Spinalonga Island Crete

The beautiful Spinalonga Island, we find it in the delta of the port of Elounda in the Mirabello Gulf on the north east side of Crete in the Lassithi region.

A piece of totally rocky emerged land with an extension of 85000 square meters and a maximum height of 53. A small islet that despite its small size has had a strong importance and influence with different roles in history due to its strategic position in the eastern part of Crete.

To be precise it should be said that Spinalonga would be the nearby peninsula while the island is called Kalidon but since ancient times it has always been called and identified as Spinalonga. Its name was given by the Venetians and the meaning is long-thorn perhaps due to the shape.

Remained uninhabited for a long time, in the 70s, however, given the tourist interest, the Cretan authorities decided to restore the ancient buildings of the 1800s such as the houses, the shops with large doors and windows where the families who moved during the period lived, restoring splendor to this important island.

Spinalonga was the fortress of the ancient city of Olous the current Elounda from the Minoan to the Hellenistic period, and were connected by a strip of land (today Olous is a submerged city). Under the Venetian rule in 1579 the fortress was built, a mighty fortified structure right on the ruins of the ancient acropolis. The optimal position allowed to control the maritime traffic without any opportunity for sudden landing. Its purpose was to preserve the salt pans, a precious trading commodity of the Serenissima and to oppose the Ottomans' manias for expansion.

It was designed by Genesio Bressani and Latino Orsini, but over the years it was continuously expanded. During the war in Candia, the rebels settled and built temples dedicated to Saint Panteleimon and to Saint George. The stronghold had very strong double walls, towers and as many as 35 cannons.

In 1669 it fell to Turkish control but together with the strongholds of Souda and Gramvousa it remained under the supervision of the Venetians to ensure trade routes with South West Asia and to be able to give refuge to Christians. In 1715 the Turks took possession of Spinalogna completely and it was converted into a place for exiles. In 1897 the French settled on the island and kept it under their control for about a year. In 1903 the Turkish population definitively abandoned Spinalonga which was then destined for leprosy patients who in the meantime invaded Crete. The living conditions of the sick were terrible, there were no medicines and the lepers lived in real crumbling shacks. Fortunately, the condition changed with the construction of a hospital where there was a medical staff and sick people placed in houses abandoned by the Turks. With the discovery of the cure, the last inhabitant left the island in 1962, making it uninhabited.

Spinalonga is very interesting to visit from a historical point of view but despite being surrounded by a wonderful sea, it does not have beaches worthy of particular notes, it offers a small beach and coves that, however, fill up in a very short time also given the massive amount of visitors who arrive every day especially in the summer months.

Obviously only by sea. Boats depart from Plaka, Elounda and Agios Nikolaos every day for both a self-guided excursion and a guided excursion. Always consult the timetables.

If you want to treat yourself to a day organized in all respects, there are many agencies that offer the route. For more information you can consult this site:

https://www.analipsitours.com/it/

A trip out of town full of interest and very suitable for history lovers or for those who simply want to have a deeper knowledge of the wonderful Crete.