NEAR-BY TRIPS

(All locations mentioned below are marked on your custom CRETE Map)

EPISKOPI & NEARBY VILLAGES (driving)

EPISKOPI VILLAGE

Episkopi village is located 18 km southeast of Heraklion city and 8.5 km south of Kokkini Chani village, in the inland of Hersonissos Municipality. The village has been inhabited since the Minoan era, as archaeological findings witness and lead to a long cultural history.

The local population is involved in agriculture and animal productions, which as a result offer high quality olive oil and dairy products. Venetian monuments in the area include ‘‘the Tower’’, and churches from the Byzantine era, such as Agios Ioannis and Agia Paraskevi church, that are decorated with frescoes.

In the village is located the Argirakio Ethnological and War Museum that was founded by Michael Argirakis, presenting military, ethnological and historical exhibits.

AITANIA VILLAGE

Aitania village is located on a hill west of Episkopi village, in the inland of Hersonissos Municipality, and on the east of Karteros Potamos Valley with a northern view to the sea, at an altitude of 255 m. The population is approximately 319 inhabitants. Its churches and the landscape of the valley of Karteros Potamos, make it a destination for tourists.

There are traditional cafes in the cobblestoned square of the village where orange trees, mulberry, oleanders and pomegranates grow. Churches include Agios Ioannis, Genesis of Theotokou and Agia Paraskeuh, all three of them dating to the 13th century.

GALIFA VILLAGE

Galifa village is located 25 km southeast of Heraklion city, built on a flat spot on the hilltop next to Armeno hill and Kefalopoulo hill, in the inland of Hersonissos Municipality. The village has views of surrounding landscape, mountains and a countryside with olive trees, aspalathous, faskomilies and prinous.

The history of Galifa village starts in the Minoan era, proven by the ancient findings in the area. The village is known for its contribution of freedom fighters to every Greek liberation struggle and war as well as for the atrocities that German and Turkish occupants committed here. The local hospitality and their occupation in the agricultural and animal rearing sector, creates food products.

GALIPE VILLAGE

Galipe village is located 21 km southeast of Heraklion city and 5 km from Gournes village, at an altitude of 280m the inland of Hersonissos Municipality. The village is built on a hill, with views especially on its north side. The square of the village is cobblestone paved and in the middle a small fountain, decorated with 4 stone statues of little lions. A number of ornamental plants and trees provide shade during the summer.

The church of Koimisis of Theotokou was built in the 14th century and is decorated with frescoes. During the summer a number of events take place in the village and in its area, including one on 15 August, where locals and visitors, after a church ceremony, celebrate with traditional food, drinks, music and dance.

KENOURGIO CHORIO VILLAGE

Kenourgio Chorio village is located 18.5 km southeast of Heraklion city, and 4.8 km from Gournes village, at an altitude of 220 m in the inland of Hersonissos Municipality. It is a small settlement with experience in wine making, dating to the 16th century.

Nowadays, local villagers are in agricultural production, producing wine and olive oil.
In the square of the village there is a small fountain, and a bit further away stands the church of Panagia where the religious tradition of burning Judas take place at Easter.

In the village the Wine Museum, exhibits traditional textiles, loom and a cellar with different kinds of wine. Other exhibits include facilities and machinery from the Venetian age.

The Foskolo Tower and the Agia Anastasia church is built in a rock.

SGOUROKEFALI VILLAGE

Sgourokefali village is located 18 km southeast of Heraklion city and 10 km from Gournes village, the inland of Hersonissos Municipality, at an altitude of 330 m. In the village, there is the church of Agia Triada, and frescoes decorate its inside and date to the middle 18th century.

There is also a square in the village in which the Hrwo monument stands, a historical monument which honours WW2 heroes. Made of marble, the monument is dominated by a stone eagle. The fountain of the village is made of stone and decorated with ornamental plants.

Just outside the village is the Gorge of Karteros. The gorge has a number of ponds and waterfalls along its route. During the summer time and 50 days exactly from the celebration of Easter, a celebration takes place in honour of Agia Triada, with a religious ceremony followed by the gathering in the square of the village.

