Sitia

Sitia , a coastal town of about 9500 inhabitants , is situated on the eastern part of the northern coast of Crete, before the cape Iron . Capital of Sitia , has given its name to the gulf that lies at her feet. It is known from the time of the Minoans inhabited both the Classical period and the Hellenistic , Roman , Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman rule. It is 129 km from Heraklion , 64 km from Agios Nikolaos and 61 from Ierapetra. Close , to the east within 19 kilometers lies Palekasro with exceptional beauty and significant ecological interest Vai palm forest and very important archaeological sites. In Petra , to the east of the city , there are excavations of a section of the ancient settlement. Under the Venetian occupation the town of Sitia was destroyed three times. In 1508, a terrible earthquake in 1538 by pirates and in 1651 by the Venetians , not to fall into the hands of the Turks. For two centuries Sitia not existed as a city until 1869 . The present town was built in 1870. Both the region of Sitia, and the rest of the province has great natural beauty, which not only protected but also emerge : charming and clean beaches ( Sitia gets blue flag even next to the harbor ) terrain with hills , mountains , small plateaus , canyons , caves, plains , small islands and islets , coves , small wetlands and a variety of mostly plant and animal wealth. Besides, should not be considered entirely a coincidence that the ancient inhabitants of the land Tut thought to pass laws sanctuary that protects forests, which belonged to the temple of Zeus Dikteou ( Palekastro ) , prohibiting the cutting of trees. The ecological profile of the area filled with high-tech applications . Due to frequent winds, developed in the last years investments to produce "clean" energy to build four wind farms. From the summer of 2001 works of sewage of the city. Visitors have the opportunity to enjoy not only the natural environment but also the hospitality of the local people and the cultural and cultural tradition, evident in every corner of Sitia . Let's not forget that it is home of Myson , of one of the seven sages of antiquity and poet Erotokritos Vitsentzou Cornaro . Prehistoric and historical monuments are scattered everywhere in the area and give a special color to the lives of local people. The city has a port and ferry connections with Piraeus and Milos on an almost daily basis, while Kaso , three Karpathos and Rhodes twice a week. It also has a small airport ( which a few months completed the extension ) with two aviation flights a week to and from Athens .