Rethymno A guide to agrotourism and alternative activities Go Nature! RETHYMNO CONTENTS The natural landscape of Rethymnon, A guide to as it once was... 4 agrotourism and Rethymnon today 6 alternative activities Vegetation and flora 8 The fauna 10 Texts Beaches 12 Stella Kalogeraki Vangelis Papiomitoglou The mountains 14 Gorges 16 Photographs Caves 18 Vangelis Papiomitoglou Traces of civilization 20 Maps Folk Art 22 Mediterraneo Editions Gastronomy 24 Layout Festivals 26 Vangelis Papiomitoglou Natassa Antonaki Calendar 28 Translation Jill Pittinger Routes 29 Printed by Grafotehniki Kritis S.A. With Rethymnon as a base 30 With Atsipopoulo as a base 32 With Argyroupolis as a base 34 With Plakias as a base 36 With Spili as a base 38 With Amari as a base 40 With Fourfouras as a base 42 With Arkadi as a base 44 The presentation was co-funded With Margarites as a base 46 within the framework of Community Programme Leader+ West O.A.DY.K With Garazo as a base 48 (Organisation for the Development of Western Crete) to 70% (by the With Anoyia as a base 50 European Commission F.E.O.G.A 52,50% and by the Ministry of Rural Development and Food 17,50%) and by the Prefecture of Rethymno 30%. Accommodation 52 Day is dawning.... Two griffon vultures glide over the slopes of Kedros, which is not afraid to stare its big brother Psiloritis right in the face. One bird, amidst the millions of microscopic seeds of an orchid, meets its counterpart, a companion on the journey through adulthood. On the hillside opposite, the black spot in the middle of the field is only an elderly woman gathering wild greens. Sage is ruffled by the breeze, and its aromas waft over the landscape. Further away, a shepherd begins a melodic dialogue with his animals, unintelligible to the outsider. He does not know it, but one day these sounds will become music. Shortly, a little wrasse at Triopetra will nibble at the bait but its tropical colouring will enchant the fisherman, who will return it to the sea. At the same time, a baker at Amari is late in warming up his oven; he takes the opportunity to stop and chat. Day has come and a little goldfinch chirps almost in exultation; you would think it knows that today the lonely lammergeyer will at last find a mate. There is still more magic! 3 The natural landscape of Rethymnon, as it once was... here today folding, subsidence and WCrete is located, uplifting, to acquire land first made its the form it takes appearance during today. This is a form to the Cretaceous period which erosion of the many millions of years mostly limestone rocks ago, when the bed of has applied its own a huge ocean – the finishing touches. Marks Tethys Sea – was raised left by the geological up as a result of the history of Rethymnon terrific pressures caused can be seen today by the tectonic plates. at many places in Aegaeis, the land the prefecture. The mass that was created, mountain bulk of Idi comprised the area of constitutes an open-air Formations on the Nida mainland Greece and geological museum, plateau (above) and at the Aegean Sea as well and it is not by chance Vosako. Information boards as Crete. 10-12 million that the Psiloritis have been placed at a years ago, due to the National Park has been number of points in the sinking of large sections included in the Network Psiloritis Nature Park by the of land, the waters of of European Geoparks. Museum of Natural History, University of Crete. the Mediterranean On the road to the began to flood Nida plateau there are Aegaeis, resulting in impressive formations can be clearly seen on its fragmentation and of platy marbles. On the top of that of the platy the creation of a group peaks to the south of limestones (Plattenkalk). of islands of Crete the plateau, the zone There are interesting which was later, after of tectonic contact folds of platy marbles constant changes, of the Tripolitza layer alternating with thin 4 Plakias flinty deposits on the the eastern end of the Schematic representation of side of the road leading beach, the existence of an elephant, with the bones to Vosako Monastery. a large perpendicular that were found to the east of Also, impressive folding fault more or less Rethymnon can be observed explains how the basin in the area of Ayios in this area was created. Pavlos, in the south of Climbing pistes have Museum of Rethymnon. Finally, in been created in the Palaeontology, the area of Plakias, at facade of the fault. Rethymnon This beautiful museum, which is housed in the restored ‘Temenos Mastaba’ and constitutes part of the Goulandris Museum of Natural History, will take visitors – with the opportunity for short ‘stops’ - on the evolutionary journey that Crete has followed over the last 300 million years. Of great importance is the exhibit of the remains of Pleistocene elephants and deer, endemic