Anogia · Mt Psiloritis, Central Crete · Greece

Anogia

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easy

5/10

best: morning, afternoon

vibrant, contemplative, nostalgic

A local would say...

The Germans killed every man in this village in 1944. The women rebuilt it — and Anogia still has the most defiant spirit in Crete.

The village that most embodies quintessential Crete — a bucolic, fiercely independent village on the flanks of Mt Psiloritis, renowned for its rebellious spirit, its 2,000-guest weddings involving the entire village, and its disproportionate output of Crete's greatest musicians. During WWII the Germans massacred all the men in retaliation for the village's role sheltering Allied troops. The kafeneia on the main square are still frequented by black-shirted moustachioed men in traditional dress.