Vathypetro

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About 5km south of Arhanes, and well signposted, Vathypetro was built around 1600 BC, probably as the villa of a prosperous Minoan noble. Archaeologists discovered wine and oil presses, a weaving loom and a kiln in storerooms. The wine press can still be seen; archaeologists believe Vathypetro to house one of the oldest wineries in the world, and still today its surrounded by beautiful vineyards.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

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  • the ancient city of Gortyna or Gortys, to the south of Heraklion prefecture.; Shutterstock ID 2228390937; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi 2228390937 aerial photography, amphitheater, ancient, ancient greece, ancient site of tylissos, antiquity, archaeological, archaeological site, archeology, architectural, architecture, attraction, bronze, building, city, civilization, cretan, crete, culture, destination, details from the air, documentary tylissos, educational photography, famous, gortyna, gortys, greece, greek, history, island, king minos, mediterranean, minoan, minoan culture, minoans, old, outdoors, past, picturesque, ruin, sightseeing, site, stone, summer, theater, tourism, touristic, traditional, travel, vacations

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  • Ruins of the ancient Greek city of Lato,2500 years old near Kritsa, Crete. Lato was one of Crete's most important Dorian city-states, considered the most well-preserved city of the classical Hellenistic period. Built between two hills, in a strategic location, offers defensive coverage to the entire city. 1676789477 civilisation, archeology, archeological, dorian, cretan, classic greece, lato, ancient town of lato

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    Ideon Cave

    18.2 MILES

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Nearby attractions

1. Archaeological Museum of Arhanes

1.79 MILES

This small museum displays many important finds from regional excavations, especially from Minoan times. Among the highlights are clay larnakes (coffins)…

2. Fourni

2.52 MILES

On a hill west of town and reached via a steep footpath, Fourni is the most extensive Minoan necropolis in Crete. Burials took place here over a period of…

3. Mt Yiouhtas Peak Sanctuary

2.84 MILES

Driving south from Arhanes, look for the turn-off for Giourtas. The narrow (but drivable) road leads to the top of Mt Yiouhtas. After a bone-rattling 5km,…

4. Anemospilia

3.17 MILES

Anemospilia packs major importance into its small frame. Excavation of this middle-Minoan three-room temple yielded evidence that human sacrifice played…

5. Nikos Kazantzakis Museum

3.73 MILES

In a modern building overlooking the kafeneia-flanked central plaza of author Nikos Kazantzakis' ancestral village, this well-curated museum zeroes in on…

7. Queen’s Megaron

6.1 MILES

Archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans believed that this pretty space in the residential eastern wing, with its painted pillars and playful dolphin fresco on the…

8. Queen’s Bathroom & WC

6.1 MILES

Next to the queen's bedroom, but barely visible through glass, the ruler's wife's 'bathroom' may have had a clay bathtub and a primitive type of water…

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