In the centre of Gialia area, and near to the ruins of the Minoan town of Lamon, a few fishermen built a small settlement and they called it Plakias.
On the slopes of the mountains, overlooking the sea, the villages such as RODAKINO, SELLIA, MYRTHIOS, MARIOU, ASOMATOS, LEFKOGIA, YIANNIOU, DRYMISKOS, KERAMES, AGALIANOS, AGIA PARASKEVI and SAKTOURIA, provide excursion points from the well-known tourist centre of Plakias.
In our area of Gialia there are certain places of special interest and beauty:
Preveli Gorge. Here the river Megapotamos flows between the high banks of the gorge and through the palm-forest to the beautiful Limni beach.
Kourtaliotis Gorge . Take a stroll down the stairway to the church and cataract springs of St. Nicholas. These springs never fail to provide water all year round to Megapotamos.
Kotsifas Gorge . Wild and imposing and also the entrance to the area from ancient times. The renowned beaches of the area, some deserted and others literally carpeted with bodies, lie like a string of gems set in the rocky embrace of the southern mountains. AGIOS PAVLOS, TRIOPETRA, PINGRES, AGIA FOTIA, KERAMIANO AMOUDI, LIMNI PREVELI BEACH, SKINARIA, AMOUDI, DAMNONI, PLAKIAS, SKINOS, SOUDA, KORAKA and FRANGOKASTELLO.
The islands of Gavdos and Gavdopoula with their special nature, break up the continuity of the boundless blue sea. In ancient time, the islands of Gavdos and Gavdopoula, then known as Ogygia, was the realm of women ruled over by the goddess-queen Kalypso whose beauty held the mythical hero Odysseus enthralled for seven years before he set out on the last stage of his journey home. A journey round the Yialia area will reward the discerning visitor with a unique collection of ecclesiastical monuments; a testament to the golden age of monasticism. |