA

GINGER CONCEPT

DAY 02 19:00 DINNER TIME

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In the evenings, Splantzia Square is nearly as lively as the port, and just as festive. Grab a chair and don’t be surprised if you make some new friends. Kafeneio is a traditional café-eatery known for its meze (small dishes) and it’s a favorite among the locals. Alternatively, head to one of the broader area’s most popular restaurants, The Well of the Turk (1-3 Kallinikou Sarpaki, Tel. (+30) 28210.545.47), with a charming courtyard and a real, working well, which serves delectable Mediterranean and Turkish-Moroccan dishes. Just across the street, the rather new but already popular restaurant Ginger Concept (36 Kallinikou Sarpaki, Tel. (+30) 28210.575.90) moves to Brazilian tunes and specializes in mix-and-match cuisine.

DAY 02 23:00

Check out café-bar Ride in Splantzia, the epitome of the neighborhood’s laid-back and alternative vibe, for some fine music and a great selection of artisanal beers; the bustling Hatzimichali Daliani Street on the district’s southern border for a taste of the local nightlife; or seek out Vazaki on the western steps of the Municipal Market. It serves fine cocktails and plays funk, soul and electro music, as well as Italo disco, tunes often offered up by visiting DJs who spin the decks from inside the establishment’s trademark feature, the front of an old Volkswagen Transporter.

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FAREWELL DRINKS

HANIA PORTRAIT

THE LAST BOAT BUILDER

In a Venetian-era shipshed on the waterfront, a centuries-old craft survives, thanks to one man.

BY NENA DIM ITR IOU

F

rom 1526 onwards, Crete’s Venetian rulers constructed a total of 22 neoria (dockyard buildings) along the old harbor of Hania in order to consolidate their naval presence in the region. These structures, up to 50m in length, were built using irregularly shaped stones, and feature vaulted ceilings with pointed arches. During the Axis occupation of World War II, these buildings housed torpedo-making facilities. After the war, they were used for storing grain. Only nine of the neoria are still standing, and most of them are being used by the Archaeological Service as storage facilities for excavated items. The renovated building that is architecturally distinct from the others is the “Grand Arsenal,” constructed circa 1600, which today houses the Center of Mediterranean Architecture and hosts events and exhibitions.

Of the three structures at the easternmost end of the harbor, one houses the Hania Sailing Club and another the small, private Maritime Museum of Crete. And then there’s the third building, the workshop of 91-year-old Haralambos Karazepounis, the last remaining traditional boat builder of Hania’s dockyard district.

Every morning, he pulls open the creaky wooden door of his workspace, sits at a © THALIA GALANOPOULOU

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01

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01. Haralambos has been taking his coffee at the shipyards for the past 50 years.

02, 03. To the rear of the building, completed vessels await to be launched, and the walls feature decorations from a time long gone by.

table and sips coffee with neighbors, or else weaves baskets from colored rope which are then used as damage-prevention fenders for boats at berth. He allows curious passersby to have a look around his dusty boatyard, scattered with pieces of wood – some stacked next to the carpenter’s plane, still waiting to be smoothed and shaped. Light filters in through two openings in the expansive roof, casting beams of sunlight onto his latest creation – a boat, now covered with a thick layer of dust. “The keel – that is, the bottom part of the hull – is built with eucalyptus wood, which is very durable in water. Either cypress or pine is used for the upper parts of the boat, which have less exposure to seawater,” Haralambos explains.

He can’t remember how many boats he’s built over the years, but he’s made everything from fishing vessels and 12-meter caiques to a full-scale replica of a trireme, the ancient form of Greek warship. (He’s also the creator of a miniature model of the 26-sail Italian training ship, the Amerigo Vespucci, which he keeps in a bottle at home.) His own boat featured in scenes from one of the most popular Greek movies of the 1960s, “I Neraida kai to Palikari,” a story of starcrossed Cretan lovers.

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LAND OF RESISTANCE

The unwritten codes of the pastoral community of Sfakia, a symbol of the unyielding spirit of Cretans, are facing challenges from the outside world.

BY NATA SH A BL AT SIOU / P HOTOS N I KOS P I L OS

KIDS WITH TOY GUNS School’s out for the summer on the Askyfou Plateau. It’s a warm afternoon, and the children are playing in the streets – riding bikes, kicking a ball around or playing games, a lot of games, on their cell phones. In the Ammoudari neighborhood, I come across two boys outside a workshop that still makes stivania – traditional Cretan boots. They’re playing with guns, or rather with well-made replica pistols. Each boy has two or three of them. They tuck them into their trousers at the waist, concealing them under their shirts. Whipping

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them out suddenly, they pretend to fire a volley of shots, laughing wildly as they spout the names of different guns. With smiles on their chubby faces, they’re just two ordinary children playing with toy guns, like anywhere else in the world. But still, it’s difficult to ignore the fact that I’m in the place with the highest rate of gun ownership in Greece. “I hope it wasn’t you who made all those bullet holes in the road signs of Sfakia,” I tease one of them. “No, these aren’t real guns,” he replies, quite seriously.

“Are you ‘playing’?” I ask the other, which, in the local dialect, means

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Young Sifis Manousakas is shearing one of his sheep at the family mitato.

firing real bullets into the air or at some inanimate object. He laughs. “No, we’re not ‘playing’,” he replies. “Only grownups do that.”

“They can kill each other over a sheep,” the other boy says, provoking an immediate reprimand from the bootmaker inside, who barks: “We don’t speak about these things!”

It isn’t easy to get a Sfakian to speak about “their things,” the set of unwritten laws that govern family and social relationships and which have been passed down from one generation to the next.

They won’t speak openly about the livestock rustling or the blood feuds that still keep people vigilant. You won’t be told which families are in conflict with each other or for what reason, but you will hear discussions about what constitutes tradition. A few steps away, in the neighborhood kafeneio (coffee house), Nektarios tells me about perceptions, misperceptions and the state of confusion among the younger generation regarding what such things mean. He talks about the black shirts and moustaches worn by many men; the former was originally an expression of mourning, but which later became a local fashion. He speaks about the rifle, once a family heirloom, a sym94

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bol of honor, but which is now used to demonstrate one’s “manliness” by shooting at signs or into the air at social events.

He talks about livestock rustling which, during the time of foreign occupation, was seen as an act of bravery, but which is now simply a source of conflict between neighbors. “Sfakia is synonymous with stories of heroism,” Nektarios says, “and the legacy of that heroism weighs heavily on people today; they’re trying to emulate their forefathers.”

NIKITAS, SIFIS AND THE FLIES Nobody needs a map to know when they’re in Sfakia. Driving from Hania, I realized as soon as I reached the Krapi Plateau that this is the gateway, a natural passageway, to another world, a world of mountains. Up here, in the Katre Gorge, Cretan rebels fought fierce battles with Ottoman forces to prevent them from entering Sfakia. It’s up here, in these highlands, that the history of a fearless and unyielding Crete was written.

Today, I’m driving east towards Kallikratis, through a landscape that’s remained undisturbed since those battles were fought. It’s a stony land. The sunshine is relentless, and it’s still only eight in the morning. Sheep and goats vie for a place in the shade next to the roadside

barriers or huddle together motionless under a lone tree.

Made up of four widely-separated neighborhoods, the village of Kallikratis is nestled among trees. There are almost as many coffee houses as residents. In front of one of them, I meet 87-year-old Nikitas Manouselis leaning over a large vat, stirring fresh milk with a very old wooden paddle in order to make the last graviera cheese of the season. As we chat, he takes me back to 1943, and more specifically to October 8th, when German troops entered the village. He describes his every movement; how he snuck out of the village with another child his age; how they spent the first night in a cave; how, when returning, they bumped into some Cretan collaborators who shot at and chased them; and how he was fortunate to escape. He pauses, and then tells me about the moment when his father, after a fierce hand-to-hand fight, was murdered by a collaborator. In the space of four months, 31 people lost their lives; their houses were looted and burned.

Most still stand in ruins today, harrowing reminders of the tragedy that befell the village.

Like all shepherds in Sfakia, Manouselis moves around a lot. In the winter, you’ll

“SFAKIA IS SYNONYMOUS WITH STORIES OF HEROISM,” NEKTARIOS SAYS, “AND THEIR LEGACY STILL WEIGHS HEAVILY ON PEOPLE.”

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02

01. The fertile Askifou Plateau, as seen from the mountains above.

02. Road signs in Sfakia are often used for target practice by the locals.

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03. Nikitas Manouselis is busy making cheese in the village of Kallikratis.

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find him down on the plain of Frangokastello, but in summer he takes his flock up to Kallikratis, from where he will ascend to the mandares, the high mountain pastures. In the past, the women and children would remain in the village and the men would make their way up to one of the dry-stone shelters known as mitata.

But now, pastoral life has changed. The mountain paths have been replaced by roads, and what used to be a long slog on foot is now a short, pleasant drive in a 4x4.

“The conveniences of modern life have changed everything,” says 27-yearold Sifis Manousakas as he drives us up to his mitato above Kallikratis in his jeep. A member of a well respected and affluent family of local shepherds, he speaks with the confidence of an educated man who has traveled widely. Market distortions in the livestock sector, he says, have pushed many shepherds to the brink of poverty.

Many have reached the point where they no longer milk their animals because the price of milk is so low. Wool has lost its value, and even the meat is sold for a pittance. Sifis believes that improvement will come only from tourism. He hopes one day to partner with an international travel agency and turn his mitato into a place to visit.

BEFORE LEAVING THE TABLE, WE HAVE TO FINISH ALL THE FOOD… EVEN IF WE’RE ALREADY QUITE FULL. SFAKIAN HOSPITALITY, WHILE EXEMPLARY, CAN SOMETIMES BORDER ON THE ONEROUS.

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There’s no question of leaving Kallikratis without visiting Sifis’ home; it’s simply not an option. I’m greeted with Greek coffee and cookies, braided gamokouloura (wedding bread) and graviera cheese, and traditional cheese pies drizzled with honey. They’re on the table, served by Sifis’ mother, Pagona, and his sister, Asimenia, even before I sit down. It strikes me that these are the first women I have met here. “Sfakia appears to be a world of men,” I remark, a statement which seems to puzzle them. These are clearly strong women; they’ve simply become accustomed to staying in the background. Sifis’ elderly father, who is also called Sifis, speaks to us about the history of the place, a history that’s not written anywhere and not taught in any school. But his children listen attentively, knowing they’ll soon be passing it on to their children. Asimenia shoos the flies that have taken a keen interest in the delicacies spread out before us. Before leaving the table, we have to finish all the food… even if we’re already quite full. Sfakian hospitality, while exemplary, can sometimes border on the onerous.

DASKALOGIANNIS AND DANISH FETA In Sfakia, the most revered hero is Daskalogiannis. Instigator of the 1770 revolt against Ottoman rule in the region, his limited forces were defeated by superior Turkish numbers, and he was tortured to death. In the shadow of his bust in the center of Anopoli, the village where he was born, we watch as local men, dressed in traditional attire, perform a rizitiko song and then dance the customary pentozali in honor of their hero.

“It’s our duty to be ready to fight, with allies or without, just as our heroes did.

We must be prepared to follow their example,” says one of the dancers, 27-yearold Giannis Magelakis.

How could it be otherwise? You’d be hard pressed to find a village that doesn’t boast the bust of at least one Sfakian hero, or hear a tale from the past that didn’t include a reference to war, or enter a house in which there are no firearms. As I approach the Lefka Ori (“White Mountains”), just before the Aradena Gorge,

I recall those boys playing with replica guns. In such a dramatic natural landscape, very little imagination would be needed to see yourself as a warrior on a battlefield. In all the great uprisings in the region, the final important battle took place here, at the entrance to this gorge, in order to safeguard the women and children who had sought refuge in the mountains by preventing the enemy from reaching the villages on the other side.

One of these villages is Ai Giannis.

Known in Greece as the hometown of the Vardinogiannis family, among the country’s most prominent shipowners, it’s a humble village where electricity first arrived in 1985 and where it wasn’t

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until recently that a paved road was created. It is also the location of the Alonia guesthouse, whose owner, Antonis Georgedakis, is busy organizing a contemporary revolution of his own, a heroic act of resistance against the mass tourism threatening the stronghold of Sfakia. At his guesthouse, which began as a refuge run by his father for hikers in the White Mountains, you’ll find simple but pleasing accommodations and home-cooked Cretan food.

Antonis has a vision for Sfakia. He wants to preserve the natural mountain terrain, mark out more of the walking paths, and retain livestock farming but on a smaller scale, without reliance on

subsidies. And in Sfakia’s tourist areas of Loutro, Hora Sfakion and Frangokastello, he wants to see greater emphasis on local cuisine and no further seafront development. More than anything, he wants to see a collective effort to achieve these goals. These are the battles that will be fought in the coming years as Sfakia increasingly opens up to tourism, battles that will be fought without guns, but that will demand the same courage and sense of duty that the locals have always displayed. The question is: will the Sfakians defend Cretan graviera, local goat meat and Askyfou potatoes, or will they succumb to Danish feta, New Zealand lamb and Dutch tomatoes?

The men of Sfakia are proud of the legacy of heroism and resistance left to them by their ancestors.

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THE

SAMARIA CHALLENGE

Awe-inspiring, ruggedly beautiful and steeped in history, Crete’s most stunning canyon offers those who traverse it an unforgettable experience.

BY MICHA EL SWEET

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At the Gates, the narrowest section of the Samaria Gorge, the ravine’s towering cliffs are less than four meters apart.

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he Samaria Gorge – Crete’s most famous hiking route – is a magnet for tens of thousands of visitors each year, and the most popular months – July and August – witness a thousand people a day filing down the 12.8km gorge. The whole walk is 16km, including the last leg to the village of Aghia Roumeli, and takes five to six hours.

Before you start, make sure you’re prepared. You’ll need good footwear; a water bottle, to be refilled regularly along the route; some snacks, to keep your energy up; a hat or cap for when the shade disappears; sunscreen; and a small first aid kit, just in case. It’s also a good idea to bring a lightweight jacket, because it’s often quite cool at the start of the trek high on the mountain in the morning. A walking stick might come in handy, too. (There’s no better way to break in a traditional Cretan katsouna, or shepherd’s crook, than with this walk).

Your starting point is Xyloskalo, more than 1200 meters above sea level; it’s the northern entrance to the National Park of Samaria. The first leg of the trail – a steep descent on a rocky stone path – is the most demanding. It can be punishing on the knees, but the wooden handrail will help. Take care, since going down may appear easier than it really is, and a lot of the accidents in the gorge occur on this opening two-kilometer stretch. The first designated resting spot and water source

is Neroutsiko, 1.7km from the start. (Trail markers appear at one-kilometer intervals and are useful for tracking your progress.)

A little further and you’ve reached the bottom of the valley, where the trail crisscrosses the riverbed for a few kilometers.

The river, not much more than a stream in summer, is called the Tarraios; it’s named after the ancient city of Tarra, which was located near modern-day Aghia Roumeli.

Eventually you’ll arrive at Aghios Nikolaos, which has a water source and toilets.

The next rest stop comes after 3.7km, at the abandoned village of Samaria. The halfway point along the route, this village was first settled in Byzantine times and is today the main resting place for hikers. Continuously inhabited until 1962, (when the National Park was created and the last villagers relocated), it was home for centuries to a community that relied on logging activity in the surrounding cypress forests. Loaded onto ships at Aghia Roumeli, timber from Samaria was exported as far away as Egypt and Turkey.