SKOPELA VILLAGE

Skopela village is located 6.5 km south of Gournes village and 18 km southeast of Heraklion city, inland of Hersonissos Municipality, at an altitude of 280 m. The village square is decorated with flowers and trees that offer shade during the summer.

In the middle of the square is a renovated well, which provided the water for the inhabitants.

Agioi Pantes church, decorated by the Vrefokratousas and Pantokratoros frescoes is dated to the start of 19th century.

STAMNI VILLAGE

Stamni village is located 17 km southeast of Heraklion city and 7 km from Gournes village by the sea, in the inland of Hersonissos Municipality and at an altitude of 290 m. The local residents produce olive oil, wine, grapes and raisins.

There is a tower in the middle of the village, a two storied building with loopholes at its top. It is known to be the tower of a Venetian feudal lord of the area and in its yard is a triangle.

The village square is decorated with mantels and ornamental plants and also with the Herwo monument that was built in honours of the local war heroes, and it’s made of marble. During the summer time a number of events take place in the village, including on August 15 to celebrate the Panagia, the Virgin Mary, when locals and visitors come for a feast with traditional food, drinks, music and dancing.

HORSE RIDING AT THE
RIDING ACADEMY of CRETE (riding)

The Riding Academy of Crete is an official sports club, member of the Hellenic Equestrian Federation which has been running since 1979 in order to achieve and cultivate love towards horses.

The facilities of the Academy are open for the public and form a multiplace of various activities. The main activity is the horse-riding school but the visitor can also walk through the green gardens and have a beverage or a snack at the Ippikos Café and if it is wanted even try to ride one of our horses or ponies.

The horse-riding school is only 5 min. from the city center of Heraklion, very close to N. Kazantzakis airport, and it is the perfect destination for an afternoon or a Sunday walk. In the facilities you can watch the horse riding classes & training of riders and horses. If you like you could take a taste of horse riding and get into their world through our classes.

A unique place which offers you the opportunity to get connected with nature.

For more information you may visit the academy's website.

KARTEROS GORGE (trekking)

Karteros Gorge is located east of Heraklion. It is part of a wider geological complex that consists of Astrakiano Gorge, Kounaviano Gorge and Karteros Gorge and all these are about 22 km long. It is integrated in the wider area of Ecological Park of Giouchtas, in Archanes.

The park includes the Giouchtas Mountain and three gorges: the Knosanos, the Kounaviano and the Astrakano or the Karteros Gorge, which is also the longest. This area has been integrated into the NATURA 2000. All in all, the gorges are connected in various places with the settlements along their course. There are five main entrances: one from Karteros, one from Aitania (bridge of Aitania), one from Ag. Paraskies (Kolomodis area), one from Kato Astrakoi and from the flatland of Peza (entrance of the Kounaviano Gorge).

The scenery that one can see at the Gorge of Karteros is beautiful. It is a route that is distinguished by the richness of its natural, geomorphological and cultural features. It is a green path with springs and small lakes, while the wonderful formations in the rocks give the impression that the visitor is in a dreamlike place.

The gorge is suitable for hiking or mountain bike rides. The duration of the whole trip is 3:30 hours and the route is not a problematic one, since it has become infrastructure projects making it ideal for families with children. It is a very well organized path with bridges, wooden railings along the course and it is marked to guide the visitors.

The Astrakiano Gorge is one of the largest in the region, with a total length of 12,5 km. it starts from the village of Kato Astrakoi, crosses the mainland and ends up in Karteros, a tourist area with a beautiful beach. In the green bed of the gorge and along the route flows the Karteros River.

Climbing up the gorge, there are several old buildings, such as old chapels on the rocks, old watermills, small waterfalls and abundant vegetation which reveal that there was a high human presence in the gorge before. In the middle of the gorge, the landscape is interesting. There, the water increases, the plane trees are bigger and the river is wider.

The Neraidospilios with the small artificial lake and the cave where the spring flows are also located there.

The rich waters of the area contributed to the creation of a watermill system along the gorge. With the aid of the water they took from the river, the farmers grinned up the grain of the region. 10 watermills operated before the war but none of them operate today while the remains of several are still in existence. The locals fished eels and crabs in the waters which, as it is mentioned, still exist.

