Villa Stella Apartments, Stalis
  • Home
  • Photo Galleries
    • Villa Stella
    • Stalis
    • Crete 1
    • Crete 2
  • Room Types
    • Superior One bedroom apt with view
    • One Bedroom Apartments
    • Maisonettes
    • Superior one bedroom apt
    • Standard Studios
    • Big studio for 4
    • Small Studio
    • Studio with view
    • Prices
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Book Now

Stalis Apartments' News

Fun, Advice, History, Holidays

Heraklion Fortification (walls)

28/3/2017

0 Comments

 
These walls are a system of defensive walls first built during the Arab rule and completed in the Venetian times. The uniqueness of these walls lies in their size. Their length is 4,5 km and they surround the old city of Heraklion.

In most of their sections the walls extend to more than 10 m in thickness and 15 m in height. Many parts of the walls are so big that on top of them there is a football field and many places of cultural activities. One can walk across and atop the walls, where (atop the Martinengo Bastion) you will find the tomb of the famous writer, Nikos Kazantzakis.

There are four main gateways (St George’s Gate which is used for cultural activities and exhibitions, New Gate, Bethleem Gate where performances and music events are held and the reconstructed Chanioporta (Chania Gate).

The walls are so impressive in volume that they can only be compared to the Sinic Walls of China and form one of the best examples of medieval wall architecture in the Mediterranean world.

These walls were being built for 100 years and were accompanied with the construction of Big Castle fortress for the protection of the harbour, when Heraklion was a colony of Venice.

They lasted the longest city siege in world history, from 1648 to 1669, a total of 21 years, against Ottomans.


0 Comments

Knossos

28/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Knossos, located 5 km from the centre of Heraklion, was the biggest city of the Minoan era and is considered Europe’s first city. It is the silent testimony of the earliest large-scale Aegean civilization. During the thriving period of this city around 1700 BC the palace and the surroundings were inhabited by almost 100.000 people. They ruled over the Aegean Sea and based on some findings in Egyptian tombs they seem to have had contact and trade relationships with the Egyptians.
The palace of Knossos was a multi-storey complex of buildings which had an impressive water supply and drainage network. The palace was excavated by Sir Arthur Evans who found parts of the buildings as well as precious objects and impressive wall paintings (frescoes). What is of interest is that there is no fortification which indicates that they were protected by their ships and did not have any fear of enemies as they were the rulers of the sea.
Photos Coordinates Opening hours address website...
0 Comments

Archaeological Museum of Heraklion

28/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Heraklion offers many places to visit. If you are interested in the history of the island and, particularly the ancient times, the first place to visit is the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion.

Located in the centre of the city, it is one of the five most important archaeological museums in the world. A highlight of this museum is the exhibits of the Minoan era. The museum contains the most complete collection of artefacts of the Minoan civilization (including the famous Phaestos Disk, the Snake Goddess figurine and the bull-frescoes) and this is why it is considered as the Museum of Minoan culture par excellence worldwide.

Other periods of the Cretan ancient history are also represented in this museum apart from the prehistoric era. There are more than 15.000 findings from a period extending to almost 5000 years. Thus, the visitor will see exceptional artistry, engraved seals, pottery, figurines, jewellery, weapons, sacred axes, and the famous frescoes.     

During the WWII the collection of the Museum survived without damages. It has been recently renovated and offers a modern experience to the visitors with the use of digital means such as video projections and interactive touch screens.


0 Comments

Krasi village

28/3/2017

0 Comments

 
One of the most interesting tourist attractions around Stalis is Krasi, which is a traditional village with a big and old tree in the central square where you may walk and enjoy the nature and the wonderful view near to wilderness. Inside the village (not in the central square of the village but inside the narrow roads of the village) you will see people and cafes (kafeneia) which seem to have emerged from the sixties. It is 600 m in altitude and the temperature there is at least 10 degrees lower than in Stalis. It has a cultural tradition since many famous Greek authors went there to stay and write their books in isolation in the fifties.

0 Comments

History of Villa Stella Apartments

28/3/2017

0 Comments

 
After being closed for more than seven years, Villa Stella apartments in Stalis were totally renovated and re-opened in July 2016 under the new management of Lefteris and Vasso. Recently (April 2017) the rooms have been further refurbished and redecorated.
Our advantages are:
1. Enthusiasm for offering the best services to our guests.
2. A good sense of what hospitality is about based on the old Greek tradition of Philoxenia (hospitality) drawn from the myth of Xenios Zeus (hospitable Zeus) that established a tradition of  religious obligation to be hospitable to travelers. 
3. Friendliness
4. Attention to modern facilities such as the importance of a reliable free wifi connection in the rooms and the premises.

The location of Villa Stella is exceptional because the apartments are located in a distance of an one-minute walk from the beach. In the neighbourhood you may find any shop or service you want (supermarket, pharmacy, rent-a-car, tavernas, jewelry etc).

0 Comments

    Archives

    April 2023
    April 2021
    February 2021
    June 2020
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    April 2018
    January 2018
    August 2017
    March 2017

    Categories

    All
    Ancient Greeks
    Attractions
    Avdou
    Barbeque
    Blue Flag
    Business
    Churches
    Cocktails
    Coronavirus
    Crete
    Culture
    Distinctions
    Drinks
    Experiences
    France
    Geometry
    Good Friday
    Greek Culture
    Greek Night
    Heraklion
    History
    Holidays
    Knossos
    Krasi
    Language
    Mathematics
    Medieval Greece
    Minoan
    Museum
    Music
    Mycenaean
    Philoxenia
    Photographs
    Poetry
    Raki
    Safety
    Stalis
    Venice
    Videos
    Villa Stella
    Weather

    RSS Feed

Location

                  AWARDs

Picture

ReVIEWS

Booking.com
Zoover
Holiday check
Tripadvisor
Google
Facebook

Contact Us


Picture
  • Home
  • Photo Galleries
    • Villa Stella
    • Stalis
    • Crete 1
    • Crete 2
  • Room Types
    • Superior One bedroom apt with view
    • One Bedroom Apartments
    • Maisonettes
    • Superior one bedroom apt
    • Standard Studios
    • Big studio for 4
    • Small Studio
    • Studio with view
    • Prices
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Book Now