Сития на Крите – город в восточной части острова.This is a quiet and quite remote place, not very popular among tourists. Nevertheless, the city has a beautiful nature and a rich history. What to see in Sitia (Crete)? What sights are there in the city?
Description and photo Sitii
Crete - the largest Greek island, the birthplace of Zeusand habitat of the Minotaur. Its most popular cities are Agios Nikolaos, Elounda, Malia, Rethymnon, Chersonissos. Sitia is much less common among this list, partly because of its remoteness.
The city is located in the northeast of Crete.Sitia is only 30 kilometers distant from its extreme eastern point. It is located at the very end of the European car route E75, which originates from the Norwegian Vardø. Bus routes and the airport connect it with major cities not only of the island, but also of the rest of Greece. By ferry you can reach the Cyclades and the Dodecanese archipelago.
Sitia in Crete is located on the site of the ancient city of Ichida. According to legend, one of the Seven Sages of Antiquity was born here, Mison. Singer Yorgos Mazonakis and artist Mikhail Akselos are also associated with the city.
Today about 10 thousand people live in Sitia.This is a port city, and the center of the eponymous community. The main sectors of the economy are construction, handicraft, agriculture and tourism. But the last two areas are not well developed.
Rest in Siteia
The city is nice and cozy - that's how it ischaracterize in the reviews. Sitia in Crete is more suitable for a relaxing family holiday or for those who want to be away from the noisy crowded resorts.
Город размещён на склоне невысокого холма прямо on the shore of the bay. Near the embankment, decorated with a strip of palm trees, there are various taverns and restaurants. The food in them is much tastier than in the famous resorts, as they prepare it for the locals, and not specifically for tourists. Due to the small influx of visitors, prices do not change from season to season.
From the embankment upward narrow streets with white houses. Climbing up on them, one can observe beautiful local landscapes woven from the sea, mountains and Mediterranean vegetation and Cretan architecture.
The sights of Crete in Sitia aresandy and pebble beaches, ruins of ancient cities and temples, mountains with picturesque gorges. Most of them are located within a radius of 25 kilometers outside the city. The most convenient way to visit them is to rent a car. The list of the main tourist sites is as follows:
- Venetian fort.
- Roman tanks.
- Folklore Museum.
- The ruins of the Minoan palace of Kato Zakros.
- Monastery Toplou.
- The ancient city of Itanos and Erimupolis beach.
- The gorge of the dead.
- Beach Vai or Palm Grove.
- Plateau Handras.
- Palekastron.
Venetian fort
Unlike many other attractions, this building in the city of Sitia in Crete does not belong to ancient monuments. It was built in the XIII century, when the Venetians ruled over the city.
The fortress was an ordinary military structure,served as a defensive observation point. Protective walls surrounded Sitia. Now only the barracks is preserved, which is located on the western outskirts of the city, on a hill not far from the coast.
Like the whole city, the fort suffered twice fromearthquakes. The cataclysms significantly weakened it, giving an advantage to the opponents. The fortress was seized in 1538 and 1645. The last time the Turks remained in it for a long time, making changes in appearance. One of these was the addition of domes over guard posts.
Gorge of the dead
About 18 kilometers from Sitia canyon stretchesfive kilometers long. On Crete there are many similar places with beautiful views, mountain rivers and waterfalls such as the Richtis Gorge or the Tamarisk Gorge, with groves of nuts, oleanders and palm trees. But this canyon attracts not only natural landscapes.
The gorge of the dead is located between the villages of AnoZakros and Kato Zakros. Its mysterious and a bit creepy, the name is associated with the rituals of the Minoan culture. About two thousand years BC, the inhabitants of Crete buried the dead in his caves.
One end of the gorge leads directly to the beaches of the easternthe coast of the island, and the trails on the other side will lead to small villages nearby. One of them is Zakros with the remains of ancient Cretan architecture.
Ruin
Numerous ruins found by archaeologiststhey keep the memory of various cultures that existed on the territory of Crete and Sitia in particular. In the village of Zakros in the past was one of the centers of the Minoan civilization. Now there you can see the remains of an ancient palace and other buildings.
A developed Minoan culture existed long ago.until we know the ancient Greek civilization. It developed in the Bronze Age from 2700 to 1400 BC. The Minoans traded and engaged in piracy, made ceramics, possessed written language, built palaces of several floors.
The ruins of the ancient city, the cemetery and the sanctuaryare also in the village Palekastron 18 kilometers from Sitia. On the hill next to it are evidence of later eras - Homeric and Hellenistic. During the Venetian period, the fortress of Paleo Castro was erected on it.
Past eras are captured in the ruins of the city.Itanos, or Ethan. It refers to more recent times and is described in the history of Herodotus. The city existed until the Byzantine period, when it was destroyed. In the Roman period, it was an important trading center, famous for dyeing fabrics and making dye purpura.
Vai Beach
Approximately 20 kilometers from Sitia in Crete there is a piece of paradise landscape - a beach dotted with date palms. In fact, the trees go to the depths of the island, covering an area of 200 hectares.
Vai Beach is also called Palm Grove.It is a national park and the largest wild palm forest in all of Europe. However, he is wild now. It is assumed that once the trees were planted by Phoenicians or pirates from Arab countries.
Palm trees of Teofrasta growing on the beach of Fayaendemic and listed in the Red Book. They are found only in Crete and several nearby islands. Trees grow to 15 meters in height, and their leaves reach 2-3 meters.
Monastery Toplou
The monastery of Our Lady Akrotiri is completely made ofstone and surrounded by a ten-meter wall. It looks a bit lonely, sitting in the middle of a plain overgrown with low green bushes and trees.
The building was built in the XV century.Many neighboring buildings were completely destroyed by endless pirate raids. The monastery was also damaged, but it was restored. The bell tower of the building rises to 33 meters, its interiors are decorated with engravings, crosses and icons.
Outside the service, local monks grow olive trees and grapes, and then make them oil and wine. They, by the way, can be purchased, and the proceeds will be spent on caring for the monastery.
