From the historic Arkadi Monastery, with the wonderful Renaissance architecture of its church and the Museum of Historic Ecclesiastical Artifacts - it is worthwhile making a longer stop there - the route runs eastwards, passes the north part of the archaeological site of Eleutherna. Excavations in Ancient Eleutherna have brought to light extraordinary findings of various chronological phases, exhibited at the new Museum of Eleftherna, which is located near the entrance of the archaeological site. 

 

From the village of Eleutherna a dirt road descends northwards in the direction of the covered cemetery in the place called Orthi Petra, about 1 km away. About the same distance further north a superb bridge of the Hellenistic period is preserved. A path from Orthi Petra, ascends towardsPirgi, the Acropolis of the ancient city, passing the underground aqueducts and the remains of the Byzantine church of Agia Anna. Before Pirgi, the path branches eastwards towards the place called Katsivelos, where a large part of the city has been excavated, with streets and the remains of fine buildings as well as a large Christian Basilica, that of Michael Archangelos. The church was built on the site of an older Hellenistic sanctuary. Here, the path meets the dirt road which leads southwards to the main road, first passing the cemetery of the village of Ancient Eleftherna with its Byzantine church of Sotira Christou.

 

The path then crosses Margarites gorge and ascends to the village, an attractive village with a number of Byzantine churches and Venetian mansions, noted also for its long tradition of pottery production. This tradition is dating back to at least the years of the Ottoman domination and makes the village of Margarites the most important pottery center of Western Crete. Here, amongst many others, you may visit the Byzantine churches of Agios Georgios (14th century), Agios IoannisTheologos (1383) and Sotira Christou.

 

Distance: 25km