Keep an eye out for the endangered wild goats known as “kri-kri,” a symbol of the untamed Cretan spirit.

Re-crossing the bridge out of Samaria, you’ll soon be back in the riverbed, and this is where the gorge really begins. Take note of the sign warning you about falling rocks – it’s a real threat, particularly after rain or in high winds, and it’s better not to stop for long under the nearly vertical cliffs. Depending on your pace, it will

INFO The National Park of Samaria (Tel. (+30) 28210.455.70) is open from 07:00 to 15:00 daily and the entrance fee is €5. From 15:00 to sunset, visitors are still allowed to enter, but only for 2km into the gorge from either end. Camping, overnight stays, lighting fires and swimming in the streams are not permitted.

GETTING TO XYLOSKALO: Public KTEL buses depart from Hania Bus Station to Omalos and Xyloskalo daily at 07:45, and Mon-Sat at 05:00 (€7.50). From Paleochora, buses depart at 06:15 on Tues, Sat and Sun (€7).

GETTING BACK: The Anendyk ferry departs from Aghia Roumeli at 17:30 for Hora Sfakion (€12) or Paleochora (€17) at 17:30.

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take an hour or two to traverse this most impressive part of the walk, crossing the river on stones or makeshift bridges.

At the 11km mark, it’s a good idea to pause at the shaded clearing known as Christos, at the last spring where you’ll be able to refill your water bottle. Next up is the gorge’s most famous section, the “Gates,” the narrowest and most dramatic point; the sheer stone sides of the gorge, just four meters apart, soar 300 meters straight up. As you pass through this ancient portal, give a thought to those who, across the millennia, have trodden here, too.

With the Gates behind you, the gorge widens and, 2km later, the National Park ends. You’ve walked the gorge. From there on, the path is easy. The footing is good, but there’s no shade. In high summer, exiting the gorge between noon and 15:00 will usually mean walking in extreme heat under a strong sun.

A minibus shuttle operates between the gorge’s official exit point and Aghia Roumeli, if you need it. But hey, you’ve just walked 13 km. What’s another three?

The Samaria Gorge is home to endangered wild goats known as kri-kri, a symbol of Crete’s untamed spirit.

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BALOS BEACH

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GO WEST

BEWITCHING BEACHES

HANIA EXPERIENCES

A CLASSIC DESTINATION

An idyllic islet, a cluster of historic monasteries, a Venetian castle and a music festival are just some of the treats that await you in Crete’s westernmost region.

BY OLGA CH A R A M I & NENA DIM ITR IOU

It’s best to start your search for the perfect photo early in the morning, before hordes of beachgoers arrive at these beaches – some of the most stunning locations in Crete – and the parking spots nearby start to fill up. Begin with the much-vaunted beach at Balos (the shallow waters here may not suit everyone), stopping for a moment high up at the beginning of the footpath, where you can see Cape Tigani jutting out into the sea and dozens of sun worshipers dotting the white sand below. Then, head south past the expansive sea of greenhouses, until you reach the famous beach and archaeological site of Falasarna, an ancient city that flourished in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. Your next stop will be at Elafonisi, with its pink sand, millions of tiny shells, prickly cedar trees and shallow waters.

Although this is a Natura 2000 protected area, it has so far proved impossible to regulate the massive influx of tourists and the swathes of beach umbrellas which are threatening the fragile ecosystem. The last stop on your excursion should be Kedrodasos. Make your way through the small prickly cedar forest until you reach the beach, which is washed by crystal-clear water. Those arriving early get to enjoy the shade of the beautiful trees above the beach.

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The long and winding road that connects Anopoli with Hora Sfakion.

SFAKIA

IN A NUTSHELL Have a wander around the four neighborhoods that make up the village of Askyfos, visit the War Museum, and drive up to the telephone tower or (if you have an off-road vehicle) all the way up to the Tavris Plateau for great views. Spend some time in one of the quaint cafés in Kallikratis and treat yourself to some essential oils from Wild Herbs of Crete, available at the Little Café, before taking the winding road down to Frangokastello. By boat or on foot from Hora Sfakion, explore the succession of beaches along the southern coastline all the way to the stunning Domata; don’t miss Marmara and Aghios Pavlos. In Anopoli, check out the bust of Daskalogiannis, the most popular local hero, and enjoy the view from the small church of Aghia Aikaterini. Cross the Aradena Bridge, renowned among bungee-jumpers, and take a walk around the village, once abandoned as a result of a vendetta but now slowly being repopulated.

Make your way to Aloni, for a meal or a stay at the restaurant-guesthouse of Ai-Giannis. This is the last village before you enter the White Mountains.

TIP: Buy some thyme honey; eat a Sfakiani pie; and try the goat’s-milk ice cream from Giannoulis.

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FRANGOKASTELLO

THE WALKING DEAD

© CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU

The imposing castle at Frangokastello was built by the Venetians next to an isolated beach in 1371 in order to deter pirate raids and subdue Cretan rebels in the region.

When rebels occupied the castle in May 1828 during the Greek War of Independence, they were besieged by a large Turkish force under Mustafa Naili Pasha and 338 of the castle’s defenders were massacred. The castle was destroyed so that it couldn’t be used by the rebels again, but was later rebuilt. These events remain deeply ingrained in the collective memory of the proud inhabitants of the Sfakia region; a memory that is awakened each year by a mysterious phenomenon around the anniversary of the battle, when at dawn, ghost-like shadows of the heroic defenders – called Drosoulites (lit.

“Dew-men”) – appear to march towards the castle. According to scientists, this eerie spectacle is an optical illusion caused by the position of the sun at that time of year.

Janina Sorensen is the soul of “Wild Herbs of Crete” at Kallikratis. © NIKOS PILOS H E A LT H 2 018 - 2 019

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STRESS-FREE, CLOTHES OPTIONAL

“Southern point of Europe. Smile.

Relax.” This is the message that appears on the sculpture of a gigantic chair erected on the rocky headland next to Trypiti Beach by survivors of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster who chose Gavdos as their new home. The famous beaches of Aghios Ioannis and Sarakiniko are a paradise for

free campers and nudists living the ultimate summer dream in the sand dunes and turquoise waters of an island that has only 100 residents (with summer numbers swelling to 3,500). Visit the reconstructed lighthouse (the original structure, built in 1880, was destroyed during World War II) with a small museum, and then catch the breathtaking sunset.

Gadvos also has a new network of walking paths.

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HANIA EXPERIENCES

INFO: The island is connected by ferry to Paleohora, Sougia and Hora Sfakion. The ferry schedule is rather haphazard, so it is best to contact the port authorities of Hora Sfakion (Tel. (+30) 28250.912.92) and Paleohora (Tel. (+30) 28230.412.14) in advance or visit the ferry website (anendyk.gr).

PALEOHORA

QUEEN OF THE SOUTH

This small town with its modern – one might say unremarkable – buildings attracts visitors from all over the world, thanks to the generous amount of sunshine it receives year-round. The two long beaches that border the town, together with its restaurants, cafés and small shops, make it an ideal resort, with everything you need within walking distance. There are also two other popular beaches – Gialiskari and Krios – a bit further away from the town. Spend at least one evening at Aghios Bar, which opened as a coffee shop in 1900, and choose from a range of delicious cocktails made with aged raki, Greek wine or brandy, and mixed with homemade jams, purées and spirits distilled from herbs and fruits.

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HANIA EXPERIENCES

THE MONASTERIES OF AKROTIRI

FAITH AND BEAUTY

The 17th-century Aghia Triada Tzagarolon Monastery, still in use, is considered to be one of the most beautiful in Crete (Tel.( +30) 28210.635.72). The fortress-like Gouverneto Monastery, built in the 16th century, with impressive carved reliefs and pagan masks, stands nearby. Park here and follow the path towards the imposing gorge to reach the cave which houses the Chapel of Panaghia Arkoudiotissa, where the goddess Artemis was once worshipped in ancient times; the cave of Erimitis, where evidence has also been found of ancient cult rituals; and the otherworldly – now abandoned – Katholikon Monastery. A few minutes after crossing the massive stone bridge spanning the gorge, you’ll reach a rocky section of shoreline where you can enjoy a refreshing swim.

APTERA

TIME AFTER TIME

© CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU

Strategically located on a hill overlooking Souda Bay, Aptera was initially the site of the Minoan outpost of Kydonia, listed in Late Bronze Age Linear B tablets.

Resettled in the 7th c. BC, it flourished through Hellenistic times as a walled citadel with far-reaching commercial and political ties, eventually declining into a minor Roman and then Byzantine town.

Aptera’s defenses reached more than 3000m in length. Today, although the site has been quarried for building material, visitors can explore traces of temples, a theater, baths, a vaulted cistern, chapels and a disused 12thcentury monastery. The hilltop offers breathtaking views in all directions.

Also worth seeing are the Ottoman castles of Aptera and Itzedin, just to the east. - John Leonard

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THE CELEBRATION OF ROKKA

DEDICATED TO THE FULL MOON

Back in 2013, a group of friends decided to bring life back to their nearly deserted village of Rokka, in the stony Kissamos mountains by holding a classical music concert. The event took place under the full August moon next to the excavated ruins of ancient Rokka with attendees sitting on the ground as if in an ancient amphitheater. The audience was mesmerized, and that first concert eventually evolved into a two-week annual event now known as Giortes Rokkas (“The Celebrations of Rokka”) that draws in crowds from near and far. Theatrical, musical and dance performances are staged in squares, streets and private courtyards in Rokka and in the nearby village of Kera. The intimacy of these settings adds to the charm of this unique celebration.

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GOOD FOOD GUIDE

NEKTARIOS, ASKYFOS PLATEAU

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NTOUNIAS, DRAKONA This taverna honors the concept of farm-to-table: the finest cuts of veal from a Cretan breed of mountain cattle go straight onto the charcoal grill, before being served with vegetables harvested from the garden that same morning.

Tel. (+30) 28210.650.83.

KAFENEIO STO SCHOLEIO, ANIDRI Offers many small dishes prepared with local ingredients, as well as a few main course options, all in the shade of a very old olive tree with a view of the Libyan Sea. The venue is popular and there’s limited space, so go early.

Tel. (+30) 28230.830.01 NEKTARIOS, ASKYFOS PLATEAU Here you’ll find the epitome of cucina povera. Pot-roasted

HANIA EXPERIENCES

MANOUSAKIS WINERY

OENOPHILE’S PARADISE

The family winery of Theodoros (‘Ted’) Manousakis and his daughter, Alexandra, which is just 14km from Hania, offers a host of food and wine surprises. The facilities were built on the grounds of the Manousakis family home, in a verdant setting of trees and stepped terraces. Later, vegetable gardens were planted and a restaurant serving traditional cuisine was opened. Begin with a tour of the winery before settling down to a wine tasting. At present, the organic vineyards produce 15 different wines. Highlights from the selection include the Nostos Romeiko, a white wine made from red grapes, and the full-bodied Nostos Mouvèrdre. At the restaurant, you can try a variety of Cretan dishes, all simply cooked to pair perfectly with the fine wines of the Nostos series. In the shop, you’ll find excellent quality fleur de sel and extra virgin olive oil, which are both now part of the winery’s ‘Terroir’ product line.

Vatolakkos, Tel. (+30) 28210.787.87

lamb that the owner raises himself, pilaf or orzo cooked in meat broth, a house cheese, and seasonal vegetable dishes.

Drink raki as an aperitif, with your meal, or as a digestif with watermelon.

(Tel. (+30) 28250.952.28

© NIKOS KOKKAS

CHRISOSTOMOS, MARMARA The summer reincarnation of the well-renowned Hania taverna Chrisostomos on this impressive beach with white rocks is situated just 15 minutes by boat from Loutro.

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VAMOS

A VILLAGE REBORN In 1994 a group of young people from Vamos in the region of Apokoronas who were living or studying far from Crete decided to return to the village to revive it. After restoring their family homes and transforming them into guesthouses, they helped establish a taverna, a café and a tourist office. Today, visitors happily dine at Sterna tou Bloumosifi, stroll through the lively village (in which a number of grand mansions still stand), and drop by the tourist office to find out about the many agritourism activities on offer, including cooking lessons, olivepicking and grape-harvesting.

© CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU

KASTELLI KISSAMOU

ARCHAEOLOGISTS FOR A DAY

© CLAIRY MOUSTAFELLOU

Archaeolab is a unique archaeological dig simulation workshop, created by archaeologist Koula Borboudaki, where people of all ages – from young kids to archaeology students – can use real tools to discover and date “ancient treasures.” The innovative programs on offer include experimental archaeology seminars, where you can learn how to cook with Minoan-period utensils or make mosaics (Tel. (+30) 6939.305.668).

GAVALOHORI

WHERE TRADITION LIVES ON

The women of this picturesque village still make lace using the time-honored technique of kopaneli, in which small wooden bobbins are used to braid the threads on either a special pillow or a wooden casket. Girls here are eager to learn from their mothers and grandmothers who, unlike elsewhere in Crete, haven’t abandoned the craft. The Historical and Folklore Museum (Tel. (+30) 28250.232.22) is worth a visit, as are the 24 Venetian wells just 1km from the village.

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MILIA

ECO-FRIENDLY GETAWAY

This mountain village with its captivating 17th-century houses is nestled in a chestnut forest 53km from Hania. Electricity is generated from solar energy and is sufficient only for lighting, so put down your cell phone and go for a hike, take a cooking class, join a yoga session, or visit nearby wineries and beekeepers.

In the evening, head for the atmospheric candlelit restaurant (paradoxically, the only place with electrical outlets). The restaurant is also open to the public, but be sure to make a reservation in advance (Tel. (+30) 6945.753.743, milia.gr).

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E XPLORE RETHYMNO

AT A GLANCE The region of Rethymno (Ρέθυμνο) is, to a large extent, unknown to most travelers. It is perhaps for this reason that it has been so successful in preserving its gentle beauty and long-held traditions. As they leave the charming cobblestone streets of its artsy Venetian capital, travelers have a choice between a handful of roads heading south into the hinterland. These routes run first through hills that grow into the soaring slopes of Mt Psiloritis before diving down through winding gorges to the exotic and less-frequented sandy beaches of the coast washed by the Libyan Sea. Incredible sights and sites abound in this landscape steeped in history, where Minoan ruins, Byzantine churches, and rich traces of Crete’s Venetian and Ottoman occupations are everywhere.

CHECK OUT: SPILI: In this pretty village, you’ll find a Venetian fountain with 19 lion heads spouting crisp clean water from Mt Psiloritis.

ILLUSTRATION: LILA RUBY KING (WWW.LILARUBYKING.EU)

NIDA PLATEAU: In the mitata, the stone shelters built by shepherds, goats are milked daily to help make Crete’s famous cheeses.

ELEUTHERNA: This important ancient city was inhabited from roughly 3000 BC to the 14th century AD. MT PSILORITIS: Crete’s tallest mountain (2456m) remains snowcapped until late spring; it’s perfect for hikes, mountain climbing, and even skiing!

PREVELI AND VAI: This is where you’ll find the largest groves of the rare native Cretan palm tree Phoenix theophrastii.

