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Places near Church
In Tzitzifies you will see a large pink church before which starts a dirtroad going right. This is a chance to enjoy this route through the northern side of the White Mountains, one that does not stop in the middle of nowhere (for a change), but makes a half circle and takes you to Vafes. If it was pretty late when you left Hania, or if you took your time along the way and find that it will soon be dark, you can camp in the beautiful Vothonas plateau, at an excellent spot at the middle of the route. The Vothonas plateau is found at a height of six hundred metres and having everything you need: thick grass, shade-giving trees, and a cistern with drinkable water.
To get to Vafes, simply cross the plateau, ignoring the road you will see to your right (this seems to go up the mountain, but in fact stops after five hundred metres in front of a shepherd’s hut). From Vafes you continue on an asphalt-paved road, which will take you straight to village of Vrisses.
At the "foot" of the Lefka Ori -White Mountains-, an area blessed by its calming beauty and Cretan grandeur, Apokoronas is located in the prefecture of Chania. There, among the cypress and olive trees you will find our village Vafes.
A historical, traditional and preservable settlement, built of stone carved by the named “pelicans” of Apokoronas, centuries ago. This happened up in the mountainsides of the Municipality of Krionerida, where the rivers of the nearby villages Vrissses and Georgioupolis have their springs. There are about 170 residents in Vafes, involved mostly with agriculture, but also highly motivated in the past few years with matters of the environment and preservation of the cultural heritage. The residents are highly activated in Agro-Tourism.
This attracts the interest of visitors in the settlement. There are two main caves in the area. The well known cave of Krionerida went down in history when in 1821 during the Greek revolution, the Turks caused asphyxiation to 130 women and children of the village that sought refuge in the cave. The other is a bigger labyrinthine cave whith unknown length. The people of Vafes are proud of their history which starts from the Venetian occupation.
The villagers have taken part in all the Cretan revolutions providing some of the greatest chieftains. Their ancestors excelled around Greece as well as in Greek scommunities around the world. Geographically Vafes is ideally situated to explore the real Crete, away from the industry of mass tourism. You can folow the trails that lead all the way up to Lefka Ori-White Mountains or just go out for a drive through all the villages of Apokoronas.
You can visit one of the many caves, and collect local flora, or take a relaxing walk through the Gorge of Krionerida. Visit the two Venetian bridges, the watermills of the river Boutakas, the beautiful chapels and the 1000! year old monastery of the Asomati (without bodies) Saints. Worth noting is that the monastery was privately restored. All of the above are within a three kilometer radius.
If you choose to drive off further, you will then find the villages of Nippos, Fres, Tzitzifes, Alikambos and Emprosneros. Landscapes of of a unique beauty, Byzantine and Venetian monuments and lots of activities offered by Apokoronas await the visitor all the year round. In addition the beach of Georgioupolis is but a few kilometers away from Vafes (10 min by car).
The municipal department of Tzitzifes consists of two neighborhoods built on two parallel hills that descend from the mountains to the plain and are separated by a ravine. In the bottom of the ravine is a storied fountain with trees, under which the leaders of the Cretan Revolution met several times in 1866, 1878 and 1895-97.
The houses are built with stone on the successive levels of the two hills, creating a beautiful traditional settlement. The view to the villages of Apokoronas plain is impressive. The name of the village has been taken from the jujube tree, which grows in the region.
The historical path of the village is lost through the centuries. But one thing is certain. The area was inhabited since ancient times and retained the name for over a thousand years. In fact the first written reference comes from the liberator of Crete, Nicephorus Phocas (960 A.D), who records the name of the village as Zizifea
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