Spili Crete
Located around 28km south-east of Rethymno, in the province of
Agios Vassilios, is the small, exceptionally pretty village of
Spili. This beautiful mountain village, with a population of
approx. 800 inhabitants, stands at an altitude of 430km.
The area is green and lush with many little mountain streams and
plenty of trees. In the village square with its shade from plane
trees, are marble fountains with sculptured lions' heads that
provide drinking water from the clear, refreshing rivers of the
Psiloritis Mountain. From the square, narrow lanes lead up to
the neighbourhoods of the village. Here can be seen the
traditional styled houses with flower-filled gardens and amazing
views. There are three churches of interest: The church of Agia
Theodori; the church of Agios Georgios and the church of the
Metamorphosis of the Sotira (Saviour).
Inside these churches are some wonderful examples of wall
frescoes and religious icons. In the church of Agios Georgios,
for example, there is a unique wall painting which represents
the Holy Trinity, where the Holy Ghost is represented as a dove
flying out of the lips of God. The road from Spili continues
towards Agia Galini which has a fine beach and was one of the
first tourist resorts to be developed in Crete. Gorges of
incredible magnificence criss-cross the mountains of the region.
Westwards on the road into Spili, is the village of Koxare with
333 inhabitants. Koxare became famous because of the impressive
ravine of Kourtaliotis, which is some 3km long and ends at the
famous Preveli Lagoon.
The impressive, narrow ravine has a wild beauty and its barren
slopes are full of waterfalls and caves. When the wind blows,
one hears sounds like clapping of the hands kourtala as it
is called in the local dialect. In the ravine there is a further
church, the church of Agios Nicholaos. From Spili it is also
very easy to visit the Skisma Cave. .
