Rhodes

Rhodes island is the largest in the Dodecanese archipelago. We find it just above Crete and we can easily define it as one of the places where history has left clear traces and influences that can still be felt in the air today.

A large, immense island and being able to see it all is almost a feat but it offers a territory made up of mountains, valleys, inlets, gulfs, monasteries, enchanted villages, archaeological sites and beaches that will forever be a memorable memory.

It extends for 1400 square kilometers and offers its visitors many things to see and do from north to south. Throughout the coast there are beaches with a clear, crisp sea with wonderful colours, mountains covered with thick forests, expanses of vineyards and olive groves and a sense of tradition, despite its continuous growth, which is still very much felt and rooted.

According to mythology, Rhodes was born from the love of Helios the God of the Sun and the Nymph Rhodos daughter of Aphrodite and Poseidon. Legend has it that when Zeus decided to divide the earth between the Gods of Olympus he forgot about Apollo who like every day was bringing the sun towards the sky and consequently was not present. Upon his return Apollo became 'very angry with his father for missing him but at the same time a beautiful island emerged from the depths of the sea and when he saw it he asked Zeus to grant it to him. Obviously the God of Gods agreed 'giving it to her son who in honor of her beloved the nymph Rhodos called her' with her name.

History of Rhodes

So there would be pages and pages to write here but it is necessary to make at least a few hints to better understand the soul of Rhodes. It was already inhabited in the Neolithic period and by the Minoan civilization. In the 15th century BC the Mycenians arrived and after the Bronze Age it began to have trade with the island of Cyprus, but we can say that Rhodes only became important and powerful with the arrival of the Dorians in the 18th century. The cities of Lindos, Ialyssos and Kamiros are built which together with Kos, Halicarnassus and Cnidus will become the Doric Hexapolis, a sacred confederation. During the War in the Peloponnese in 478 BC it decided not to participate in the conflict, thus becoming independent and began to build its internal villages and the capital which was built in 408 BC by the architect Hippodamus of Miletus and then ended up under Persian rule in 340 BC and Alexander the Great in 332 BC. In 304 BC after defeating Demetrius I, to celebrate the victory, the Rhodians decided to build a gigantic statue in honor of Helios, the famous Colossus of Rhodes which then disappeared in 653 at the hands of the Arabs who, when they conquered the island, made many pieces of it which they sold to a Jew whose traces were immediately lost. Then followed the Romans who Christianized it with San Polo and after the fall of the Western Roman Empire for ten centuries it belonged to the Byzantine Empire. In the Middle Ages it was governed by the Republic of Genoa which controlled trade on behalf of the Byzantines. After the death of Andrea Moresco, the last Genoese governor of Rhodes, it was handed over to the Knights Hospitaller also known as the Knights of Rhodes who built imposing monuments such as the Palace of the Grand Master who left it to the Ottoman Empire in 1522 as did the army of Suleiman the Magnificent he took possession of the island allowing the knights to retreat to Malta. As the history of Greece teaches us, Ottoman supremacy remained for four long and bloody centuries. The Italians and Germans then followed again during the Second World War and then returned to the Greek flag in 1948.

People choose a holiday in Rhodes for an infinite number of reasons. For its rich and wild nature, for its beaches and its sea, for archaeology, for sport, for trekking, for good food and for the relaxed atmosphere that you breathe. It is a perfect island for anyone, families with children will be able to combine business with pleasure between sea and historical notions, for couples, for young people given its lively nightlife in the capital and in the Faliraki area, in short everyone will be able be satisfied without neglecting anyone's wishes.

Lose yourself in the capital, medieval city and UNESCO heritage site. With the old part where the streets intersect becoming labyrinths and at every corner you can find shops, clubs, cafes and restaurants, its acropolis just above a hill renamed Monte Smith where the view is sublime especially at sunset. And don't we want to go and visit the Palace of the Grand Master or the Street of the Knights, a catapult into the past with rooms where artefacts such as beautiful mosaics from the Hellenistic period are preserved?

Going south you come across Faliraki, a tourist seaside resort that is very popular with young people due to the infinite choice of places to stay late in the evening as well as kilometers of coastline where you can relax and get a tan. Immersed in a disconcerting nature just after Falirki the beautiful Anthony Quinn Bay with its emerald green and turquoise sea where some scenes of the cult film "The Cannons of Navarone" were filmed and then arriving in Kolymbia where relaxation and tranquility reign supreme. A small settlement where you can dedicate your days to the sea.

Further down you reach Lindos, a real pearl. A town with a wonderful Acropolis where the temple dedicated to the Goddess Minerva is located with a view of the archipelago. And again its suggestive Bay of Saint Paul with its particular beach to reach the most extreme tip of Rhodes in Prassonissi where the Aegean Sea joins the Mediterranean Sea and lovers of sports in which Aeolus is necessary gather to have fun in acrobatics and jump.

Finally, for the little ones but also the adults always appreciate the Butterfly Valley to the west of Rhodes, less than thirty kilometers from the capital. One of the most attractive places that passing between streams, rich vegetation and waterfalls will make you discover millions of butterflies that concentrate for reproduction.

We could go on for days describing what to see and what to do in Rhodes but we could also take away the emotion of the surprise, so pack your bags, get a ticket for this multifaceted and mythical island and go off to discover it without too many questions and following your instinct.