Location information

Anogia Community

ANOGIA (Small town) RETHYMNO
  The historic Anogia region lies in the north slopes of Psiloritis Mountain, between two hills, at a height of 740 metres. As mythology has it, it was here that Zeus was brought up. At the foot of the high peak, the cave of Idaeon Antron was used as a worship site from Minoan through to Hellenistic and Roman eras.
  The hospitable highlanders who live in Anogia gave preserved their manners and customs through the ages. The spoken variation of modern Greek still includes a considerable number of words from the ancient Greek language, while Anogia residents have made a name for themselves for their cheerfulness, dancing and music, as well as for their folk Cretan couplets.
  The wider region of Anogia is ideal for mountaineering, push-biking, walking tours, naturalist tourism and skiing at the snow-ski centre. The area is also rich in sights and visitors will have a highly interesting time not only in admiring the flora and fauna, the many caves and precipices, but also in visiting the Nidas plateau, the Vroulidia forest, Kampoi and the springs of Zomithos, Trigiodiou, Varsamou etc. Other interesting sights one must visit in the area are the Byzantine church of St. John, the Gryllios Woodcarving Museum, the Old Anogian Domicile, the textile workshop, the Minoan settlement in Zomithos and many more.
  In this unique area of exceptional natural beauty, visitors will become acquainted with the authentic, genuine Cretan lifestyle on one of Greece’s most scenic mountains.
  The area is equipped with many tourist farm lodgings, while the numerous tavernas, restaurants and endless good mood of the locals provide for a matchless good time.
  Anogia is only 35 km away from Heraclion and 54 km from Rethymno.
This text is cited February 2004 from the Municipality of Anogia tourist pamphlet.