Crete - Greece - page 857

Rethymno is fairly compact, with most sights, accommodation and tavernas wedged
within the largely pedestrianised Old Quarter off the Venetian Harbour. The long sandy
beach starts just east of the harbour.
Fortezza FORTRESS
MAP GOOGLE MAP
(Venetian Fortress; Paleokastro Hill; adult/senior/family €4/3/10; 8am-8pm Jun-Oct, 10am-5pm
Nov-May) Looming over Rethymno, the massive Venetian fortress cuts an impressive fig-
ure with its massive walls and imposing bastions, but was still unable to stave off the
Turks in 1646. Over time, an entire village took shape on the grounds, most of which was
destroyed in WWII. Views are fabulous from up here and it's fun to poke around the
ramparts, palm trees and remaining buildings, most notably the Sultan Bin Imbrahim
Mosque with its huge dome.
Archaeological Museum MUSEUM
MAP GOOGLE MAP
( 28310 54668; adult/concession €3/2; 9am-3pm Tue-Sun) In a Turkish-era building
that served as a prison until the 1960s, this small museum showcases treasures from neo-
lithic to Roman times, including bronze tools, Minoan pottery, Mycenaean figurines, Ro-
man oil lamps and a 1st-century-AD sculpture of Aphrodite.
Old Quarter NEIGHBOURHOOD
Pride of place among Rethymno's many Venetian vestiges goes to the Rimondi Fountain
MAP GOOGLE MAP (cnr Paleologou & Petihaki Sq) , with its spouting lion heads and Cor-
inthian capitals, and the nearby Loggia MAP GOOGLE MAP , which was once a meet-
ing house for nobility and is now a gift shop. South of here, the Porta Guora MAP
GOOGLE MAP (Great Gate; cnr Ethnikis Antistaseos & Dimakopoulou) is the only remnant of
the Venetian defensive wall.
Among the few remaining Ottoman structures, the most important is the triple-domed
Neratzes Mosque MAP GOOGLE MAP (Vernardou) , which was converted from a Fran-
ciscan church in 1657 and is now used as a music conservatory and concert venue.
On the same street, the five-room Historical & Folk Art Museum MAP
GOOGLE MAP ( 28310 23398; Vernardou 26-28; adult/student €4/2; 9.30am-2.30pm
Mon-Sat) , in a lovely Venetian mansion, documents traditional rural life with displays of
clothing, baskets, weavings and farming tools.