Rhodes island Greece

Rhodes is an island that never ceases to surprise newcomers. Once having arrived there, one has plenty of choices to choose from: gaping at its beaches or resting at its luxurious tourist facilities, strolling around the historical monuments in the medieval town or enjoying a visit to the ancient site of Lindos. The unique beauty of the island, however, does not stop here as Rhodes has a great variety of charming places that are lovely to be seen. The medieval walled Old Town of the City of Rhodes, built by the order of St. John's knights, was declared a world heritage site in 1988. Visitors are slipping through any of the ten gates and walk along the street of knights (Odh's Ippoton) where the majestic buildings, especially the palace of the grand master, the archaeological museum, the bazaar in sokratous street, and the Süleymaniye Mosque have been standing there for a lot of centuries thus having been photographed by thousands of people. The palace was built in 1346, destroyed by an ammunition depot explosion in 1865 and reconstructed by the Italians from 1937 to 1940. On the other side of it, one can see the Süleymaniye, the Ahmet Havuz Ottoman libraryis in operation. What is more, a visit to the Municipal Art Gallery which features a remarkable 20th Century Art collection should not be missed. It is housed in a building that was erected in the middle-ages. City exploring should include the decorative arts collection and the Folklore Museum which are housed in the knights' Arsenal, n Argyrokastro square. Arion square hosts Yeni Hamam, the restored Turkish baths establishment which is open daily. Visitors should also be aware of the fact that fairs, art festivals and representations of medieval life are held all year round in the Old Town.

The architectural style of Rhodes has greatly been affected by the domination of Italian architecture though it was adjusted to the peculiarities of its landscape. Actually, the Italians undertook extensive infrastructure works and supplied the island with imposing public buildings. The twin hotels Elaphos ("buck") and elaphina ("doe") were constructed according to the Alpine style on the mountain of Prophetes Elias. Eleousa is a deserted, Italian forest village located at the foot of Prophetes Elias mountain. The central square of it, is surrounded by grand buildings, an arched market , a sanatorium and a church. The Italian agricultural village Ayios Pavlos (St. Paul), located in Kattavia, is very similar to the North Italian landscape. On the other hand, the famous town of Lindos has been inhabited since the pre-Hellenic age. It is an archaeological site featuring Byzantine churches, aging houses that used to belong to ship-owners and captains, stunning pebble mosaics and, last but not least, the celebrated Neolithic Acropolis of Lindos, set in a location that affords breathtaking views.

Attavyros is the name of the highest mountain of Greece (1,240 m), which is surrounded by the mountainous villages named Embonas and Agios Isidoros. The view from the top of Attavyros is breathtaking and the natural environment of the mountain includes unique plants spices while being inhabited by a rare deer race called "platoni". Herds of Rhodian origin horses, looking like a charming miniature thanks to their small size in comparison to the normal ones, used to gallop in the area of Archangelos. One of the most famous natural sites of Rhodes is undoubtedly the Butterflies Valley, a lush green gorge where a lot of colorful butterflies resort every year from June until September creating a unique scenery full of colorful creatures that seem to dance in the air. The valley consists of small lakes, paths under the shadow of the forest trees, small wooden bridges, ferns, planes, pines, laurels and oaks. Visitors are kindly requested not to make noise, such as yelling or clapping their hands, in order not to scare the butterflies that are shocked by the noise and may die due to it.A restaurant with a view to a cataract is located nearby.