ancient city

Itanos: Crete’s Ancient Coastal City Beside Vai

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Itanos: Crete's Ancient Coastal City Beside Vai

Itanos is the site of an ancient city on the far north-east coast of Crete, in the Lasithi district, sitting beside the palm beach of Vai and below the fortified monastery of Toplou. People also call it Erimoupoli, the deserted city, a name that fits the low ruins scattered quietly across a bare headland above … Read more

Polyrrinia: Crete’s Ancient Hilltop City Above Kissamos

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Polyrrinia: Crete's Ancient Hilltop City Above Kissamos

Polyrrinia stands as one of western Crete’s most evocative archaeological sites, where a living mountain village merges seamlessly with the ruins of an ancient powerhouse. Perched above Kissamos in the Chania region, this settlement rewards curious travelers with stone-built lanes winding through Hellenistic walls, Roman inscriptions embedded in village houses, and an acropolis commanding sweeping … Read more