Crete - Greece - page 848

Nov-Apr) was Crete's second-most-important Minoan palace-city after Knossos and
enjoys an awe-inspiring setting with panoramic views of the Mesara Plain and Mt
Psiloritis. The celebrated Phaestos Disk, now in the Iraklio Archaeological Museum,
was found just northwest of the palace.
Like Knossos, Phaestos (fes-tos) was built atop a previously destroyed older
palace and laid out around a central court. In contrast to its bigger cousin, though,
this site had fewer frescoes as walls were apparently covered with white gypsum
only.
Past the ticket booth, you'll first come across the Upper Court , which may have
been a market square. From here, stairs lead down to the West Court with the
Theatral Area off to the right and a sweeping Grand Staircase to the left. This
once led to the Propylae , the main palace entrance, of which only the pillar bases
survive. Past a series of storage rooms lies the vast Central Court with the royal liv-
ing quarters in the north wing (turn left). These include the queen's and the king's
megaron (under cover) and the Peristyle Court , an elegant inner courtyard.
Phaestos is served by KTEL ( Click here ) buses up to five times daily from Iraklio
(€6.50, 1½ hours), twice from Matala (€1.80, 30 minutes) and three times from
Agia Galini (€2.10, 45 minutes).
Agia Triada Αγία Τριάδα
In an enchanting spot 3km west of Phaestos, Agia Triada ( 27230 22448; adult/con-
cession/under 18 & EU students €3/1.50/free, incl Phaestos €6/3/free; 10am-4.30pm Apr-Oct,
10am-3pm Nov-Mar) encompasses vestiges of an L-shaped royal villa, a ramp once
leading out to sea and a village with residences and stores. Built around 1550 BC,
Agia Triada (ah-yee-ah trih-ah-dha) succumbed to fire around 1400 BC but was
never looted. This accounts for the many Minoan masterpieces found here, most
famously the Agia Triada Sarcophagus , now a star exhibit at the Iraklio Archae-
ological Museum.
The signposted turn-off to Agia Triada is about 500m past Phaestos on the
Matala road. There's no direct public transport to the site, so either walk or hitch a
ride from Phaestos.
Malia Μάλια
On the north coast, about 35km east of Iraklio, near the eponymous coastal resort,
the Palace of Malia ( 28970 31597; adult/seniors & EU students/under 18 €4/2/free;
8.30am-3pm Tue-Sun) is a relatively easy site to comprehend thanks to a free map, an
exhibition hall and labelling throughout.
Enter from the West Court , turn right and walk south along a series of storage
rooms to eight circular pits believed to have been grain silos. Continue past the
silos and enter the palace's Central Court from the south. On your left, in the
ground, is the Kernos Stone , a disc with 24 holes around its edge that may have