Fortezza

The Fortezza: Crete’s Venetian Citadel Above Rethymno

by
The Fortezza: Crete's Venetian Citadel Above Rethymno

The Fortezza is the Venetian citadel that crowns the low hill of Palaiokastro above the old town of Rethymno, on the north coast of Crete. Its low, star-shaped ramparts and angled bastions were built to absorb cannon fire, and inside stand a domed former mosque, a gunpowder store, cisterns and the rector’s residence. The walls … Read more

Rethymno: Crete’s Venetian and Ottoman Old Town

by
Rethymno: Crete's Venetian and Ottoman Old Town

Rethymno sits on the north coast of Crete, halfway between Chania and Heraklion. It holds the best-preserved Renaissance old town on the island, a tight grid of Venetian and Ottoman lanes running below the Fortezza fortress. The Rimondi Fountain still pours through its carved lion spouts, the Neratze mosque keeps its Ottoman minaret, and the … Read more