Elefterna is supposed to be the ‘next big thing’ on Crete’s archaeological map. A brand new museum is expected to be open in 2015 (or later, who knows?) along with the archaeological site itself. What follows is a sort of preview, as we had the opportunity to visit the site few years ago during a press trip. This time we had to content ourselves with a walk around the perimeter, where we found some interesting things to see. Not bad at all!
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The archaeological site of Eleftherna (of Eleutherna of Apollonia) [35.33143,24.67201] is located just 5 km from the monastery of Arkadi and 25km from Rethymnon. Seen from above with its futuristic rooftop, it is quite inviting. It’s really a pity that it is not yet accessible to the public. Three years ago we had the good fortune to get inside during a guided tour for journalists and we took advantage to take some pictures. You can get an idea by watching the video below:
There is another site not far away [35.33222,24.67681] but it is closed too and there is not much to see from the outside.
Worth seeing instead are some minor sites near the Acropolis of ancient Eleftherna village. If you have a large vehicle, be very careful because it’s not easy to arrive close to the Acropolis [35.32667,24.67643]. It is wiser to find a place to park in the village.
From there, after a short walk you can reach the remains of the Byzantine tower.
The path continues to the left of the tower starting to descend. A few meters further you will reach the E4 path.
At the end of the downhill, turn left; the entrance of the ancient Roman cisterns is located just a few meters away. A flashlight can be useful for exploring them better, but even without it your eyes will adjust to the darkness after a minute or two and you can move with ease. The cave is very cool inside so you may take a short brake if it’s a hot day.
Go back to the point where you turned left and go right this time keep following signs for E4 path. (you’ll meet two junctions). Turn left at the third crosspath and after a while you’ll see an ancient olive grove with archaeological excavations [35.33272,24.67485]. The site is fenced but the ‘door’ is not locked so I suppose that the fence serves to keep animals out. Just shift the grid and enter. It’s a lovely place and the journey from the cisterns takes only 10 minutes.
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The path continues to the left of the tower starting to descend. A few meters further you will reach the E4 path.