The ruins of a basilica dedicated to St. George are still on this road. It is a three-aisled Byzantine basilica. About 100 meters away, you'll find the church of Panagia, with a unique representation of a Byzantine bicephalic eagle above its portal.

The road leads to the abandoned settlement of Kato Astrakoi (2km from Astrakoi) which was abandoned in the early 1930s. In the gorges of the park, sites of historical and cultural value have been found such as Eltyna, the Minoan settlement of Myrtia and the Minoan cemetery of Astrakoi.

At the exit of the Karteros Gorge at Mesa Karteros, where the information hut is located, a resting place built by the General Directorate of Forestry is found.
The flora of the gorge includes hydrophilic species such as plane trees, willows, kermes oaks and osiers as well as many endemic wildflowers and herbs. As for its fauna, it includes more than 44 bird species and 7 mammalian species.

It is certain that the visit at the Karteros Gorge will be an unforgettable experience for anyone who crosses it.

AGARATHOS MONASTERY (driving)

Agarathos Monastery is located 23 km southeast of Heraklion.
It is built in a verdant area near the village of Sgourokefali at Soros Pantelis hill, at an altitude of 538m. The monastery is built with a fortified architecture while the temple is of the cruciform type with a dome. The main building is a two-aisled church. One aisle is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin and the other one to Agios Minas. The great feast of the monastery takes place on the celebration of the Virgin Mary on 15th of August.

IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE ON HOLIDAY AROUND THIS TIME OF THE YEAR (15th August), THIS IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT!

The monastery was named after the Jerusalem sage bush (agarathia in the Cretan dialect) under which it is said that an ancient icon of Virgin Mary was found and at that place the church was later built. Today, in front of the sanctuary of the temple, there is a pomegranate under which the monks keep a candle lit on its trunk. According to the tradition, the famous “Agarathos pomegranate” is the original Jerusalem sage bush which was grafted by the monks of that time, transforming it into a tree in a miraculous way.

Agarathos Monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in Crete. There is no exact information about the date of the erection of the monastery. It is estimated, though, that it was founded in the Second Byzantine period (961-1204 AD).

Originally, it was a small monastery that belonged to the Kallergis family, who granted it to Abbot Nifon Notaras in 1504.Nifon Notaras reorganized and turned the monastery to a very rich one. In the middle of the 16th century, it was fortified and obtained a fortress form with three entrances. Nowadays, there are many surviving elements from the old fortress complex. The visitor can see the date 1585 AD at the northern gate of the monastery and the date 1583 AD at the southern one.

The monastery, during the Venetian domination, was considered to be one of the richest in Crete, resulting to acquire many small and large monasteries in the wider region as glebe land. At the same time, the monastery was an important spiritual center in which young students, monks and lay people were studying and working by reproducing manuscripts to save them and enrich the libraries of the monastery. It was also proven that the monastery had a very important library according to manuscripts and documents found in the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana (library and Renaissance building) in Venice in 1532 and in the British Museum in 1559, accordingly.

Moreover, the monastery played an important role during the period of the Ottoman domination as many revolutionary movements against the Turks were developed. In the revolution of 1821, the Turks slaughtered the monks and set fire to the buildings. The monastery remained deserted for a few years, and after the end of the revolution, the monks who had been saved from the slaughter settled there again. In the monastery, a school was founded again after 1860 and the students from the surrounding villages of the area were studied at it, while during the revolution of 1866, the monastery became the base of a great Cretan hero, Anthonis Trifitsos who was killed in the battle. Its amulet and other relics were kept in the monastery today. Eventually, the temple was rebuilt in 1894, and by the end of the Ottoman domination, a new period of acme of the monastery began.

Significant ecclesiastical figures that linked their name to Agarathos are Meletius Pegas (Patriarch of Alexandria), Cyril Lucaris (Ecumenical Patriarch), Gerasimos Palaiokapas (Bishop of Crete), the scholar Joseph Bryennios and present-day Patriarch of Alexandria, Theodore II.
Nowadays, the visitor can see parts of the monastery, the cells, the temple and the extraordinary ecclesiastical museum and library that the monastery possesses exhibiting many ecclesiastical displays, historical objects and manuscripts.

Giorgos Petredes

Mobile: +30 69 406 15 904
email: giorgospetredes@gmail.com

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