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hours in RETHYMNO

Neither as big as Irakleio nor as well-known as Hania, the oft-overlooked town has its own charms.

© STYLIANOS PAPARDELAS

BY MICHA EL SWEET

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DAY 01 09:30

WALK LIKE A VENETIAN

© EFFIE PAROUTSA

Strolling through the maze-like alleys of Rethymno’s Old Town, Crete’s most well-preserved medieval settlement, is a fascinating journey through time. Its charming lanes are punctuated by beautiful ancient doorways; look, too, for the wooden balconies, or sachnisia, of former Ottoman residences. Makry Steno (“Long Alley”), also known as Nikiforou Foka Street, bisects the Old Town; the lanes off it, including Arabatzoglou, Minoos and Radamanthous, are all full of surprises. With great views, the 16th-century Venetian Fortezza (open daily 08:00-20:30) is worth the €4 entrance fee. The Archaeological Museum of Rethymno (4 Aghiou Fragiskou, Tel. (+30) 28310.275.06, open: Wed-Mon 10:00-18:00), presents exhibits from Neolithic to Roman times and from the region’s most significant archaeological sites. For more recent treasures, the Historical and Folk Museum (28-30 Vernardou, Tel. (+30) 28310.233.98, open: Mon-Sat 10:00-15:00) depicts life in rural Rethymno in the 17th century. The nearby picture-perfect Venetian Harbor is the ideal place for a stroll.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

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DAY 01 12:00

RIMONDI FOUNTAIN

There’s no better spot to take your bearings than at the ancient fountain with the three lions’ heads at the Old Town’s “crossroads”.

Under a bower of lavender-blue wisteria, Café Galero makes an ideal rest-and-rendezvous point. From here, the old quarter’s many delights are close at hand. The impressive 16th-century Loggia, once a meeting-place for Venetian nobility, is now the gift shop of the Archaeological Museum. For delicious Cretan favorites with a twist, head to rustic Raki Ba Raki (17 Arabatzoglou, Tel. (+30) 28310.582.50). Sit inside for a retro deli experience, or outside in the charming lanes, under the vines. Next to the fountain is a very cool locals’ favorite. Meli serves the best ice cream in Crete, homemade from goat’s milk. Once you taste it, you’ll never forget it.

ALI VAFI’S GARDEN

DAY 01 13:00

ARTISANS AND ARTISTS

Rethymniots are known for their creativity – mixing the old ways with contemporary flair. At Spantis in the Old Town (9 Panou Koroneou), Yiannis Spantidakis uses raw unprocessed leather to create bags, belts and wallets. Vibrant colors and great de116

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ILLUSTRATION: LILA RUBY KING (WWW.LILARUBYKING.EU)

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© GETTY IMAGES/IDEAL IMAGE

THE TOWN

SPANTIS

signs make his leatherworks irresistible.

A few streets away at 30 Vernardou is the bakery workshop of Yiorgos Hatziparaschos – one of the last traditional filo pastry makers in Greece. His son Paraskevas is continuing the tradition, and you can watch as they whirl the dough into a giant bubble before stretching it

by hand over the worktop. Taste the results by sampling their baklava or kataifi. Such artisanal excellence is bound to raise a thirst, so head down the tunnel that takes you to the bar-restaurant Ali Vafi’s Garden (65 Tzane Bouniali, Tel. (+30) 28310.232.38), for a beer in an ancient courtyard with citrus trees.

© STYLIANOS PAPARDELAS

THE TOWN

ASIKIKO

DAY 01 23:00

NESTS FOR NIGHT OWLS

The palm-lined promenade between the Venetian Harbor and the marina is home to some of Rethymno’s most popular bars and cafés. Watching the passersby from here while sipping a colorful cocktail is part of the Rethymno experience. The elegant Livingroom (5 Eleftheriou Venizelou, Tel. (+30) 28310.213.86) is a slice of Manhattan – all lush velvets, mirrored walls, video screens and top-notch service. Fraoules (62 Eleftheriou Venizelou, Tel. (+30) 28310.245.25), with its neon and chandeliers, is cool and has a nice vibe.

MUNICIPAL GARDENS

DAY 01 19:00

© EFFIE PAROUTSA

Rethymno’s Old Town is blessed with great restaurants, of which one in particular stands out – Avli (22 Xanthoudidou, Tel. (+30) 28310.582.50). In its enchanting flower-filled courtyard, owner Katerina Xekalou serves exquisite Cretan-inspired dishes. Using the freshest ingredients in time-honored recipes and modern creative fusions, Avli’s award-winning alchemy creates a dining experience second to none. For something lighter, head for bustling Vernardou Street and its traditional tavernas and mezedopoleia – eateries serving tasty tapas-style dishes. Rakodikeio (7 Vernardou, Tel. (+30) 28310.544.37) and Asikiko (13 Vernardou, Tel. (+30) 28310.424.96) are favorites. Light and airy Alana (15 Salaminos, Tel. (+30) 28310.277.37) offers good value.

SPANTIS

© STYLIANOS PAPARDELAS

DINING OUT

DAY 02 09:30

BREAKFAST AND BEACH

Near the ancient Guora Gate, the café-bakery Gaias Gefseis (15 Ethnikis Antistaseos) is a cozy breakfast spot on the Old Town’s main street; it makes some of the best traditional cakes and cookies in Rethymno. Across Tesseris Martyres Square, Sweet Cup (6 Dimokratias) is a gorgeous tea/coffee shop that serves beautiful cakes to match its charming decor. In the shaded Municipal Garden, nice for a morning stroll, is Kipos Café, a child-friendly destination.

No trip to Rethymno is complete without whiling away at least a few hours on its seemingly endless fine sand beach. Over two kilometers in length, this stretch of seafront is the perfect place for lying back and losing yourself in a good book. You won’t find it difficult to find a sun lounger, either; there are more than a thousand to choose from! Popeye Watersports has plenty of them; for its more energetic customers, it also offers water sport activities such as aqua paragliding and jet skiing.

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THE TOWN

DAY 02 13:00

LUNCH WITH THE LOCALS

Away from the main tourist spots but close to the beach, the suburb of Kallithea – east of the center – offers a glimpse into everyday Rethymniot life. Grocery stores, bakeries and butchers’ shops, along with a handful of cafés, line Markou Portaliou Street as it leads out of town towards Perivolia. The locals’ favorite restaurant is here, too – To Katsarolaki (19 Emmanouil Portaliou, Tel. (+30) 28310.513.98), with its great traditional Cretan dishes. Further east, Zisis Taverna (63 Machis Kritis, Missiria, Tel. (+30) 28310.288.14) is popular and offers good value.

ZISIS TAVERNA

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© EFFIE PAROUTSA

DAY 02 16:00

A TIME FOR GIFTS

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CHRISSI GALEROU

STAGAKIS’ LYRA WORKSHOP

STAGAKIS’ LYRA WORKSHOP

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Back in the Old Town, two main streets, Ethnikis Antistaseos and Arkadiou, and the tiny alleyway Souliou that connects them, all offer great shopping opportunities. Whether it’s quality embroidery, woodcrafts or an interesting memento, there’s something for everyone.

Chrissi Galerou (277 Arkadiou) has jewelry to die for – from designer pieces to unique handmade creations. There’s a delightful diversity to the retail experience in these streets. At 41 Ethnikis Antistaseos, don’t let the sign that reads koureio, or barbershop, confuse you. This tiny unassuming shop is the place for an authentic Cretan macheri (knife), sariki (headscarf) or komboloi (worry beads).

Good local cheese, honey, raki and olive oil can be found at Stylianos Koutakis’ shop at 86 Ethnikis Antistaseos.

The quaint Biblioscopio (38 Agnostou Stratioti Square) has books for all the family in English and Greek, as well as great stationery items and captivating toys for little ones. If you want a truly tuneful Cretan souvenir, Stagakis’ Lyra Workshop (45 Hatzimichali Giannari) is the place for handcrafted Cretan lyras.

THE TOWN

7 THALASSES

DAY 02 19:00

RIGHT ON THE WATER

Head for a superlative last-night supper at a seafront table on the edge of town. Prima Plora (4 Akrotiriou, Tel. (+30) 28310.569.90) prides itself on great organic dishes and has fresh seafood to match its dreamy location. The menu at nearby 7 Thalasses (89 Stamathioudaki, Tel. (+30) 28310.580.00) is excellent – this is another fine-dining option where you can almost dip your toes into the sea. Climb the steps to an idyllic perch on Fortezza Rock to reach Thalassographia (33 Kefalogiannidon, Tel. (+30) 28310.525.69) for amazing views and perfect sunset drinks.

DAY 02 21:00 A gentle breeze, a cool drink, and stars above and on the big screen in front of you: open-air movies are the quintessential Greek summer experience. Round off your stay in style at the open-air cinema Asteria (21 Ioannou Melissinou, Tel. +30 28310.228.30). Nightly screenings at 21:00 and 23:00. Entry €5.

And what could be better than one last celebratory stop?

For full-blown late-night revelry, head to hip Nafpigio (254 Arkadiou), with a nice crowd and the best dance music in town. The Rewine Bar (25-27 Tsagari, Tel. (+30) 28310.500.03) , open until 02:00, has fine selections from across the globe – it’s a wonderful spot to “wine down.”

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REWINE BAR

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SUMMER NIGHTS

RETHYMNO FOCUS

THE ORIGINS OF CHEESEMAKING

The different varieties of cheese commonly served all over Crete stem from age-old methods developed in the mitata, the simple stone huts that still symbolize the island’s pastoral heritage.

BY NENA DIM ITR IOU / PHOTOS TH A L I A GA L A NOPOULOU

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The handmade cheeses of Spiti tou Voskou in Krana are allowed to mature the traditional way.

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M

itata (sing. mitato) is the Cretan name for the rudimentary shepherds’ dwellings built in the mountains and, since one of their principal uses is to store and age cheese, they’re often considered to be the earliest form of dairies in the country. These stone structures symbolize the first stage of what later grew into a great tradition of dairy farming in Crete.

Most of the mitata in the region of Rethymno are concentrated on the Nida Plateau and in Livadia, high up on the slopes of Mt Psiloritis. This is where shepherds would spend their summers – alone, except for their animals and other passing shepherds. Being so remote, the mitata were also used as hideouts during the Ottoman occupation; during the Second World War, they provided cover for resistance fighters. These shelters, built of locally-sourced stones and shaped like Minoan tholos tombs, have entrances that face due east and, although they’re unique to Crete, somewhat similar structures can be found in other parts of the Mediterranean as well.

Each one was surrounded by a drystone wall about 1.5m high, which was used as a corral to gather sheep and goats for milking. Made of nothing but stone on stone, the mitata continue to stand on the mountain rock as examples of perfect vernacular architecture – modest, sturdy and functional in the extreme.

Larger, squarer stones were placed at the bottom in a circle, with the stones at the top being carved into shape. The structures became narrower as they grew taller, much like an igloo, in order to stand the weight of the winter snow. The gaps

01, 02. Shepherd Manolis Skoulas has fashioned a special milking sling to help with back strain. The fresh milk is sent straight to either the kitchen or the dairy.

03. Abandoned mitata in the foothills of Mt Psiloritis above Anogia.

between the stones were deliberately not filled in with clay or any other material, in order to allow air to pass through the walls to dry out the cheese, maturing it in the process. A small window – like a skylight – was left at the top of the dome, where spiders would be able to weave a nice thick web, catching flies and other insects and keeping them away from the cheese: a brilliant example of man and insect working together in symbiosis.

THE BIRTH OF CHEESE High up in the mountains, shepherds and goatherds would take the milk from their flocks straight to the cauldron in the mitato. Some of the shelters had two domes or two rooms to separate the processes of preparation and ageing. Standard items and utensils found here included the toupakia (straw baskets used as molds for fresh cheese); pots and ladles for the cheesemaking itself; a pan or a pot where the shepherds would cook their food; a katsouna (shepherd’s crook) and some rudimentary form of bedding.

Some would have family photographs on the walls to keep them company and to add a note of joy to their otherwise drab surroundings.

Coming straight from the udder, the milk was already warm when it was poured into the hot cauldron and treated with rennet, an enzyme found in the

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At Father Andreas Kokkino’s farm, where sheep are corralled in the paddock.

ALL KINDS OF CHEESE

stomachs of young ruminants that allows them to digest milk. Since there were no laws mandating the use of pasteurized milk in the past, the cheeses that came out of these traditional dairies were quite harsh in taste, with relatively intense and aggressive flavors. “Hole cheeses,” made with unpasteurized milk, are particularly treasured, so called because the natural fermentation process and lengthy ageing create large holes in their surface.

Most of Crete’s surviving mitata have been around for at least several decades.

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nia, which were used to heat milk, have also fallen into disuse. New food safety laws have changed production processes, and, as a result, have also changed the recipes themselves. Crete’s cheeses are now made in modern facilities with pasteurized milk heated to exact temperatures in stainless steel containers.

In Rethymno, which has the longest tradition of cheesemaking, most of the modern dairies are located in the area between Mylopotamos and Amari.

Although the method of production has been modernized, the cheeses of Crete remain very special indeed. More than 15 different types can be found on the island today, but all of them share a common history of production that began in cauldrons bubbling away in the island’s mitata.

From the first moment of my visit to the Gasparaki Dairy in Koumous, I was enveloped by that special smell of milk and grass – almost as if a freshly-cut lawn was being cooked in butter. I got there early to watch the process from the start. First to come out of the pot were the kefalotyri and graviera, top-quality table cheeses that are rich in fats, oily and semihard.

The leftovers from that first batch are used to produce a soft cheese that’s eaten either raw or cooked.

When fresh milk is added to the mix, you get myzithra, which is then strained through cheesecloth.

It is white, soft and sweet, and eaten raw. When it’s aged and dried, acquiring a bit of tang, it becomes xinomyzithra and is used in cooking.

Tyrozouli isn’t made with rennet; it’s curdled by the addition of an acidic coagulant to the pot during the boiling process. It’s usually made with vinegar and, easy to make, was present in every mitato and household. This quick and simple cheese is what Spiti tou Voskou (Tel. (+30) 697.745.1238) in Krana is famous for. This is a restored, functioning mitato near Mt Psiloritis that’s been turned into an agritourism facility where guests can see cheese being made.

Xygalo, stala, galomyzithra and a slew of other cheeses like touloumotyri (aged inside animal skins), are produced in more or less the same way. You should make a point of trying as many of the island’s cheeses as possible.

Tasting them is like “hearing” the myriad grasses, herbs and flowers that grow on these mountains, flavors that are startling at first but also complex, with alternating sharp edges and smooth surfaces.

These are delicious traditional products that happen to be staples of everyday life here, ever-present on the table and perhaps the tastiest symbols of the island’s culinary identity.

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R E T H Y M N O N AT U R E

THE ONLY WAY IS UP A community of ski mountaineers spearheads an alternative model of tourism, shifting the focus from Crete’s sandy beaches to its snow-capped peaks.

BY NATA SH A BL AT SIOU

C

“

rete Arising” is a documentary about ski mountaineering in Crete and the Pierra Creta race (pierracreta.gr) held on the island’s tallest mountain, Psiloritis. The director-producer, Greek-American Constantine Papanicolaou, uses the island’s history as a narrative thread in order to show how revolutions in Crete have always started in the mountains, and that the same is about to happen again. This time, however, it’s a revolution in tourism; Cretans are ready to pick up their ski poles and their skis and show the world that there’s

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still an unspoiled Crete, far from the tour operators and the all-inclusive seaside resorts in the heart of the island where shepherds still keep their flocks and make cheese, and where farmers grow fruit and vegetables to supply Greece and the rest of the world.

