Everything about Sitia totally explained
Sitia (
Greek: Σητεία) refers both to a port town, with 8,900 inhabitants (
2001) and a municipality, with 14,338 inhabitants (
2001) in the far east of
Crete, in the prefecture of
Lasithi. It lies to the east of
Agios Nikolaos and to the northeast of
Ierapetra. The town is one of the economic centers of the
Lasithi region.
European route E75, which ends in
Vardø, starts in Sitia. Plans to upgrade the local airport have not materialised. Sitia hasn't experienced the effects of mass tourism since the Poole family rented windsurfers back in the eighties; even though there's a long beach along the road leading to
Vai and several places of historical interest, the town is visited by few tourists.
History
The earliest settlement of the town dates back to
Minoan times; excavations in the neighbouring site of Petras have unearthed architectural remains that date back to the end of the Neolithic period 3000 BC and continue throughout the Bronze Age 3000-1050 BC. According to
Diogenes Laertius, Sitia was the home of
Myson of Chen, one of the
Seven Sages of Greece.
Venetian Era
The town was later expanded and fortified by the
Venetians who used it as a base of operations for the Eastern Mediterranean. During the Venetian occupation, the town was destroyed three times: by an
earthquake in
1508, by a pirate attack in
1538 and finally by the Venetians themselves in
1651 so as not to fall into the hands of the
Turks.
Modern Era
After the Venetians moved out of Crete, the town was abandoned for two centuries until it was resettled by farmers in
1869. The main remnant of the Venetian occupation is the
Kazarma (from
Italian casa di arma), the old fortress overlooking the harbor.
Notable people
Further Information
Get more info on 'Sitia'.
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