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Myrthios

The village of Myrthios is located approximately 30 km far from the city of Rethymno and overlooks the cove of Plakias of the prefecture of Rethymno.

At the foot of Mount Vrisinas the green village of Myrthios stands, whose name according to tradition originates in the word myrtiá (=myrtle), since once in the center of the village there was a large myrtle tree.

The residents of Myrthios village do not all hail from Crete, as many moved here from different parts of Greece, while the village was also inhabited by pirates in the past.

The first written record of the village Myrthios is found in the Venetian era, as a fief of a Venetian family. It is said that initially the village was built near the sea, but the frequent pirate raids forced the inhabitants to move to higher grounds.

Today, close to Myrthios village at the beach of Paligremnos, there are some small caves, which were used as a refuge during the German occupation. Moreover, in this area, when it is a full moon and especially since the beginning of September until the end of January, the moon is reflected in the sea and big squids go out on the sand.

In Myrthios, there is the church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, which was built before 961 and the church of Agios Charalambos with a Venetian bell of 1589. The Kotsifou gorge passes by the village, while in the mountains of a wider area there are ruins of towers.

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