The trailblazers of this “tourism revolution” are a group of mountaineers who’ve been organizing Europe’s southernmost ski mountaineering event, Pierra Creta, for the last five years. “It’s barely 30 years since the first Cretans, a small community of young people – guided by two or three pioneers of the previous generation

© FROZEN AMBROSIA

– looked at the mountains from the point of view of mountaineering, and took up winter hiking, climbing and skiing,” Nikiforos Steiakakis, one of the event’s organizers, says. “Cut off geographically from the rest of Greece, we had little contact with the country’s mountaineering community. When, in 2012, we took part in a race on Mt Parnassos, we were struck by how seriously they took everything at this championship. So we thought we’d liven it up a bit, Cretan-style. We decided to hijack the flow of the program and put on an alternative awards ceremony for those who came last. We asked the organizers

to call them up by name. We took sheets of paper and wrote, ‘Even those who come last have a soul’ and gave them out instead of participation certificates!

And the cans of beer we had consumed (of which, admittedly, there were quite a few) we gave out instead of medals. And this was how, in that light-hearted mood, the idea was born to organize races on our own mountains, where we’d ski, too, but mostly, where we could show others how to have fun the Cretan way.”

Beginnings are always hard. Mainlanders mocked: “How can there be snow in the Libyan Sea?” Local people sneered

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Above: Ski touring up Mt Psiloritis in mid-February. Below right: A happy 2019 Pierra Creta participant sporting the commemorative medal that doubles as a bottle opener.

that, “some dudes in colorful leggings” would have little success approaching the unpolished residents of the villages of Psiloritis – Anogeia, Zoniana, Livadia – communities with a reputation of both lawlessness and gun ownership. Nonetheless, the group didn’t lose heart. The snow was there, and they found allies, including Father Andreas from Livadia.

Sporting snow boots, he helped convince young and old alike that ski mountaineering is not only fun, but could also be used to promote sustainable tourism development. The locals, seeing that the mountains could be used for more than farming, were glad for a chance to change the area’s reputation as a place “outside the law.”

The first year, seventy-three people turned up for the event. The well-known French mountaineer Christophe Moulin, invited to attend, couldn’t contain his enthusiasm. He predicted that, within five years, this would be an event that all of Europe would want to take part in, and he was right. This year, the fourth time the event was held, 200 people, including 58 foreigners from a total of 11 different countries, took part. The race consist130

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ed of two routes: a ski mountaineering race for top athletes (1,800m elevation difference with technical passes), and a shorter route for those taking part in a more amateur capacity (1,000m elevation difference). And, as always, the fun element was at the fore. In place of energy bars, there were delicious bananas from Arvi (a local variety), and rakomelo (a mix of raki with honey) was substituted for energy drinks. The prize was a beer created for the event in partnership with a local microbrewery, which you could

only drink if you worked out how your medal could be used as a bottle opener.

“Psiloritis is an iconic Mediterranean mountain,” says Steiakakis, “and, what’s more, it’s a ski resort-free zone. You come here to enjoy a special quality of snow, and to gaze at the sea on the way down.

The weather’s mild; the sun’s always shining, even in winter. The aprés ski is just as important: you’ll get to try authentic local cuisine, to drink raki, and to explore the culture of the group here.”

For the organizers of Pierra Creta, their progress is encouraging. “For three years, we’ve organized free skiing lessons for children; this year, we even joined the children’s program of the International Ski Federation, which is a global first for a place that doesn’t have a ski resort. We’re communicating the idea that the absence of a ski resort in Crete is an advantage. Ski mountaineering is growing in popularity everywhere; snow lovers no longer want to feel confined to ski resorts. And we have what they want. Paradise, but on a human scale.”

INFO

“Crete Arising,” co-produced with Cosmote TV, will be screening throughout Greece and Europe this autumn, and will be available for purchase at www.frozenambrosia.com

© SIMONE BINDER

© FROZEN AMBROSIA

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THE ROCKS AT TRIOPETRA

RETHYMNO EXPERIENCES

THE PERFECT MIX

A handful of roads branch south from the city of Rethymno into the hinterland, running over lofty mountains and through gentle hills and towering gorges before diving down to golden sandy beaches and the glistening Libyan Sea.

BY M ICH A EL SWEET & NENA DIM ITR IOU

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SOUTH COAST

UNSPOILED BEAUTY

To get to some of Rethymno’s most outstanding beaches, head south to Spili, then take a right for Mourné.

The seaside hamlets of Aghia Fotini, Triopetra and Aghios Pavlos, largely untouched by development and without a resort in sight, are on the other side of the mountain to the south. Take a map (better than Google when signal strength fails) and follow the signs (which are few and far between).

Triopetra is the best pick with a handful of tavernas.

Aghios Pavlos has become known as a spot for yoga lovers who want to get into their lotus positions in a picture-perfect paradise.

PLAKIAS

HIT THE WAVES

This cheerful coastal village with a few resorts is pleasant enough, but it’s the coast to its east that is the real draw. The beaches of Damnoni, Ammoudi and Schinaria are simply gorgeous. With shallow azure waters, shingle and sand, this is beach serenity with just the right amount of comfort; all the beaches have sunbeds and tavernas nearby. Damnoni’s unique selling point is top-of-the-range water sports, including canoeing, diving, windsurfing and yachting, offered by the excellent Hapimag resort (Tel. (+30) 28320.300.00).

INFO: A small passenger boat (Plakias Finikas Cruises, Tel. (+30) 693.680.6635) runs between local beaches three times a day.

Damnoni pick-up for Preveli (see right) at 10:40, 12:40 and 14:00.

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MARGARITES

AMARI VALLEY

A VILLAGE MADE OF CLAY

SPIRITUAL SURROUNDINGS

The ceramic ornaments that adorn the walls of its houses give this village its own special look. Of particular note among its 20 active ceramics workshops, each with a unique style, are Keramion (keramion.gr), which offers seminars for those who want to try their hand at pottery, and EA Ceramics, with its utilitarian and ornamental wares which, despite their contemporary aesthetics, are all inspired by Minoan vases (eaceramicstudio.com).

Southeast of Rethymno, a patchwork of quiet country lanes connects tiny hamlets hardly touched by tourism.

Follow the road to Patsos at the valley’s northern end, where mighty Psiloritis, Crete’s highest mountain, looms large to your left.

Below this legendary peak, a journey in the Amari Valley takes you through some of Crete’s oldest olive groves; nestled among them are places of ancient spirituality.

This is a timeless, sacred place. Tiny Byzantine chapels with colorful frescoes sit beside the remains of Minoan sites that predate Christianity by more than 2,000 years. The village of Nefs Amari is a lovely spot, with its church bell tower and the oldest known church in Crete (Aghia Anna, 1196).

Meronas, and its 14thcentury Church of the Panaghia, should be on any tour of the valley, along with Gerakari, famed for its sweet dark cherries.

ANCIENT ELEUTHERNA

ACROSS ERAS

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This impressive archaeological park sprawls down a picturesque ridge with well-organized, sign-posted paths and an official EU hiking trail. Archaeological discoveries made here confirm Homer’s descriptions of funeral rites, Patroclus’ pyre and Achilles’ ornate shield as accurate reflections of pre-Classical Greek culture.

Eleutherna flourished from the Geometric through to the Archaic periods (9th-6th c. BC). It was also prosperous in the Hellenistic (323-68 BC) period and survived into Roman, Byzantine and Venetian times.

Main attractions here include the Orthi Petra necropolis; public buildings; private houses; a 2,200-year-old stone bridge; and a traditional water mill. Along the way, you’ll find temples, tombs, fountains, reservoirs, quarries, Byzantine chapels and a defensive tower. The site’s museum opened just three years ago. - John Leonard 134

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CHROMONASTIRI

VENETIAN CHARM

ARKADI MONASTERY

SYMBOL OF FREEDOM

A place of pilgrimage, it was here during the 1866 Cretan revolt against Ottoman rule that more than 900 people – the majority women and children – sought refuge. After a three-day battle, surrounded by Turkish forces and on the order of the abbot, the Cretans ignited their store of gunpowder, in one last desperate act of defiance. They killed themselves, and many of their attackers, rather than surrender. While their self-sacrifice did not win the battle, it brought worldwide attention to the cause of Cretan independence, and eventually helped lead to Crete’s unification with Greece. The monastery’s most renowned building is its 16th-century Venetian church, the facade of which survived the events of 1866. Spending time inside its ornate interior, surrounded by icons, is a moving experience.

INFO: Open daily: 9:00-20:00.

Tel. (+30) 28310.831.35 Admission €3.

Visitors are invited to cover their legs and shoulders as a mark of respect.

This village is a tranquil haven. Head to the tiny square to find Prinari’s Mill, a small museum dedicated to olive oil production. Housed in an exquisite 17th-century villa (a fine example of Venetian rural architecture that in itself is worth a visit), the Military Museum of Chromonastiri (Tel. (+30) 28310.751.35, admission €3) has a fascinating collection of objects and photographs related to the Battle of Crete and to Greece’s War of Independence. On the way to Chromonastiri lies the beautiful Mili Gorge, once the site of dozens of watermills. Hiking the gorge involves an easy and enchanting 4km walk, with the Mili Gorge Taverna (Tel. (+30) 697.770.1007) a perfect stop for refueling along the way.

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MAROULAS

A VILLAGE WITH A VIEW

A 10-minute drive southeast from the city of Rethymno brings you to this charming hamlet with amazing views of the north coast. Katerina’s Taverna (Tel. (+30) 697.091.6374) and Taverna Fantastiko (Tel. (+30) 698.844.2728) may have the best views, but for insights into Maroulas’ history from owner Ilias, as well as excellent traditional food, try Mylopetra (Tel. (+30) 693.765.1186) below the imposing Venetian tower. At Marianna’s Workshop (Tel. (+30) 28310.724.32), Marianna Founti-Vassi has been studying and collecting local medicinal herbs for decades, using them to make her teas, balms, infusions and ointments.

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Smile!

You are in Happy

Cretan!

Every one of our 26 luxury rooms in Agia Pelagia, have a balco-

Our hotel aims to set new standards for personalised service

ny or terrace with astonishing panoramic sea views. The sea

in Crete, starting with our customer-oriented check-in from the

vistas that pour into our interiors are simply magical and are

moment you arrive.

something you should experience in person. Whether it is during

The concierge team charged with helping you explore Crete like

the day or the evening, you will be utterly captivated by watching

a local, to our family-friendly approach and facilities, we try to

the sun, the sea, the island of Dia, and the Cretan coastline.

provide a tailor-made service for all our guests.

Call us: +30 2810 811289 Address: Agia Pelagia Heraklion, Crete, 71500 Greece E-mail: info@happycretan.gr Website: www.happycretan.gr

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PREVELI

TROPICAL SCENERY

Natural beauty and inspiring history come together at Preveli, with its ancient monastery perched high above the Libyan Sea. Below is a palm tree-lined beach with sun loungers and a couple of cafés.

Exploring the gorge, with yet more palms, is fun and a dip in the river is refreshing. Dating from the Middle Ages and active in rebellions against the Ottomans in the 19th century, Preveli Monastery is better known today for its WWII exploits. Here, hundreds of Allied soldiers who had evaded capture after the fall of Crete in June 1941 were spirited away to Egypt by submarine from the shore below.

The soldiers’ escape was made possible by the monks and local people who risked their lives for them.

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INFO: Preveli Monastery (Tel. (+30) 28320.312.46) is open 9:00-13:30 & 15:30-18:30.

Admission: €2.50. It is a working monastery and visitors are asked to keep this in mind and dress modestly.

RETHYMNO EXPERIENCES

MOUNT PSILORITIS

MIGHTY, MAJESTIC AND MYSTERIOUS

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Crete’s highest mountain, Psiloritis dominates the eastern edge of the regional unit of Rethymno. In ancient times, people climbed up to leave relics at the sanctuary on the peak; today, the Chapel of Timios Stavros (“Holy Cross”) stands here. The view from the peak is breathtaking, particularly in winter, when the mountain is covered in snow. The 2456m summit can be reached from either the south or the north. The shortest and easiest route to the top, called “Strata of Psiloritis,” takes two hours and begins at Lakos Mygerou (1580m). Recently created, this trail is well-marked and is paved with stone slabs for easy footing. Another well-known route to the summit follows the E4 path from the Nida Plateau.

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RETHYMNO EXPERIENCES

ANOGIA

MUSIC AND RESISTANCE

More than 700m above sea level on Mt Psiloritis, this village has a poignant history. Destroyed by the Turks for its resistance to their rule in the 19th century, and by the Germans in World War II, Anogia is synonymous with heroism and sacrifice.

This is a place where memory runs deep. Perhaps that is why it’s at the heart of the history of Cretan music. Anogia-born Nikos Xylouris (1936-1980), one of Crete’s most famous lyra players, elevated a local folk music tradition to national and international prominence. His birthplace, the Nikos Xylouris House, is now a small museum, with posters, photographs and memorabilia. Don’t miss the Museum of Grylios showcasing the moving work of Alkiviades Skoulas (1902-1996) – who, in his old age, became a painter and woodcarver. In the lower town, the village’s rich handicraft tradition is obvious in the embroidery for sale in the stalls off Livadi Square.

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TIP: Aetos (Tel. (+30) 28340.312.62) is famous for a Cretan favorite antikristo, finger-lickingly delicious slow-roasted crispy lamb.

Skalomata (Tel. (+30) 28340.313.16) serves great rustic favorites.

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GOOD FOOD GUIDE GOULES, GOULEDIANA Owner/chef Kostas Chamogiorgakis has created a truly remarkable restaurant at Goules. Kostas’ inspired take on traditional Cretan cuisine draws diners from around the world. Rooster braised in wine with homemade pasta, and pork with honey and thyme, are just two of the delights on offer. Tel. (+30) 698.366.1503 MOSCHOVOLIES, MERONAS This traditional taverna run by the Moschonas family uses the freshest local produce

from their own farm to create specialties that include eggplant with feta and tomatoes, and slow-cooked pork with mountain herbs. Tel. (+30) 28330.225.26 ARKOUDENAS GARDEN, EPISKOPI Popular and busy, Arkoudenas Garden is a delight. Owner Giorgos and his mom Angeliki use ingredients from their farm.

Giorgos’ own crunchy and delicious 49-ingredient salad (a Cretan diet all to itself), and the succulent lamb with rice

AVGENAKIS’ KAFENEIO, SPILI

You’ll find traditional coffee houses (kafeneia) in villages across Crete. They look the same: a bar in the corner, a stove in the middle, and all the chairs facing the door – to let patrons check out who’s coming in. You’ll see photographs of Eleftherios Venizelos or the owner’s family.

In the past, such places often doubled as barbershops, post offices, general stores, or even a tailor’s, as in the case of the kafeneio of Giorgis Avgenakis. It no longer makes Cretan costumes, but the ofti (baked) potatoes are delicious.Tel. (+30) 28320.220.29

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cooked in the juices of the meat (often served at Cretan weddings) are hard to beat.

