Samonas
Samonas is a small village situated at an altitude of 350 meters, in the province of Apokoronas.
Samonas was bombed relentlessly on the 8th of May in 1944 by the attack aircraft of Hitler. The next day, the entire village was surrounded by the ground forces of the Nazis who burnt everything. However, the residents did not abandon their homes. In fact, they managed to rebuild their village.
Today, the houses of the village are being restored and some are built afresh.
Climate conditions in Samonas contribute to the production of agricultural and livestock products of high quality. Several explanations about the name of the village prevail. One of them relates the name “Samonas” to the old icon of Agios Samonas that is kept in a church of the village. The church is situated at the highest place of the village.
Near Samonas there are the findings of the ancient settlement of Kilindra dating from the Late Minoan Period, as well as the olive tree of Samonas, designated by the Association of Olive Cultivating Municipalities of Crete as “monumental” because of the fact that it is a tree thousands of years old.
An important attraction of the village is also the cave of Samonas.
