Vatsiana

Vatsiana constitutes one of the five villages on the island of Gavdos in the Chania regional unit of Crete and the most southerly settlement in Europe.  It is located only seven kilometers from the port of Karave.

Vatsiana is the southernmost inhabited village in Europe, where you can find and definitely visit the Vatsiana Folklore Museum, a personal creation of the family of Manolis Bikogiannakis, the priest of the island.

Before entering Vatsiana, a century-old cedar, leaning due to the air, indicates south, towards the spot where the path to the Tripiti cape starts from.

After walking for about one hour from Vatsiana, the cape emerges with majesty in front of your eyes, revealing the equally majestic fury of the sea.

Three huge holes are formed on the rock, because of the perpetual movement and the strength of the sea and the air. At the top of the rock, the locals have built a gigantic chair, which states that this is the southernmost point of the European continent. The chair is also called “throne of Odysseus”, a reference to Homer’s epic poem, according to which Gavdos was the island of Calypso.