Tel. (+30) 28310.616.07 ILIOMANOLIS, KANEVOS This taverna (and its cook Maria Iliaki) have put the village of Kanevos on the tourist map. They serve more than 25 different stews made in the tsikali (the local word for pot) every day, using seasonal ingredients and generous lashings of olive oil. Ask for the lamb with askordoulaki (tassel hyacinth bulbs), which is

absolutely unforgettable. Tel. (+30) 28320.510.53 STROFI TIS GEFSIS, VYZARI This taverna, around for 37 years, serves solid classics like sizzling goat, fried or roast rabbit with potatoes, greens or rice, braised rooster and lamb. Manolis, a priest, and his wife Eleni cook up locally sourced meat with whatever grows in their garden: home cooking at its purest. Tel. (+30) 28330.412.58

CRETA CAROB

FULL OF FLAVOR

While Crete is full of carob trees, carob pods were traditionally used as animal feed, although a few old-timers still remember eating them during the food shortages in World War II. Today, the Creta Carob company at Argyroupoli produces dozens of products with a flavor strongly resembling raw cocoa. Different parts of the pod are used to produce syrups, bars, spreads, cookies, jams, pastas, different types of flour and even soaps.

INFO: Tel. (+30) 28310.811.50, open daily 8:00-16:00.

RETHYMNO EXPERIENCES

© DIMITRIS VLAIKOS

KLADOS WINERY

GREAT GRAPES

Off the beaten track near the village of Panormos, the Klados Winery, one of the region of Rethymno’s few commercial wine producers, cultivates the indigenous Vidiano grape to produce wine with lemony green hues and aromas of peach and apricot, refreshingly dry and a perfect match for seafood.

Look for it (the bottles carry the winery’s distinctive hawk logo) in local tavernas and supermarkets.

INFO: Admission €3-€5 (depending on the number of wines tasted) and includes a tour and presentation.

Open Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat 10:00-15:00.

Enjoy authentic Cretan hospitality and amazing meals based on care and love

Xanthoudidou & Radamanthios, Rethimno Tel. +30 28310 58250, www.avli.gr AVLI.Rethymno

avlicrete

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E XPLORE IR AKLEIO

AT A GLANCE The region of Irakleio (Ηράκλειο) is home to Crete’s top-rated archaeological site, the Minoan Palace of Knossos. The region’s bustling capital has the island’s largest airport and seaport. While not attractive in a conventional way, the city rewards visitors with a world-famous archaeological museum, vibrant food culture and lively nightlife. A few kilometers inland, the fast pace of the capital yields to the slower rhythms of the Irakleio wine district, with its famous grape varieties, and vast plains interrupted only by Mt Ida to the west and the Asterousia Mountains in the south – wild areas with a strong pastoral tradition and villages that preserve ageold customs. Beyond these mountains lie enchanting beaches loved by locals.

CHECK OUT: KNOSSOS: Arrive early and beat the crowds to the ancient Minoan home of the Minotaur, and scene of the winged escape of Daedalus and Icarus.

CRETAQUARIUM: Get a closer look at sharks, stingrays, jellyfish and 200 other Mediterranean marine species, all without getting wet.

ILLUSTRATION: LILA RUBY KING (WWW.LILARUBYKING.EU)

ASTEROUSIA: Look for golden eagles soaring over the remote peaks of Greece’s southernmost mountain range.

ROUVAS GORGE: Traverse this natural wonder by hiking a section of the E4 path that runs the entire length of Crete.

IRAKLEIO VINEYARDS: Taste the magic of the Cretan terroir at one of 23 wineries in the heart of the island’s wine country.

MATALA: It may be mainstream today, but in the ‘60s and ‘70s it was home to a community of cavedwelling hippies.

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T H E C A P I TA L

THE LOGGIA

hours in IRAKLEIO

The island’s largest city is energetic and vibrant, with fantastic museums, great food and a lively nightlife scene.

BY OLGA CH A R A MI

DAY 01 08:30

BRIGHT AND EARLY

Stop for a quick specialty coffee at Crop Roastery Brewery (4 Aretousas, Tel. (+30) 2810.221.058) and then walk to Eleftherios Venizelos Square (popularly known as Lions’ Square) in the historic center of the town; it’s a popular meeting spot for locals and a selfie staple for visitors. A very short walk from the square’s Morosini Fountain is the city’s most beautiful building, the Loggia, which served as a club for Venetian nobles. Today, you can see teens showing off their breakdance and skateboarding moves here. The city’s most famous bougatsa (cream pie) is also served in this area, at the Kirkor Kafeneio (31 Venizelou/Lions’ Square, Tel. (+30) 2810.242.705). From here, take 25th Avgoustou Street, with its neoclassical mansions and the beautiful Church of Aghios Titos – renowned for its stained glass windows.

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10:30

ANCIENT TREASURES

Everything in Crete began with the Minoan civilization, so immerse yourself in this fascinating world with a tour of the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, (Xanthoudidou & Hatzidaki, Tel. (+30) 2810.279.000, open: Wed-Mon 08:00-20:00, Tue 10:00-20:00, admission: €10), with its amazing exhibition items such as the Phaistos Disc and the Minoan Snake Goddess. Here, you’ll find objects providing a full chronicle of Minoan Cretan palatial, religious and everyday life – from Knossos as well as from other palaces, settlements, cemeteries and cave shrine sites. In addition to the iconic Snake Goddess, the Phaistos Disc and the symbol-rich Aghia Triada sarcophagus, exhibits include golden jewelry; stone seals; finely crafted ceramic and ivory containers; bronze and silver weapons; archival tablets; ordinary iron tools; household equipment; and assorted votive offerings. Upstairs, colorful Knossian wall paintings depict prosperous palace elites, their now-famous bull-leaping ritual and nature scenes with idyllic rocky or riverine landscapes and exotic animals.

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CHURCH OF AGHIOS TITOS

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T H E C A P I TA L

ALATI TIS GIS

DAY 01 13:00 LOCAL DELIGHTS

When you’ve had your fill of ancient artifacts, head back and follow 1866 Street into the heart of the market.

Among the tourist shops selling sarikia (traditional headscarves), katsounes (shepherds’ crooks) and daggers with mantinades (rhyming couplets) carved into their blades, there are still a few grocery stores, butchers’ shops and cafés. Worth a visit is Alati tis Gis (4 Gianitson, Tel. (+30) 2811.758.458), a small deli with a selection of good-quality products from Crete and around Greece. After doing their daily shopping, locals often stop for some meze (small dishes) and a glass of raki at one of the many eateries in the area before heading home for a siesta, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t do the same. Alternatively, you could grab a vegetarian snack, like a falafel wrap with organic vegetables and homemade sauces, from the healthy fastfood eatery Rovythi (9 Meramvellou, Tel. (+30) 2814.004.423). If, however, you’re looking for a heartier meal of home-style Greek food, try Kanatelias (15 Tsikritzi, Tel. (+30) 2810.285.770).

For dessert, there’s great homemade ice cream at Kosmiri (22 Kydonias, Tel. (+30) 2810.334.219).

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T H E C A P I TA L

ADVENTURES IN LEARNING

The Historical Museum of Crete (27 Sofokli Venizelou & 7 Lysimachou Kalokerinou, Tel. (+30) 2810.283.219, open daily 9:00-17:00, admission: €5) spans the period from early Christianity to World War II and also boasts two paintings by the world-renowned, Irakleio-born artist Domenikos Theotokopoulos, better known as El Greco.

If you’re traveling with children, visit the Natural History Museum (Sofokli Venizelou Ave. (Dermata Bay), Tel. (+30) 2810.282.740, open Mon-Fri

09:00-21:00, weekends 10:00-21:00, admission: €7.50 ), where animatronic dinosaurs, simulated earthquakes and dioramas make for a fascinating experience. Kids really love the special “exploration area,” where the museum offers interactive games.

As the sun starts to set, join the locals for a stroll along the Venetian Harbor, taking a few photographs of the 14th-century shipsheds and the Koule (Tel. 2810.243.559, Wed-Mon 08:0020:00, admission: €2), a 16th-century fortress in the sea that’s also Irakleio’s most iconic monument.

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DAY 01 15:00

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AMAN–THE GARDEN

DAY 02 09:30

WALK THE WALLS

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Start your day with breakfast and a well-made specialty coffee on the rooftop of Think Tank (7 Ideou Androu, Tel. (+30) 2811.112.954) before heading off like a modern-day Theseus into the labyrinth of central Irakleio. Follow the footpaths on the Venetian walls and locate the fortress’ four main gates: the Aghios Georgios Gate, which hosts temporary art exhibitions; the New or Jesus Gate on Evans Street, where you’ll find an exhibition on the life of celebrated Cretan writer Nikos Kazantzakis (there are no fixed hours, but it can usually be found open daily from 08:00-14:00); the Bethlehem Gate, where concerts are held in the summer; and the Pantokrator (“Almighty”) Gate, which the locals call Hanioporta.

DAY 01 21:30 OWN THE NIGHT

Irakleio’s nightlife is mainly concentrated inside the city walls, on the pedestrianized streets in the downtown area.

Aman -The Garden (54 Aghiou Titou, Tel. 2810.288.116) is a lovely verdant space which serves cocktails made with local ingredients and premium spirits, as well as a menu of Mediterranean dishes and sushi. Great drinks and loud music can be found at Halavro (10 Milatou, Tel. (+30) 2810.335.146), located in the roofless shell of an old house.

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THINK TANK

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© OLGA CHARAMI

T H E C A P I TA L

KAGIABI

DAY 02 17:30 SUNSET SWIM

DAY 02 13:30 LET’S DO LUNCH

Go local and visit a proper Cretan kafeneio for classic meze, including wild greens, snails, graviera cheese and dakos salad, washed down with glasses of fiery raki; Kagiabi (12 Monofatsiou, Tel. (+30) 2810.226.286) on a small lane in the Lakkos district is a great choice.

This long-neglected neighborhood is now an open-air public art gallery worth exploring. For something more modern, Apiri (5 Aghion Deka, Tel. (+30) 2810.342.228), in the town center, is an all-day eatery with creative Cretan cuisine, a good cocktail list and a selection of local wines.

Just 15 minutes out of town, Arina is a popular beach for windsurfing and paddle boarding; the fine sand makes it perfect for beach volleyball (there are several nets) and yoga, too. For a super sunset experience, try Nirou Terra (Kokkini Hani, Tel. (+30) 694.477.7094), an all-day/late-night beach bar with a beach of its own and an easy indie vibe. Watch the sun sink from the comfort of a sun lounger with a cold drink in your hand.

LAKKOS DISTRICT

DAY 02 22:30

OUT ON THE TOWN

© PERIKLES MERAKOS

Check the program of the Kazantzakis and the Hadjidakis open-air theaters for any interesting performances, as they’re both beautifully situated in the dry moat area beneath the Venetian walls. For dinner, Walls (1 Doukos Bofor, Tel. (+30) 2810.344.348) is a Mediterranean restaurant with a view of the fortifications and of the busy tennis courts below. Another good option is Vourvouladiko, a lovely taverna (one of the city’s best, so reservations are a must) with a garden in Lakkos.

It serves simple, well-executed Cretan food; all meals end with a treat on the house of vanilla ice cream with a garnish of warm, homemade pasteli sesame snap. If you’re up for an after-dinner drink, the cocktails at Parko 240 (Milatou & Ideou Androu, Tel. (+30) 2810.331.642) in the city center are good.

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65 χρόνια πριν ο Αλέκος Δάνδαλης άνοιξε στην κεντρική Αγορά του Ηρακλείου ένα καφεκοπτείο 65 χρόνια πριν ο Αλέκος Δάνδαλης άνοιξε στην που έμελλε να γίνει ο αγαπημένος καφές της Κρήτης. κεντρική Αγορά του Ηρακλείου ένα καφεκοπτείο In 1952 Alekos opened a coffee in the που έμελλε να Dandalis γίνει ο αγαπημένος καφέςshop της Κρήτης. central market of Heraklion that would supply Crete’s In 1952 Alekos Dandalis opened a coffee shop in the favorite coffee. central market of Heraklion that would supply Crete’s favorite coffee.

Θα έχετε διαπιστώσει ότι δεν χρειάζεται να εισαχθεί σχεδόν τίποτε στην Κρήτη. Οι ντόπιοι αγαπούν και εμπιστεύονται τα δικά τους προϊόντα, θέλουν να ξέρουν Θα έχετε διαπιστώσει δεν χρειάζεται εισαχθεί τίποτε που ωρίμασε η ντομάταότι στη σαλάτα τους ήνα ποιος έκοψεσχεδόν τον καφέ τους.στην Εδώ Κρήτη. και Οι ντόπιοι αγαπούν εμπιστεύονται τα δικά τους προϊόντα, θέλουνΔάνδαλη να ξέρουν πάνω από 65 χρόνια,και το τελευταίο είναι λυμένο: Το παλιό καφεκοπτείο που ωρίμασε η ντομάτα στη σαλάτα τους ή ποιος έκοψε τον καφέ τους. και είναι πλέον ένα υπερσύγχρονο εργοστάσιο επεξεργασίας καφέ, πουΕδώ καλύπτει πάνω από 65τομείς χρόνια,δραστηριότητας το τελευταίο είναι(εισαγωγή λυμένο: Το καφεκοπτείο Δάνδαλη – όλους τους – παλιό επεξεργασία – συσκευασία είναι πλέον ένα υπερσύγχρονο εργοστάσιο καφέ, που καλύπτει διανομή). Μπορεί μάλιστα να αποδώσει 8.500επεξεργασίας κιλά ημερησίως ελληνικού καφέ, όλουςφίλτρου, τους τομείς δραστηριότητας (εισαγωγή – επεξεργασίαπάνω – συσκευασία καφέ εσπρέσο και καφέ σπυριού εξυπηρετώντας από 2.500– διανομή). Μπορείμέσω μάλιστα να αποδώσει 8.500διανομής κιλά ημερησίως ελληνικού καφέ, σημεία πώλησης του δικού του δικτύου και το χονδρεμπόριο. καφέ φίλτρου, εσπρέσο και καφέ σπυριού εξυπηρετώντας πάνω απόμεταξύ 2.500 Η άριστη ποιότητα των προϊόντων της κατατάσσει την Καφέ Δάνδαλης σημεία πώλησης μέσω του δικού δικτύου διανομής καικαφέ το χονδρεμπόριο. των μεγαλύτερων εταιρειών στηντου επεξεργασία επώνυμου στην Ελλάδα. Σε Η άριστη ποιότητα προϊόντων τηςDouwe κατατάσσει την Καφέηγετική Δάνδαλης μεταξύ συνεργασία μάλιστατων με την ολλανδική Egberts κατέχει θέση στην των μεγαλύτερων εταιρειών στην επεξεργασία επώνυμου καφέ στηνμονάδες Ελλάδα.της Σε προμήθεια καφέ και άλλων ροφημάτων σε μεγάλες ξενοδοχειακές συνεργασία μάλιστα με την ολλανδική Douweξέρουν Egbertsκαι κατέχει ηγετική θέση στην Κρήτης. Είπαμε, οι Κρητικοί ξέρουν να τρώνε, να πίνουν. προμήθεια καφέ και άλλων ροφημάτων σε μεγάλες ξενοδοχειακές μονάδες της Κρήτης. οι Κρητικοί ξέρουν να τρώνε, ξέρουν καιcoffee να πίνουν.

