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Prefecture: Rethymno
Address:
Rethymno 
Telephone:
Fragma Potamon
The lake of Potami is shaped by the Potami dam, in Amari valley. It was built in 2008. The dam is located in the verdant valley of Amari, 25km south of Rethymno.
The young lake has a capacity of 23 million cubic meters and is expected to become one of the most important wetlands in the southeast Mediterranean. Already, many species of birds and animals have appeared in the area. Visitors of the wider area visit the dam and admire the beautiful scenery.
Places near Fragma Potamon
Nearby the village Patsos (Rethimno Prefecture), two caves lie hidden in the mountain region of Sorσs within a romantic, small canyon (Patsos Gorge).
It’s suspected that Patsos stands on the foundations of an ancient site. The village Patsos is to be reached via the main connection from Rethymno to the South. Shortly before the town Spili, it is then left towards Patsos, and from there (follow the signs) around 2 miles to a small parking lot, the starting point of well marked hiking trail.
The cave also represents a place of dedication as has been proved by archaeological research. It was used as an important centre of worship from the Late Minoan up until the Roman period. An inscription that was found in the cave testifies that Hermes Kraneos was worshipped here. The church in the interior of the cave is dedicated to Agios Antonios, the patron of the children. The cave is open to visitors.
There is a second, much smaller karst cave, called Fournare, 300 m north on the opposite side of the Gorge. Systematic excavations haven’t been done so far in any of the two caves, although objects from the Minoan, Greek and Roman period have been found again and again. See following pictures with further short descriptions.
After 30 min driving from Rethimno town and after a small stop at the new “Potami” dam, you reach the small picturesque village of “Pantanassa”, which is located in the Amari area and west of the Psiloritis Mountains. Here you can meet local people, still enjoying the traditional Cretan way of living and enjoy their hospitality.
The route goes: Rethimnon - Prasies - Filaki - Voleones - Pantanassa. Just before entering the village, on the road, is the two-aisled Byzantine church of Agios Ioannis and Agia Triada.
The reddish loose sediments occurring around the Pantanassa village are of the few which were deposited as sediments on the land of Crete thousands years ago. They consist of loose sand, conglomerates, clay and thin layers of lignite on top, and are referred to as the Pantanassa formation.
The plethora of the data collected from these rocks have helped us, and continue to help us, to understand this distant period.
The beautiful gorge of Patsos occurs west of Pantanassa. It is one of the nicest gorges of Crete with lots of water and rich vegetation. A small cavity in the heart of the gorge was used during Minoan times for worshipping Kranaios Hermes, and continues in use today as a cave-chapel for Agios Antonios.
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