Frangokastello

 Here is a photograph that I took in the south of Hania province in a tiny village called Frangokastello.

Frangokastello

Frangokastello means Frankish Castle, actually built by the Venetian occupiers of Crete from the 13th to the 17th century when the entire island of Crete was renamed Candia for the period. They built this castle to deal with the southwestern Cretans, the Sfakians, who never accepted the rule of anyone other than themselves.

Yet here in Frangokastello, set by the sea a long way from the high mountain bases of the Sfakians, the Venetians found themselves ignored. The Sfakians continued their turbulent behavior conveniently bypassing the castle with its small troop of Venetian soldiers. It must have been a nice place to spend your time, even in those days.

Who owns the kaiki in the photograph? It is the splendid taverna, right here on the seafront of this exquisite beach.