THE OLDΕίπαμε, DANDALIS COFFEE shop is now an ultra modern processing factory that covers the company’s activities entirely (import – processing – packaging – THE OLD DANDALIS COFFEE shop is now ancoffee, ultra modern coffee processing distribution); it can yield 8,500 kg of Greek filter coffee, espresso andfactory coffee that covers thedaily, company’s activities (import processing – packaging roasted beans supplying more entirely than 2,500 sales–outlets and the wholesale– distribution); can yield 8,500network. kg of Greek filter coffee,ofespresso and places coffee trade throughitits distribution Thecoffee, excellent quality its products roasted supplying more thanprocessors 2,500 salesinoutlets the wholesale Dandalisbeans Coffeedaily, among the biggest coffee Greece,and whereas its cooptrade through its distribution network.itThe quality of products eration with Douwe Egberts elevated to aexcellent leading position asits supplier of places coffee Dandalis among thehotel biggest coffee processors in Greece, whereas its coopand otherCoffee beverages to big units in Crete. eration with Douwe Egberts elevated it to a leading position as supplier of coffee and other beverages to big hotel units in Crete.

ΒΙ.ΠΕ. Ηρακλείου, οδός Ι & Β, Ηράκλειο / Herakleion Industrial Area, I & B St., Heraklion +30 2810 380960 dandalis.gr

kafes.dandali

kafes.dandali

ΒΙ.ΠΕ. Ηρακλείου, οδός Ι & Β, Ηράκλειο / Herakleion Industrial Area, I & B St., Heraklion +30 2810 380960 dandalis.gr

IR AKLEIO FOCUS

A GRAPE LEAP The renaissance of Crete’s ancient wine culture is catching the eye of wine enthusiasts - here’s why...

BY YIA NNIS K A R A K ASIS M W

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retan wine has come a long way since the beginning of the 20th century, when Sir Arthur Evans discovered an ideogram for the word “wine” in a sample of Linear B – the earliest attested form of Greek script – discovered in Knossos. The Cretan wine industry has only recently shifted to high-quality production, after decades of turning out bulk quantities of highly oxidized “rocket-fuel” wine. The leap in quality over the last few years is extremely impressive, and can be attributed to a number of factors. These include the emergence of a new generation of producers who, having studied abroad, are bringing back innovative ideas. Add to this the fascinating mosaic of indigenous grape varieties, the explosion in tourism and the focused efforts of the Wines of Crete network, and you can see why Cretan wine is coming on in leaps and bounds.

According to Wines of Crete, there are more than 80 producers on the island, with some excellent efforts in Hania and in Sitia, with Yiannis Economou raising the bar to stratospheric heights. But the heartbeat of this renaissance is felt primarily in the broader Irakleio area.

These terroirs, which have existed for ages, are home to around 50 producers that make up 90% of total production. White Vidiano (also known as the Greek Viognier) and the singular perfumed red Liatiko tend to receive the most attention here, but there is a multitude of other indigenous varieties worth discovering too, such as Kotsifali, Mandilari, Thrapsathiri, Vilana and Dafni. Let’s not forget the Cretan version of Assyrtiko, either, or the unsung Rhone-like reds.

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Plyto was an unknown Cretan grape variety until recent successful vinification efforts.

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A TOAST TO HISTORY The grapevine has seen around 4,000 years of systematic cultivation in Crete. It should be no wonder, then, that one of the oldest wine presses in Europe (dating back 3,500 years) was discovered around 9km from the city of Irakleio, in Vathypetro, a place well worth visiting if you want to feel the energy of this rich past.

Another option for visitors is the Palace of Knossos which is located 4.5km from the city, and which was the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization and culture for many years. I find myself lost for words every time I visit.

Apart from the palace of King Minos with its throne and royal chambers, you can also see impressive amphorae here, as well as vast underground wine storage facilities, and drawings that illustrate not only the central role that wine played in life on the island, but also the sophisticated methods that the Minoans had for producing it.

MY WINE ROUTES Visiting these historical sites early in the morning always allows me plenty of time to fit in a couple of winery visits.

There are many excellent wineries that

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are waiting to welcome you and show the best they have to offer. There are three PDOs (“Protected Designation of Origin” areas) around Irakleio - Dafnes, Archanes and Peza – but their importance has diminished over time, with many wines operating outside the PDO classification system.

THE DAFNES ZONE The Dafnes Zone takes its name from a village dating perhaps to the 11th century; it’s one of the most important terroirs, blessed with a large quantity of limestone in the soil. It’s located 18km south of Irakleio at an elevation of 500m in gentle, rolling, Tuscany-like hills planted with vines and olives. According to historical documents, wine from Dafnes has been well known since 1271. There are many excellent wineries to visit near the village, with most of them focusing on reds produced from the signature grape of the region – Liatiko.

Douloufakis is a third-generation winemaker regarded as the expert on Vidiano, producing four different labels and styles of this lovely white. He also produces reds from Liatiko and other varieties. His winery is very much Italian-influenced,

WHAT TO TASTE NEAR DAFNES: From Douloufakis, his red Dafnios, a Liatiko matured in large oak casks, and his Methode Traditionelle Sparkling wine made from Vidiano. From Silva, the new natural line-up called Grifos, particularly their Liatiko. From Idaia, the Thrapsathiri with its very fresh acidity.

From Efrosini, the Mikri Evgeniki Vidiano, and from Diamantakis the newly-released Liatiko Petali which, to preserve the purity of the fruit, hasn’t undergone oak maturation.

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NEAR ARCHANES AND PEZA: From

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Miliariakis, the Vilana Fumé from high-elevation vineyards in Peza. From Digenakis, the newly released single vineyard Leivades Kotsifali from dry-farmed bush vines grown in limestone soil, which delivers an elegant, understated expression of Kotsifali. From Rhous, Skipper Red, a modern blend of Mandilari and Kotsifali which is juicy, layered and rewarding.

From Paterianakis, the new 3.14 natural approach Red Kotsifali.

From Lyrarakis, an

aged Dafni might be the star, but one shouldn’t complain about the prephylloxera single vineyard Aggelis Liatiko, either.

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OTHER NOTEWORTHY WINERIES: Alexakis (try

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their excellent Vidiano), Stylianou (try his stunningly sweet Liatiko), Michalakis (indulge in the layered Gold Cuvee blend), Strataridakis (try his perfumed Muscat of Spina), Zacharioudakis (experience the white Codix, a smart blend of Vilana and Malvasia di Candia).

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01. Emmanouela and Niki, the dynamic duo behind Domaine Paterianaki.

02. While Crete is renowned for its white varieties, there are many interesting reds as well, including Liatiko and Kotsifali.

03. Maria Tamiolaki and Dimitris Mansolas of Rhous Winery, in Houdetsi, in Irakleio.

04. The cellar at Lyrarakis Winery.

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with warm red-brick colors dominating.

He himself is an excellent host. Next door are the wineries of Silva, Idaia and, a little further to the south, near Asites, Diamantakis. Silva is very much into the “hands -off” approach, with a strong emphasis on organics and biodynamics; they offer three different wine tours here. Idaia, located in the village of Venerato, focuses almost exclusively on local Cretan varieties with great Vidiano and Thrapsathiri wines, and a promising new Liatiko as well. Diamantakis has impressive vineyards, with some of them planted right next to the winery, in terraces of poor, rocky soil at 500m above sea level. A walk with Diamantakis to the pergola laden with Vidiano vines is an experience worth seeking out.

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ARCHANES AND PEZA In his work “Taxidiotika,” the famous Greek novelist Stratis Mirivilis described how his friends took him to Archanes to see the vineyards there. He was so impressed with them, and with the area’s breathtaking beauty, that he declared that “the Temple of Dionysus should have been located here.” Kotsifali and Mandilaria are the ingredients of a signature blend that delivers a Cretan red full of ripeness and Mediterranean sun and with a velvety texture. The area of Peza, in the eastern part of the region, produces reds similar in style, but also places emphasis on Vilana planted at 700m above sea level. This latter variety is one of the most planted whites in Crete.

There are many quality-focused winer-

ies to be found in this region. From north to south, the options include Minos-Miliarakis in Peza village, Rhous, Paterianakis and Lyrarakis. Miliarakis offers a unique tasting session (by appointment) held in a picturesque “vineyard house” at the top of a small hill thickly planted with vines.

Rhous, at Houdetsi, is the brainchild of Dimitris Mansolas and Maria Tamiolaki and offers fast-paced tours and generous tastings.

Do, however, take the time to have lunch in the distinctive Cretan way in the village’s square. Lyrarakis and Paterianakis – besides being pioneers in the area – offer outstanding wine and food tours combining the very best the region has to offer. Lyrarakis Winery has been producing quality wines since 1966

The vineyards of Diamantakis Winery near the Monastery of St George Gorgolaini, share the slopes with olive trees.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Yiannis Karakasis, Master of Wine, is a wine writer, consultant and educator spreading the word about Greek and Cypriot wines. His personal blog can be found at karakasis.mw.

and is credited with the revival of two ancient Cretan varieties, Dafni and Plyto. They take wine tours very seriously here, offering tailor-made online packages where visitors can choose both the wine tasting and the food pairings in advance. Paterianakis Winery, a leader in organic production, is famous for its unparalleled hospitality and offers outstanding wines in a stunningly beautiful location.

Over the last decade, Cretan wine has charted its own course – with an emphasis on both quality and the preservation of indigenous varieties. This is doubtless the right path to follow, but the job is far from over. Nevetheless, every time I visit Irakleio, I can almost feel the “fermentation” in the air.

The Cretan wine scene is booming, and local varieties such as Melissaki are being resurrected. For me, however, the best part of all of this is seeing how strong the desire is here on the island for authenticity and distinctiveness.

RED Kotsifali - Syrah

WHITE Chardonnay - Vidiano

ENSTIKTO

is about instincts, like the feeling you have that something is perfect the first time you taste it.

S I LVA D A S K A L A K I W I N E R Y Siva, Irakleio, Crete Tel. (+30) 2810.792.021 www.silvawines.gr

I R A K L E I O N AT U R E

AGHIOFARAGO

RESPECT THE ROCK If you want to go climbing at a spot that’s about the climbing than the selfie you might take, you’re in the right place.

BY T H E C R ETA N C L I M BI NG COM M U N I T Y

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ghiofarago, or Aghiofaragin, as we local climbers call this gorge, is bewitching. When you go in, they say, you just might forget to come out… Be it the rocks, the river, or the sea below, it’s certainly a place that leaves no one unmoved. From the 15th century until recently, this place was a religious sanctuary for dozens of ascetics at a time. Towards the end of this period, the last of those hermits shared it with the climbers who came here, each group respecting the other’s devotion. The ascetics showed us the way and now we, in turn, hope to do our part in keeping this place pure, clean and beautiful.

Some 150 routes exist in the area, each one created with love and respect. 90 percent of the routes are single pitch with permanent bolting, ranging from very easy to very difficult. There are also some multiple pitch routes, most of them easy. The area is ideal for free camping all year round, and especially during the winter – but you should always be mindful of the river, which tends to swell. The historic Church of Aghios Antonios serves as our refuge on cold and often rainy winter nights. It’s a refuge for all, believers and non-believers alike, as long as there’s respect.

We love it and look after it as if it was our home, and we always leave it cleaner than we found it.

For the past 13 years, the climbers have organized a clean-up drive on the last weekend of October. The event is a gathering of friends – the last one attracted 200 people from 21 different countries. They came without sponsors, without labels, without advertising or vested interests. All they had was love and respect for what we all enjoy doing in our spare time. Taking part in one of these drives is the best way to discover the secrets of this spot, which you won’t find in any climbing guide or on any YouTube channel.

This, then, is an open invitation: join us here whenever you can, with love and respect for nature and each other.

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Aristoteles Mavrommatis climbing one of the most amazing lines on the island (“A Muerte!, 8a ). Perfect, solid red limestone.

INFO The noteworthy characteristics of the gorge include the very sharp nature of the rock, and the combination of climbing, swimming and walking it offers. Most routes are inside the gorge itself, but the oldest ones are closer to the beach. You’ll find some of the most difficult routes in Crete here, up to 8b+, from single to multiple pitches. The most common approach is from Odigitria Monastery; alternatively, you can reach the gorge via a coastal path from Kali Limenes.

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HISTORIC HEARTLAND Minoan palaces, alternative havens and modest villages hiding cultural treasures mark Crete’s central region.

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BY OLGA CH A R A MI

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ZAROS

COOL DRINK

The small man-made lake of Votomos has created an unexpected oasis of lush vegetation in the otherwise craggy surroundings of the village of Zaros. It’s also the source for the bottled water brand Zaros. Circle the lake and then follow the well-marked 5km-trail through Aghios Nikolaos Gorge to Rouvas, the biggest Kermes oak forest in Europe. At the end of the trail, there’s a small church named after Saint John and a public recreation area where locals often hold festivities.

CRETAQUARIUM

SEA SHOW

Roughly 15km east of the city of Irakleio, in the area of Gournes, lies one of the largest aquariums in Europe, covering an area of 5,000 square meters. It’s an underwater world with evocative lighting designed to simulate Crete’s rich marine environment. All around you in massive tanks live more than 2,000 sea creatures from 200 species, including sharks and sea turtles (cretaquarium.gr, Open 09:30-19:00).

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PHAISTOS

A PALACE WITH A VIEW

After Knossos, Phaistos looks hauntingly familiar, with its own central and west courts, granaries, stepped theatral area, storage magazines, pier-and-door residential design and other typical Minoan features. Located in the western Messara Plain, ancient Crete’s major grain-producing area, Phaistos was an important regional administrative center, along with Aghia Triada, its smaller neighbor which fulfilled a similar function. This was where the Phaistos Disc, now believed to contain a prayer to the Minoans’ Great Goddess, was discovered. On a more distinct hill than Knossos, Phaistos had its own character: less labyrinthine, more palatial. Settled in Neolithic times, the site continued to be inhabited for millennia, flourishing especially in the Minoan/Mycenaean Bronze Age, early Iron Age and Hellenistic era, finally being eclipsed by nearby Gortyn (2nd c. BC). - John Leonard

GORTYN

LAND OF THE LAW

© TOBIAS GERBER/LAIF

Described by Homer as a walled city, with ports at Leben and Matala, Gortyn was an Iron Age city-state that increased its influence in Classical times, clashed with Hellenistic Knossos (3rd c.

BC), then became the Roman capital of Crete and Libya (Cyrenaica). Later, it served as an Early Christian bishopric.

Gortyn’s ancient authority rested on its extensive law code, inscribed on large stone blocks (ca. 525-400 BC) and displayed at the city’s odeon, or music hall.

Europe’s first such code, it contained elements of family law, civil rights and trade relations. The preserved cityscape includes a governor’s palace, two agoras, baths, a stadium, two theaters, an amphitheater, temples, a shrine to Egyptian gods and a Christian cathedral (6th c. AD). - John Leonard 164

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MATALA

HIPPIES FOREVER

It served as the port of Phaistos in ancient times and as the port of Gortyn during the Roman era, but perhaps its greatest fame came in the late 1960s when hundreds of hippies from all over the world moved into the caves on the beach and transformed an otherwise nondescript fishing village into a symbol of the movement. The caves, which had been carved into the soft rock face by the area’s prehistoric residents, had been used as either dwelling or tombs. Today, they are listed as a protected archaeological site. Inside several of these you can see arched graves upon which the latest residents, the hippies, inscribed their names. The seaside village is not very pretty and it can get very busy at peak season, but its history is interesting and a refreshing swim in its crystal waters is always a pleasure.

