Culture awaits in Crete

Tales of King Minos and the Minotaur come alive at Knossos. The greatest Minoan palace, five kilometres south of Crete’s capital, was destroyed around 1380 BC and never built over because it was considered cursed. It was discovered in 1878 by Cretan antiquarian Minos Kalokairinos and excavated in 1900 by British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans. With over 1,500 rooms it truly resembles the labyrinth of myth. Highlights include the royal road and ‘theatre’, the world’s oldest throne, Europe’s oldest plumbing, and reflecting ‘lustral basins’ that brought light into the palace’s depths. Don’t miss the Tripartite shrine overlooking the central court, where ceremonies and perhaps even ‘bull leaping’ took place. Copies of the frescoes and the mysterious ‘horns of consecration’ adorn the site.

Located amid silvery olive groves on the Ziros-Chandras plateau in between Sitia and the south-coast town of Makrigialos, the village of Etia was an important Venetian possession of the De Mezzo family. It had a population of 500 at its height, and the De Mezzos built themselves a magnificent fortified villa here in the 15th century, with their hospitable motto, ‘Intra vostra signoria senza rispetto’ (‘Enter without any inhibitions’), still in place today. The village was abandoned in the 1950s, but in recent years the big villa has been restored. Considered one of the best examples of its kind in southern Europe, it provides a beautiful setting for the prestigious Casa dei Mezzo annual chamber music festival in June.

Sitia, the largest town in eastern Crete, is built in an amphitheatre over the sea and has a charming traditional feel to it. Made famous for its sultanas and wine, it often gets overlooked by visitors; those who do come to visit relish its atmosphere of Greek-style dolce vita and its laid-back waterfront tavernas and beaches, where you might even meet a pet pelican. The Venetians were here too, and in the 13th century built a castle they called the Casa di Arma (‘weapon house’) on top of Sitia, which became ‘Kazarma’ over time. Although the Venetians abandoned the fort in 1651, its mighty walls remain intact and offer fabulous views over the town and sea far below.

Above Knossos, in the lofty village of Archanes where the ancient Minoans are believed to have spent their summers, the villa of Vathypetro was built around 1580 BC. Its perfect setting would be shattered by an earthquake just 30 years later, only for it to be rebuilt. It resembles a mini Knossos, with a large central court and tripartite shrine. Because of the loom weights and potters’ wheels found here, archaeologists believe Vathypetro was a craft centre. It also has the oldest wine press ever found in Greece. Even today, the area is surrounded by vines, and every August the first fruits are offered by the growers to a nearby church, just as they have always done.

Armeni, 10km south of Rethymnon, was named after the Armenian soldiers that were granted land here by Byzantine emperor Nikephoros II Phokas, who conquered Crete from the Arabs in 961. Far older, however, are the Late Minoan chamber tombs spread out across a three-hectare cemetery. The most monumental, no. 159, is reached via a 15.5m dromos (walkway), 25 steps and a two metre-high entrance. Along with Crete’s largest collection of ceramic larnaxes (ornate ceramic sarcophagi), Armeni’s graves yielded stone vases, cylinder seals from the Middle East and a helmet made out of boar tusks. Bring a torch to explore.