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Ierapetra ...more on Ierapetra
 ... The once gigantic port of Ierapetra has, according to medieval traveler's descriptions, dried out and turned into a cultivated plain. Today, only small vessels can dock or anchor in the small harbor. Efforts are being made to upgrade it and render it accessible to larger vessels that would connect Ierapetra to the north coast of Africa.
On top of the southernmost end of the old port, "Kales" is to be found. This is a Venetian fort which has served to defend the port and house the garrison force. It is a fine example of post-medieval defense architecture, definitely worth a visit.
The new town of Ierapetra offers long promenades through its shopping center, its municipal park, or along its coastline. The almost 6 kilometer (4 miles) long beach is frequented almost the whole year round; the temperature is rarely down to a forbidding level.
Besides swimming during the day or visiting the “obligatory” local museum (to the right, a photo of one of its exhibits, a clay vase), there are many attractive activities to pursue, if you like to stay overnight. Nightlife here is rather intense, bars and clubs add a lot to the local color. Tourist infrastructure gets better all the time, and there is a wide range of accommodation choices at hand.
However you decide to spend your time in Ierapetra, you will absolutely fail to find any traces of the geostrategic role the city has played in the past, when its naval power was feared in the whole of Mediterranean, before it was destroyed by the Romans in 67 B.C. |
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