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THE ASTEROUSIA RANGE

SUMMIT AND SAND

Dirt roads, traditional villages and impressive ravines that run down to pristine beaches and small seaside settlements: this mountain range has it all.

Monks moved into this area before the 7th century, first making their home in caves and later establishing monasteries like Odigitria (14th century) and Koudoumas (19th century) that can still be visited. In the middle of these mountains stands Kapetaniana, an old, once-abandoned village that’s now home to a beautiful agritouristic guesthouse called Thalori (thalori.com).

From here, it’s a breath away to the highest peak in the Asterousia mountains, Kofinas (1230m), with stunning views. Below, the coast offers a succession of pebbled beaches with sparkling blue waters, though a number can only be reached by via steep paths. Vathy and Martsalo (30 minutes on foot) are quiet, Aghiofarago (20 minutes on foot) is the prettiest and Lentas is the most popular – with a full complement of facilities. Trypiti is more or less packed with camper vans and mobile homes, Aghios Ioannis boasts a pretty chapel with some interesting frescoes and Aghios Nikitas is notable for its stand of palm trees. Heading east will take you to Listis, a wonderful beach, and Keratokambos, a seaside town with tavernas and shops. © GETTY IMAGES/IDEAL IMAGE C R E T E 2 019

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ARCHANES

ENDURING CHARM

MYRTIA

THE BIRTHPLACE OF KAZANTZAKIS

Myrtia is an attractive little village with splendid whitewashed houses framed with flowerpots. It’s also lively, especially toward the late afternoon when the locals gather in the village’s coffee houses. The main reason for visiting, though, is that this is the birthplace of the great Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis. In tribute to their native son, residents have written excerpts from his books across the walls of their houses, and there’s an interesting museum dedicated to his life and work as well (kazantzaki. gr, open daily, 09:00-17:00). Exhibit items include his desk and his glasses, as well as manuscripts, including a draft of “Ascesis: The Saviors of God,” regarded as one of his masterpieces.

Crete is not renowned for an abundance of picturesque villages, but Ano Archanes is one of the beautiful exceptions and has, indeed, been distinguished with a European award for the restoration work done here. Just a 20-minute drive from Irakleio, this small town of 15,000 people is all pretty cobbled streets, colorful houses with well-tended gardens and quaint cafés and tavernas. The area’s recorded history stretches all the way back to the Minoan era, as this was the location of a palace considered as important as that of nearby Knossos.

Sections of that palace are still visible here and there, while the most important finds are on display in the Archanes Archaeological Collection (Tel. (+30) 2810.752.712, open Wed-Mon 08:30-16:00).

HOUDETSI

MUSIC LESSONS

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Musicians from all over the world come to play in the cool garden of the Labyrinth, a music workshop founded in 2003 by Ross Daly, a musician of Irish descent, in order to preserve and evolve the world’s musical traditions. Teachers and students converge every summer for intense week-long seminars, sharing a diversity of musical idioms and cultures. Visitors who aren’t participating in the classes can also enjoy the concerts that are held as part of the workshop (labyrinthmusic.gr).

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GOOD FOOD GUIDE STAVROS, MARIDAKI

Maridaki is a seaside settlement with a beautiful beach; you can get there either on foot by way of an easy uphill path or by boat from the harbor of Tsoutsouros. The small Stavros taverna is on the edge of the settlement, under plane trees and beside a stream that flows into the sea. You’ll enjoy anything that Vaso, Stavros’ wife and a talented cook, prepares in the wood-fired oven. The menu features stuffed vegetables and zucchini flowers; the famous kapriko, or kid goat, which is particularly popular for feasts and holidays; a selection of cheeses; and heavenly homemade ice cream.

Tel. (+30) 28910.233.22

NIKI, HERSONISSOS

In the enchanting courtyard of the taverna Niki, you can enjoy traditional specialties from the wood-burning oven.

There are dishes such as slowcooked local lamb and pork, as well as tasty vegetarian dishes such as stuffed tomatoes, eggplants and peppers.

Tel. (+30) 28970.512.04 KRASSOPHYCHIA, KRASI

At this atmospheric taverna, the owners have created a richly varied menu that includes dishes that combine modern and classic cuisine.

They also operate a small grocery store selling foodie souvenirs.

Tel. (+30) 28970.539.14

BANANAS FROM ARVI

A DELICIOUS BRAND NAME

The seaside town of Arvi is famous for cultivating a particular variety of Lady Finger bananas, first planted here in 1920, which flourished thanks to the local soil and the subtopical climate. Together with carob fruit, avocados, prickly pears and aloe vera, these bananas are yet another crop that makes the island a proud producer of unconventional foodstuffs. Look for them at local greengrocers and larger supermarkets under their own name, Arvi Bananas.

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OMALOS

FAR FROM CIVILIZATION

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You’ll hear nothing but the sounds of nature, your cell phone won’t work, and you’ll find little to do but watch the mountain shepherds go about their business, is one of the best ways to empty your mind of worries. The Omalos Plateau stands at 1300m, south of Mt Dikti on the border between Irakleio and Lasithi. The area can be reached via the villages of Viannos and Kato Symi, and then along a bumpy 10km dirt road. Unlike on other parts of the island, some shepherds here still use their “mitata,” small summer dwellings high up in the mountains; if you happen to come across Nikos Stavrakakis and his nephew Kostis Frangiadoulis, two of those who do, they’ll probably treat you to a glass of raki, tell you about life in the hills and show you how they milk their animals and make cheese. If you’re lucky, you may even come across a get-together of locals livening things up with a song and a dance.

MESSARA

CRETE’S CORNUCOPIA

The island’s largest plain used to be its main grain-producing zone; today, you’ll find mainly olive trees (of the Koroneiki variety), grapevines, and fruits and vegetables (both out in the open and in greenhouses). It also has a vibrant expat/snowbird community. The village of Vori is very pretty and is home to the recently renovated Museum of Cretan Ethnology (cretanethnologymuseum.gr), where you can find out about the island’s history and customs. Then head to Sivas for a coffee at the old kafeneio in the village square; there’s no sign, but you’ll recognize it by its green door and the bushy pepper plant at the entrance. Photographs of paintings by El Greco and of loyal patrons adorn the walls, while the tiny open kitchen turns out quick meze dishes to accompany glasses of tsikoudia, the local spirit – from dried chickpeas and pickled wild green bulbs to graviera cheese and rusks with olives and sea fennel. In the village of Kouses, ask around for Yiannis Yiannoutsos’ store called Votano. He’s an expert on herbs, knows all sorts of alternative remedies and makes fragrant herbal teas that you can enjoy on his small rooftop terrace, looking out over the Messara plain.

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E XPLORE L ASITHI

AT A GLANCE The region of Lasithi (Λασίθι) is home to Elounda, where you’ll find the island’s top luxury resorts. Lasithi’s wild beauty, however, is found along roads less traveled, and they lie on its eastern and southern coasts, and in the soaring mountains that stand between these shores. This “other Lasithi” is a place of rugged nature, abandoned villages, exquisite frescoed churches, ancient monasteries and sacred sites. From the delights of its cosmopolitan capital Aghios Nikolaos to the legendary windmill-strewn Lasithi Plateau, and on through the majestic Dikti and Thrypti mountain ranges, Lasithi is a place of rich natural diversity with fascinating historical sites.

CHECK OUT: DIKTEON CAVE: The mythical birthplace of Zeus, this cave was an important place of worship for the Minoans.

SPINALONGA ISLAND: Victoria Hislop’s novel “The Island,” published in 2005, brought worldwide attention to this former leper colony.

ILLUSTRATION: LILA RUBY KING (WWW.LILARUBYKING.EU)

CHRYSI ISLAND: The popularity of this unspoiled island boasting sand dunes and prickly cedars is growing.

Please handle it with care.

KAVOUSI: The Azoria Olive Tree, whose trunk measures more than 14m in circumference, sprouted sometime between 1350-1100 BC. ELOUNDA: At this famed seaside area, the rich and famous rub shoulders with backpackers enjoying the scenery.

HA GORGE: One of the most beautiful gorges in Europe, this natural wonder is 1800m long and features 27 separate waterfalls.

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24 THE TOWN

hours in AGHIOS NIKOLAOS

The charming capital of Lasithi Region is a user-friendly seaside town with a laid-back atmosphere and great swimming spots.

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09:00 BEACH, PLEASE

Start your day with a swim at Ammos Beach on the south side of the city. Nearby Kimzu Sea Lounge (Tel. (+30) 28410.905.44) is a lovely and lively all-day café bar where you can enjoy your morning coffee with a view of the beach.

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Make your way to Roussou Koundourou Street and to Mesostrati (Tel. (+30) 28410.271.15), a grocery store and pastry workshop that sells a wide selection of traditional products, including graviera cheese, apaki ham, wine from local grape varieties (Vidiano, Plyto, Thrapsathiri) and homemade goat’s milk ice cream, as well as sweets like kaltsounia (sweet cheese pies), xerotigana (a customary wedding treat) and myzithropita (pies made with xinomyzithra cheese, olive oil and raki), served fresh and warm. Then head for the highly touristic 28 Oktovriou (28th October) Street. Among the dozens of shops selling items like fridge magnets, flip-flops and beach shirts, you’ll find good local products that truly make the best souvenirs: natural olive oil soaps, loofah sponges, extra virgin olive oil from Sitia and organic cosmetics made with Cretan herbs.

14:00 LUNCH WITH THE LOCALS

For a midday meal, choose a less touristic restaurant, such as Zygos (Tel. (+30) 28410.820.09). Located on the shores of Lake Voulismeni, it serves a range of well-executed Mediterranean dishes, including pork filet with sage, and skioufichta (a local pasta) made from carob flour. If you’re ordering cocktails, try the Kill the Devil (with Zacapa rum) or the Mogin (with gin and masticha liqueur).

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12:00 SELECT YOUR SOUVENIRS

17:00 STROLL AROUND

Put on your hat, grab a bottle of water and take a stroll around Voulismeni Lake, a lively spot with small shops that is especially interesting in the summer, thanks to

the tourists who bring so much life to the area. Walk all the way to Kitroplateia, a square named after the citron fruit that was once a commercial staple here, to view two intriguing statues inspired by

mythological stories related to Crete.

One depicts the Horn of Amalthea, the horn of the she-goat that was Zeus’ foster mother; the other is of the Abduction of Europa, further along near the port.

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ΤΗΕ TOWN

The facade of this highly original art space has been made to look like the front of a chapel.

19:00 ART EVERYWHERE

The Minos Beach Art Hotel (Tel. (+30) 28410.223.45) hosts an exhibition of modern art that begins in its seaside garden and continues below the waves. If you’d like to see the underwater part, there’s a dive center that can arrange that for you; ask at the hotel. Across the bay, there’s a Byzantine church dedicated to Saint Nicholas, after whom the town was named. You can get the key from the front desk of the hotel Minos Palace (Tel. (+30) 28410.238.01), right next door, after presenting identification.

21:00 NIGHT OUT

OLOUS

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Dinner is at Olous (Tel. (+30) 28410.224.14), the latest arrival on the Aghios Nikolaos food scene, which serves interesting dishes like kakavia (fish stew) with ouzo and saffron, shi drum with cracked wheat, or gamopilafo, a traditional rice dish. You can end the day with a glass of wine on the veranda of Chez Georges (Tel. (+30) 28410.261.30), which has a view of the lake, or with a refreshing Not Another Mojito (rum, lime, strawberry flavoring and mint) at the cocktail bar Bajamar (Tel. (+30) 697.336.6035), a livelier proposition on the pedestrian street above the port that plays house, funk and soul music.

* Offer expires December 31, 2019 and is valid for new subscribers in Athens and Thessaloniki only. This offer is not avalaible in all markets and hand delivery is subject to confirmation by our local distributor. Smartphone and tablet apps are not supported on all devices.

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ZEUS AND THE L ASITHI FOCUS

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White-sailed windmills are a common sight on the Lasithi Plain.

I

followed the route on the digital map to the letter, left the car at the indicated spot, carried on along the dirt track on foot but never managed to find the entrance that leads to the Kronio, the cave where the mythical Titan Kronos was said to have lived.

In contrast, however, I had no trouble spotting the Dikteon Cave, where Zeus was born, thanks to the throng of tourist coaches in the car park by the entrance.

I smiled. It’s as if a faint echo of the myth in which Zeus wanted to destroy his father, Kronos, and gain total dominion over gods and humans still holds power to the present day. The Kronio is an inaccessible, isolated cave, scarcely ever visited, while the Dikteon is one of the most popular attractions in Lasithi, and the whole of Crete.

In ancient times, both caves were used as places of habitation, burial and worship. Egyptian scarab figurines have been found at the Kronio (proving the ties between Minoan Crete and ancient Egypt); at the Dikteon, there were votive offerings placed among the stalagmites.

Both indicate the significance of the Lasithi Plateau, where they are located. The site where you choose, as a society, to place the birth of the greatest of the gods cannot be arbitrary.

The Lasithi Plateau is the largest pla-

The birthplace of the greatest of the gods is home today to an agricultural community that upholds the tradition of Cretan hospitality.

WINDMILLS

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teau in Crete. A fertile inland plain at an elevation of 800 to 850m, bordered by the imposing Dikti Mountains, the plateau is home to more than a dozen villages (Tzermiado, Avrakontes, Aghios Georgios, and Psychro are some of the better known among them). It’s accessible from Malia and from Aghios Nikolaos; the route from the latter is full of twists turns and, as you drive higher, you can even feel the temperature drop.

The plateau has its own microclimate, and its own mountain people who are genuinely welcoming and will freely give you anything they have, not because it’s the policy of some all-inclusive hotel, but because it’s simply in their DNA. When Eleni, who sells Cretan thyme honey door-to-door in Tzermiado, dipped a wal178

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nut in the honey and put it in my mouth with her hand, she was reaching out to a stranger. She couldn’t care less whether I bought her honey or not. Something similar happened with Dimitris, a young farmer whom I met when I strayed off the main road on one of my drives, and ended up outside his field. He welcomed me, we got talking, and just before I left he filled the trunk of my car with lettuces, dill and potatoes. “What will I do with them? I’m not staying in my own house in Crete,” I said, but he refused to let me leave without giving me something to take with me.

There he is, I thought, Xenios (“Welcoming”) Zeus. The god was born on the Lasithi Plateau and he’s never left, even though people stopped believing

in him at some point. He still prospers, making his way through eternity, living on inside people like Eleni and Dimitris, for whom hospitality and giving are a way of life. There were many others, too. I spotted them at cafés where they often sit for hours; as I passed, they invited me to join them for a drink of raki and a handful of roasted chickpeas. They stood in the doorways of shops selling traditional handwoven textiles, and beckoned me inside so they could show me what a handmade embroidered square is, “because you’re young and you won’t know.”

One of my encounters was with a family outside a house in Aghios Georgios.

