2. HANIA - Paleochora (see Map of Crete. Hania or Chania)
If you head west of Rodovani, after about a couple of kilometres
you will find a very picturesque village called Maza. Make a
stop here and visit the Byzantine church of Aghios Nikolaos,
decorated with beautiful paintings that tell the story of the
saint.

Map of Crete. From Rodovani to Paleochora
|
These were made by Ioannis Pagomenos, the well known Cretan
artist of the 14th century who combined the
Byzantine icon-painting tradition with many elements of the
local Cretan school.
After Maza continue west (toward the village of Temenia). The
road goes through thick olive groves covering the hill sides,
occasionally interrupted by vineyards that give a tasty red
wine. Just before Temenia you will have to choose between two
routes.
The first one is for street motorcycles and goes north toward
Kandanos (A3). On your way there you will pass through a couple
of charming villages, Vamvakados and Anissaraki, with three
Byzantine churches, and you will cross some large olive groves
and small fields with vegetables and vines.
The second option is for off-road motorcycles and allows you
to reach Paleochora driving on a country road that offers beautiful
scenery (D3). Turn left at the crossroads before Temenia and
take the dirtroad going to Prodromi (you will see a Gr/E sign
that says “Prodromi 6”). The steep rocky hill right
in front of you was once the homeland of the Irtakinians.
Irtakina was an ancient town with an apparently great fear of
enemies. In fact, it was more like a military camp than a town
except for the fact that it also had a life beyond military
concerns. Built on the side of a steep hill, it was immune against
any attack from the north or east, but the citizens were still
afraid and they built two Cyclopean walls around their town
to protect it further.
They lived there with their wives and kids, and whenever they
were not busy defending their town they cultivated the fields
to the southwest of it (in the direction of Paleochora). Whether
out of deeply rooted insecurity or because of the major threats
they faced, at some point they decided to seek an alliance with
their neighbours, so together with Eliros, Lissos, Syia, Pikilassos
and Tara they formed a coalition known as To kinò ton
Orìon (the Mountain-People League, 3rd century BC). However,
they were not a truly warlike people (like our friends, the
Spartans), or at least that’s not what the few remaining
monuments seem to tell us. Apart from the few surviving parts
of the walls, which testify to the city’s great need for
defence, the most important remnant from the ancient times is
a temple dedicated to Pan, the protector of flocks and shepherds...
Let us also note that the hill was excavated in 1939 and it
was then that the temple was brought to light.
Irtakina is a fine example of a ruined ancient town exciting
the imagination, and the entire island echoes with memories
from the past. These will spice your journey with a sense of
travelling through time and they will give you something interesting
to think about. But of course Crete’s charm comes from
everything about it, history as well as people, scenery and
adventure. If you are hungry for beautiful scenery or exciting
adventure, the crossroads one kilometre after you turn for Prodromi
will invite you to choose.
Two ways lead to Paleochora from this crossroads. The one is
to turn left (east) and go through Prodromi - a route promising
adventure and exploration - and the other is to go right (west)
and go through Platanes to enjoy a scenic ride. On the crossroads
you will see a Gr/E sign pointing you to Prodromi via a small
country road (D3). Whether you take this road or go through
Platanes, you are in for a great experience.
If you select the first option you turn left on the dirtroad
and continue until Prodromi. Prodromi is a colourful
village with many old houses and a Byzantine church dedicated
to Panagia Skafidiani and decorated with the paintings of Ioannis
Pagomenos (1347). Exactly 1600 metres from the sign at the northern
entrance of the village, you will see a white icon stand and
a small cement-paved path which immediately turns into a dirtroad.
Take this path, make a left turn at the first intersection you
will hit, a second left turn at the second intersection, and
a right turn at the third (all other roads are dead-ends, anyway,
and stop suddenly before a field). You will pass through a barren
landscape and go through a fence gate. After that starts a truly
magnificent route through the steep southern shores of Crete,
a route that’s great for enduro bikes and exciting in
its wilderness. At some point the road intersects with the Sougia
- Paleochora coastal path (E4) and a little further it stops
suddenly at some distance from the shore. Needless to say, you
can camp anywhere you like in this area, but there is no water,
no shade and no reason to do so! Those of you that like to hike
can continue on foot to Paleochora (a two-hour walk you will
certainly enjoy). The rest can return to Prodromi by the same
road and from there continue to Anidri, a little further to
the west. There you will see the beautiful Byzantine church
of Aghios Georgios, also decorated with the paintings of Ioannis
Pagomenos. After the village the road goes through an impressive
gorge full of plane trees and caves, and shortly before you
leave the gorge it turns into an asphalted road (A3) that leads
to Paleochora.
Your second option at the crossroads (the one with the view)
is to forget about Prodromi and go right. The road (D3) takes
you to a pretty high altitude from where you have an enchanting
view of the south coast, then goes through the half-deserted
villages of Platanes and Asphendiles and turns north following
the eastern slope of a gorge in the bottom of which flows the
Azogirian river. This route offers you a great view of Azogires,
a very beautiful village on the other side of the gorge surrounded
by thick forests. A little later the road crosses to the other
side taking you to the village. The attractive scenery brings
quite a few tourists to this place and so do the Harakas cave
and the Monastery of the Holy Fathers, which is built about
two kilometres away on the top of the hill (however, the monastery
and the cave are nothing special). If you wish to stay in Azogires,
you will find a few Rooms To Let and a couple of taverns. A
wide, uninteresting dirtroad (D1) will take you south of Azogires
and join the main road about three kilometres north of Paleochora.
Source of the
information on this page : “Unexplored Crete”,
Road Editions. For more guidebooks and maps of
Greece, click here.
|
 |
|