to Crete, that have been found in Ayios Pavlos the region of Rethymnon. Among many other finds, there are fossils originating from Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic marine deposits on Crete. Fossilised echinoderm from a farmer’s collection, Psiloritis Rethymnon 5 Rethymnon today ethymnon is one of terland, the landscape Rthe four prefectures is characterized by the of Crete; this administra- existence of large moun- tive division of the island tain masses, dominated already existed in the by the mythical Psiloritis Venetian period. The (2456m) which, together capital of the prefecture with the other great is Rethymnon itself, mountain of Rethymnon a city on its northern (Kedros, 1777m), encir- shore with a multitude cles the verdant green Melambes of Venetian monuments valley of Amari. contrasts - the wild and a very well pre- The landscape appears mountain vistas alternat- served old quarter. more gentle in the west, ing with fertile areas The two seas which lap while in the south a series of plain and imposing the shores of the prefec- of low mountains, such rocky shores with end- ture – the Sea of Crete as Kryoneritis, Siderotas, less sandy beaches – are in the north and the and Vouvala, runs parallel very typical of the natural Libyan Sea in the south with the coast, creating landscape of Rethymnon. – give rise to nearly 200 – due to the constant For thousands of years kilometres of coastline, variation between locali- now, Man has come to which includes some ties – some of the most terms with the wildness of the finest beaches beautiful areas of the of the region and created in Greece. In the hin- prefecture. These strong settlements everywhere, 6 near the sea or high up Cycling in the mountains; thus, The dense road network of as is the case with every the prefecture offers cyclists culture, he has influenced countless possibilities to devise the natural environment routes of every degree of to a great degree. The difficulty and type. The narrow, basic agricultural activity asphalted country roads and unmade agricultural tracks of the inhabitants is the constitute the preconditions cultivation of the olive for road or mountain biking and vine, while animal- respectively. Lovely routes keeping predominates in amidst dense olive groves, mountain areas. A dense vantage points for stunning network of roads of all Lefkogia views, exhausting uphill stretches, superb landscapes types covers the prefec- and Kotsifou, roads which and opportunities to stop and ture, leading to villages end on the deserted rest in picturesque little cafés with particular colour shores of the south, roads create a framework which will and strong architectural leading to monasteries suit every cyclist. interest, among them such as those of Arkadi Maroulas, Chromonastiri, and Vosako, and roads Pikris, Moudros, Amnatos, which cross valleys, such Remember that you ‘share’ the Argyroupolis, Spili, Mar- as that of Amari, in which road with motorized vehicles garites, and Anoyia. These Byzantine churches are and thus must take every are roads which climb scattered. precaution possible. Keep as far high up on Psiloritis and as possible to the right. For your own safety, wear a traverse gorges such as Yious Kampos those of Kourtaliotiko cyclists’ helmet. Remember that you do not have priority. When you are cycling, indicate clearly the direction in which you intend to go. Show respect for the general rules of road behaviour. Show respect for the flora and fauna along your route. The hot summer and the long period of rainfall lasting roughly from autumn to April have led to the characterization of the climate of Rethymnon as “temperate/ mild Mediterranean”. The temperatures range between 14°C in the winter and 29°C in the summer. A predominant role in the meteorological phenomena is played by the strong north and south winds. Although the high mountains are white with snow throughout the whole of the winter, the temperature on the plains rarely falls below 10°C. The presence of mountains is also the factor which creates various microclimates, particularly between the north and south coasts. 7 Vegetation and flora f the 1,700 and iolus italicus), crown Omore different anemone (Anemone species and sub-species coronaria), bunch-flow- which are found on the ered narcissus (Narcissus island, more than 10% tazetta), and turban are endemic; this is a buttercup (Ranunculus percentage with which asiaticus) inundate the strawberry tree (Ar- no other European olive groves and fields. butus unedo, Arbutus country can compete. In the phrygana, the andrachne), and myrtle More than 950 species scents of phlomis sp., (Myrtus communis) are can be found in the pre- spiny broom (Cali- the species which pre- fecture of Rethymnon cotome villosa), thorny dominate in the Medi- alone.