They were readying a harvest of green beans to be sent to one of the farmers’ markets in Irakleio. The Lasithi Plateau is

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At shops selling traditional goods, you’ll find tablecloths, semedakia (doilies) and patanies (woven wool blankets).

famed for its agricultural produce, which, along with tourism, are the staples of the local economy. And although I was on my bicycle and in the middle of what is considered a “must-do” ride, cycling along the regional road that connects the villages of the plateau, I found the chance to get to know a traditional family of Lasithi too tempting.

I stopped and we started talking about the old days, when the plateau was full of thousands of windmills, which drew water from underground sources to irrigate the crops. Imagine that! Of the 12,000 active in the 1970s, only 150 were still operational in 2000. The rest were abandoned to the ravages of time, gradually replaced by contemporary pumping systems.

Today, however, both official agen-

cies and the residents themselves wish to bring this wind farm back to life. In fact, the first redesigned windmill has already been presented; its function is to produce energy rather than pump water, but its appearance remains faithful to the traditional windmills. The ultimate goal is to install such windmills across the entire plateau, in order to secure its energy autonomy.

The family I met outside Aghios Georgios will be thrilled to see the valley of the plateau as it once was, full of elegant white windmills. Eleni and Dimitris too, will be glad to see the old tradition renewed, and to watch as the plateau once again becomes a “field ready to take flight.” I even think Xenios Zeus would want the same.

01. Aghios Georgios, one of the plateau’s main villages.

02. Potatoes are a leading crop here.

03. A field of lettuce near the village of Tzermiado.

04. The kafeneio, or coffeehouse, is the main social hub of the village; join the locals for a glass of raki.

THE MYTH The Titan Kronos ate his children to thwart a prophesy that said he would lose dominion over the world to one of his descendants. His wife/sister Rhea sought refuge at the Dikteon Cave to give birth to their son, Zeus, who poisoned Kronos, ultimately fulfilling that prophesy.

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L A S I T H I N AT U R E

NYMPHS’ LAIR Vistas that will take your breath away, spectacular drop-offs and natural water slides: the Ha Gorge has everything.

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he first reference to the Ha Gorge was made by the Italian humanist and antiquarian Ciriaco de’ Pizzicolli (Cyriac of Ancona) in 1445. Impressed by what he saw, he described its river as “a spring of the Dikteon Artemis, that had been fashioned with Nature itself as the artist, and the Creator as its architect.” Certain myths mention that Artemis and her nymphs bathed in the waters here. And yet, despite its reputation for great natural beauty, the gorge would only be traversed successfully for the first time in 1987. Yiannis Bromoirakis, an experienced canyoner with 1,500 descents in 27 different countries under his belt, a practiced trainer and the president of the Cretan Canyoning Association (POEF), says that the Ha Gorge is ranked as the favorite among the 250 gorges of Crete and among the 50 most beautiful worldwide.

Translucent waters flow beneath stepped walls of solid rock that rise up as high as 400m; at its narrowest point it is a mere 40cm. “As you travel the gorge you really feel that you’re literally inside a cleft in the heart of the mountain,” notes Bromoirakis. Bordering the Thrypti mountains to its west, the Ha Gorge begins slightly northwest of the small Byzantine church of Aghia Anna and ends near the village of Monastiraki. The best known of its 28 waterfalls is Mastoras (215m). There are no trees; instead, there are plants growing on the surrounding cliffs, including the shrubby ptilostemon (Ptilostemon chamaepeuce) and Brassica cretica, a wild relative of the cultivated cabbage. As for wildlife, if you’re lucky, you might come across some Cretan frogs (Pelophylax cretensis) or a singing blue rock thrush (Monticola solitarius).

INFO:

• DIFFICULTY RATING: 4.5/6 DURATION: 4 hours • PLEASE NOTE: there are no rescue exits. • For further details, go to ha-gorge.com. To traverse the gorge, please contact POEF (canyon.gr). Yiannis Bromoirakis’ guide “Canyoning in the Gorges of Crete,” published

by Road (2007), provides information on 34 gorges in five languages (Greek, French, Spanish, German and English).

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L ASITHI EXPERIENCES

PLEASURES OF THE EAST

The easternmost region of Crete boasts spectacular sights and important historical traces from ages long past, but it’s also a place of great natural beauty and serene unspoiled spots.

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SITIA

ON THE WATERFRONT

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This coastal city averages 300 days of sunshine a year, making it one of Greece’s sunniest spots. The seafront is crowded with tavernas, rakadika (spots serving raki and tapas-like dishes) and cafés.

Good eateries on the promenade include Zorba’s Taverna (3 Kazantzaki, Tel. (+30) 28430.226.89) and the quieter Rakadiko Inodion (157 Eleftheriou Venizelou, Tel. (+30) 28430.261.66).

Mitsakakis (6 Konstadinou Karamanli) is the pick of the seafront cafés and has great pastries. Order a kafe ellinikos (Greek coffee) in the Café Drosoulites (91 Eleftheriou Venizelou) and you’ll pass for a local. Check out artifacts from Neolithic, Minoan and Roman times at the Archaeological Museum of Sitia (open 08:30-16:00 except Tue, Tel. (+30) 28430.239.17). In July and August, the city hosts the Kornaria Festival, featuring musical performances and theatrical shows.

VAI

A SLICE OF THE TROPICS

Lasithi meets Thailand at Vai (Greek for “palm frond”), 24km northeast of Sitia. Here, a 2000-year-old forest of palm trees, the largest in Europe with around 5000 trees, provides an exotic backdrop to one of Crete’s most beautiful bays. Legend has it that the forest sprouted from date pits that washed inland after being discarded by Saracen pirates. With its iridescent turquoise water and waves gently lapping on the soft golden sand, Vai Beach is packed with tour groups in high season. Independent travelers will find it quieter in spring and late summer.

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MONI TOPLOU

BEHIND STOUT WALLS

Moni Toplou is one of the richest and most historically important monasteries in Greece. From the 15th century onwards, this fortress-like holy refuge was a bastion of Cretan resistance, first against marauding pirates, then against the Ottomans, and once more during WWII, against Crete’s German occupiers. The monastery’s museum has a fascinating collection of engravings and icons. Admission €3. Open 10:00-17:00.

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KOUREMENOS

WILD IS THE WIND

Heading south, laid-back Kouremenos, with its crescent of golden sand and its reliable “side-shore” breezes, is home to one of Crete’s best windsurfing centers – Gone Surfing (open 10:00-20:00, Tel. (+30) 694.142.7787). It’s also a perfect spot for beginners to learn with the help of certified instructors. Board rentals (with boards made using the latest carbon technology) start at €30 per hour. A 3-hour one-to-one beginner lesson (including equipment) is €100.

ITANOS

Just three kilometers from Vai at Itanos, you can have an idyllic beach to yourself, even in peak season. There are no sun loungers, but the pretty coves are shaded by tamarisk trees. The ancient Minoan site of Itanos, once a prosperous trading post inhabited from 1500 BC, lies inland. Its heyday was in Hellenistic and Greco-Roman times, when it had its own currency and rivaled Ierapytna, (the ancient name of Ierapetra). Ancient Itanos began its decline around 800AD, following an earthquake and attacks from Arab invaders, and was finally abandoned in the 15th century.

There’s a good taverna, Metochi (Tel. (+30) 28430.610.71), on the road to Itanos near the Vai turn-off.

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ONCE MIGHTY, NOW SERENE

ELOUNDA

A FIVE-STAR DESTINATION

Elounda’s tourism industry dates back to the interwar years, when the British airline Imperial Airways used Elounda as a stopping point for flights to India, but the city really took off as a resort in the 1970s. During the ‘80s and ‘90s, Elounda was a frequent choice for international summit meetings, which gave the city a certain aura of grandeur which remains to this day. The first luxury hotel to open here was Elounda Beach, followed by several luxury resorts, hotels and villas, which extended the city’s§3 boundaries almost up to the shoreline. If you want to see what all of Elounda was once like, head towards Epano Elounda, a well-maintained settlement that has preserved a traditional atmosphere and which follows its own leisurely pace of life.

THE CHENOT SPA OUTDOOR HEATED POOL AT ELOUNDA BEACH HOTEL & VILLAS

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CHRYSI

THE CRETAN CARIBBEAN

This small island, with its alluring turquoise waters and golden sand, is currently experiencing an unprecedented rise in visitor numbers. You can get to Vouyiou Mati by small caique from Ierapetra, and from there you can walk to the white sand beach at Belegrina, crossing sand dunes dotted with prickly cedar trees. The shoreline is strewn with millions of tiny seashells, and the beach boasts a refreshment stand as well as beach umbrellas.

Š VISUALHELLAS.GR

INFO: Book tickets or a day trip, including meals, with Cretan Daily Cruises Tel. (+30) 28420.200.08, cretandailycruises.com

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IERAPETRA

NAPOLEON SLEPT HERE

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residence with retro detailing and a quiet courtyard is great. Head to Taverna Napoleon (26 Stratigou Samouil, Tel. (+30) 28420.224.10) for fine traditional Greek and Cretan favorites. The taverna took its name from Ierapetra’s most famous visitor. According to legend, the French emperor stayed here one summer’s night in 1798, on his way to Egypt.

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This is Crete’s fourth largest city and Europe’s southernmost. The town’s development was spurred on in the 1960s by the development of a modern agricultural industry, when farmers began putting up commercial PVC greenhouses. Today, more than 15 square kilometers of plas-

tic-sheeted greenhouses make it one of the most productive regions for fruit and vegetables in Crete. Ierapetra’s seafront, from where boats depart for Chrysi Island, is charming. At sunset along the promenade, locals gather to talk at café tables perilously close to the water’s edge. Try the Casablanca Café (5 Lakerda, Tel. (+30) 28425.001.40); this restored 1908

AGHIOS IOANNIS

THE GHOST OUTPOST

PALEKASTRO

THE PERFECT PLACE

The abandoned village of Aghios Ioannis, precariously perched on the southeast edge of the Thrypti Mountain range, is a revelation. Almost every dwelling lies forlorn. Remarkably, one house at the top is the unlikely setting for the music café and wine-bar Fifty Five (Tel. (+30) 697.667.7640). Eccentrically furnished with old typewriters, ancient cameras and an impressive telescope, this establishment is where Ierapetrans with a taste for something different come to chill out.

Combining a traditional farming economy with a gentle approach to tourism, laid-back Palekastro is the perfect base for exploring Kouremenos, Moni Toplou, Vai and Itanos.

Hiona Psarotaverna (Tel. (+30) 28430.610.14) at nearby Hiona Beach has one of the most beautiful settings of any restaurant in Crete. With a handful of tables on a shaded promontory where the waves break gently around you, it’s a heavenly spot for fresh seafood.

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ZIROS

THE PAST IS PRESENT

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In the village here, in the tiny Church of Aghios Nikolaos, the images of the saints that were painted in Byzantine times still stare out in shimmering gold and red ochre from the structure’s ancient walls. Here, too, the many-layered nature of Crete’s history is revealed; graffiti, written in Latin, memorializes certain bold Venetian visitors.

Scratched into the ancient stone is the date “1492” (the same year Columbus set sail to the Americas) and, alongside it, the words “hic fuat nicollo” (“Nicollas was here”).

ZAKROS AND KATO ZAKROS

HIGH AND LOW

From Palekastro, the road winds south to the village of Zakros, with its small central square, sleepy tavernas and a cool mountain spring. The village merits a quick look before you head to the coast and the more renowned destination of Kato Zakros. On the road down, you’ll glimpse the upper section of the Gorge of the Dead, where Minoans from Kato Zakros entombed their dead, believing their departed would rise again in this vast and fertile gorge. Burial caves can still be seen here during the 2-hour walk through the 2.5km gorge.

The seaside hamlet of Kato Zakros is a lovely place to unwind, but its long history is its major selling point. Ancient Zakros was an important Minoan port, trading with Anatolia, Cyprus, and even Syria; its remains cover an 8000sq.m. site. One of the four great Minoan palaces of Crete, along with Knossos, Malia and Phaistos, it was built around 1600 BC. Admission to the hillside site is €6.

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XEROKAMBOS

SLOW DOWN

There’s only one road that leads to Xerokambos, and the drive south through rugged hills from Zakros will take less than 20 minutes. Here, the east coast starts to curve, soon to become Lasithi’s southern shore. Isolated and tranquil, Xerokambos is a joy. With two pristine beaches, and a handful of tavernas set back from the sands, this is the Crete of a gentler, quieter time.

SPINALONGA

A BEST-SELLING ISLAND

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INFO: Entry fee to the archaeological site: €8, opening times: 08.00-18.00.

Boat fare: €10 from Plaka, €12 from Elounda. Boat service: Tel. (+30) 697.744.6229, (+30) 697.668.3597.

“The rock of Spinalonga is no longer a military fortress as it used to be in its time of glory, nor a humble Turkish village. With equivocal healthcare interests in mind, the Cretan Government has transformed it into a lepers’ hospital, without any concern for historical memory,” wrote Giuseppe Gerola, an Italian archaeologist, in 1906.

Almost a century later, this chapter in the history of this place – the period it was used as a leper colony – would provide the inspiration for British author Victoria Hislop’s award-winning international bestselling novel “The Island,” which has been translated into more than twenty languages. Today, Spinalonga is the second-most visited site on Crete, after Knossos.

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L ASITHI EXPERIENCES

MONASTIRAKI

COUNTRY COOKING

MOHLOS

LAZING BY THE SEA

On one of the western slopes of the Thrypti Mountains lies a tiny village near one of Crete’s most beautiful ravines, the Ha Gorge. Here, the Papadakis family have converted their ancestral olive mill into a serene taverna with beautifully ap-

pointed rooms – To Monastiraki (Tel. (+30) 697.284.7432).

Looking across the plain from the tranquil stone terrace here while savoring delicacies such as omelettes with fresh wild greens or rabbit in a wine sauce is simply heaven.

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There’s really nothing nicer than sitting at the Rocks Café Bar (Tel. (+30) 697.767.5076), on the shore of a tiny bay and in front of a pebbled beach, sipping home-made iced strawberry cordial.

There are also a few fish tavernas with octopus hanging on lines in the sun. In ancient times, this sleepy fishing village (with rooms and studios for rent) was the site of an important Early Minoan community and was physically connected to the islet across the bay. Today, local swimmers know to beware the strong currents that run in the waters between that islet and the shore.

KRITSA

AT THE SOURCE

Just 10km southeast of Aghios Nikolaos in the foothills of the Dikti Mountains, the village of Kritsa is home to a large agricultural collective of families with olive groves in the area, who produce some of Crete’s finest olive oil under the “Kritsa” brand.

The Kritsa producers have an almost religious devotion to their product, 70% of which is exported. A pleasant place for a stop on a stroll through the village is the Kafenio Saridakis, a café under the old plane tree.

INFO: Taverna Platanos (Tel. (+30) 28410.512.30), next door to the café, is a favorite.

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KAVOUSI

ROOTED IN THE FAR PAST

Along the road that climbs to Azoria, you’ll find one of Crete’s most ancient olive trees. Believed to have been planted between 1350 and 1100 BC, this now-enormous tree has a trunk circumference of more than 22m at its base. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Japan’s gold medalist marathoner Naoko Takahashi was presented with a victor’s wreath made from a branch of this ancient tree.

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