RHODES….the island of the Sun

Rhodes is the largest island in size of the Dodekanese Islands.  Besides its natural beauty, its geographical position is favorably located in the southeastern part of the Aegean opposite the coasts of Asia Minor.  Whilst sightseeing on the island one will be impressed with what one faces.  The Medieval City with its vivid structures which housed the Knights in imposing neoclassical buildings, a legacy from the Italian occupation comprises the landmarks of the city of Rhodes.

Outside the borders of the city one can encounter numerous historical and archaeological monuments from different periods of time which can captivate its visitors with the significance of what each monument symbolizes.  The Kallithea Springs monument, the valley of the Butterflies, the Ancient Civilizations of Ialyssos & Kamiros, the Acropolis of Lindos all unveil the glory of the past and the vividness of the future for the Island of Rhodes.

The beaches of Rhodes

While sightseeing and discovering the beaches of Rhodes, one will realize how generous nature was when it was endowing this Agean Island with gifts.  There are many types of beaches, some sandy others with pebbles all of which are fully organized to meet all our visitors requirements.

Sights not to be missed

The Medieval Quarter

The Medieval Quarter of the City of Rhodes is a living part of the island’s history, all the more since it has never ceased to be dwelt in and visited enthusiastically by swarms of visitors, around the year. Small wonder, then, that the Medieval Quarter of Rhodes has been officially included in UNESCO’s World Heritage Monuments network. Its actual outlook dates back from the time of the rule of the Knights of the Order of St. John (14th – 15th century AD). The Knights endowed their city with an intra muros citadel (Castello) encompassing most of the administrative buildings of their State, their churches as well as various quarters, inhabited by Greeks as well as families from various other nationalities.

Palace of the Grand Master
Grandiose and imposing, the Palace of the Grand Master dominates the Medieval Quarter as it stands on the highest spot of the fortified complex. One comes across it at the upper end of the Street of the Knights, right across from the site where once the cathedral of St. John is known to have stood. The palace itself was erected on the site where the Byzantine citadel had been erected in the late 7th Century AD, as the culminating feature of the early Byzantine fort.
Once their rule was consolidated in the 14th Century, the Knights engaged in a series of construction works in and around the premises, to the aim of creating a palatial residence for their Grand Masters as well as the center of the administration of their knightly state. Despite the modifications, however, the site was to retain forever the allure of citadel of the Medieval Quarter.
Spared though it was by the ravages of the Ottoman siege of 1522 – thanks to the robustness of its structure, the Palace was nevertheless reduced to rubbles some centuries later, as a consequence of an explosion in a forgotten powder storage room in the basement of the Cathedral of St. John, that used to stand across its main entrance. Reconstructed by the Italians during their rule (1940), the complex benefited from a revival in true faith to its original outlook.

Street of the Knights
The most important thoroughfare in the Medieval Quarter is the Street of the Knights, considered to be the best preserved in its kind, in Europe. Running along 200 m and benefiting from a breadth of 6 m., it leads to the Palace of the Grand Master. Featured along either sides of the street are the residences of the Knights, separate for each of the Tongue their leaders originated from. Above the stately entrances to those mansions, there can still be seen the respective blazons.

Suleiman’s Mosque
Situated at Socratous street – the most commercial of the Medieval Quarter’s thoroughfare – the mosque was built in 1808 to honor the memory of Suleiman the Magnificent, conqueror of Rhodes. This mosque remains operational to this day.

Archaeological Museum – Hospital of the Knights
This is the most important of all knightly buildings around the Medieval Quarter. Originally used as a hospital for the pilgrims stopping over in Rhodes, on their way to the Holy Land or on their trip back home and later on for the Crusaders, its construction was launched in 1440 on an initiative by Grand Master Jean de Lastic, to be completed in 1484 under Grand Master D’Aubusson.
The best part of the upper level of the construction was occupied by the “patients ward” whereas the ground floor premises hosted various storage areas, arranged around an inner yard. Presently, the building hosts Rhode’s Archaeological Museum, featuring a considerable number of sculptures and other works of ancient art. Also to be seen are some interesting early-christian frescos.

The Ancient Citadel (Acropolis) featuring the temple of Pythius Appolo.
Lindos, once the capital of the island, boasting of the world-renowned Citadel, still echoing – according to the tradition – the steps of St. Paul.

Filerimos

Ancient Kameiros
This is the site where one of the three ancient Cities of Rhodes used to stand. Situated on the northwest coast of the island, near the cape of St. Minas, Kameiros was built on the so-called Hippodamus architectural concept: it therefore featured three levels, namely the top level, culminating to a citadel (acropolis), the settlement on the middle level and a Hellenistic temple, a Doric fountain, the Agora and the yard of the Altars on the lower level. The Citadel’s temple was fashioned after the Doric style. The Hellenistic Colonnade – featuring two rows of Doric pillars as well as dwellings for the pilgrims – has an ancient water-supply network running underneath. This is an impressive system dating back in the Hellenistic times, comprising wells, underground water reservoirs and water pipes made of clay. The settlement – a mixture of construction dating from the Hellenistic and Roman times – was constructed in blocks, most of the homes having featured an atrium (inner yard surrounded by an pillared archway).

Site of the Seven Springs
This is a dreamy site, not far from the village of Archangelos, in the northern extremity of that Municipality. That is what happens when mother Nature has an inspiration, one of its lavish gifts to the island of Rhodes. Lushly green, this area is grown with innumerous elm trees, shading a multitude of gargling water streams in a setting of unique beauty. By one of the streams, right off the course of the crystal-clear water, there is a café and restaurant from where one may refresh oneself while admiring all this beauty.

Kallithea Springs
A spa of unsurpassed beauty, known for its beneficial properties since the ancient times

Valley of the Butterflies
Situated southwest, within a 16 km distance from the City of Rhodes, this 6 km – long valley, full of pine trees, elm and fig trees shading laughing streams, is home to myriads of butterflies!
In the summer, the area is taken over by butterflies, attracting thousands of the island’s visitors. Simple tourists as well as scientific researchers swarm in to admire the scenery and have a close look at this rare phenomenon. Known as “the Rhodian Butterfly” (Panaxia Quadripunctaria), this endearing insect can be seen by the thousand, resting on tree trunks in quest for some shade, humidity and food. The valley itself has been endowed with little wooden bridges, artificial ponds and traced pathways making one’s wandering easier, in this unique site. Near the top of the valley, there lies a historic Greek Orthodox monastery that played an important part in Rhodes’ modern history. Dedicated to the Virgin (Panaghia Kalopetra), its construction was commissioned by Alexander Ypsilandis in 1874 in commemoration of a miracle of Holy Mary, according to tradition.

Also worth a visit:

• The Rhodes Hydrobiological Station and Aquarium
• The Museum of Modern Greek Art
• The Archaeological Museum
• The Gallery

Kameiros Scala (The Port of Kameiros), the wharf from where boats set out on schedules to the islands of Nissyros and Halki.  A typical feature of this lovely site: the tiny green-colored houses and the homey ambience of the local fish taverns.

HISTORIC BUILDINGS
The Prefecture Building (formerly, the Italian Governor’s Building)
Its style is reminiscent of the Palace of the Doges in Venice. Built in 1927 on plans by architect Florentano di Fausto, it is considered as one of the most important buildings erected in the Dodecanese during the Italian Rule. The premises are presently housing the activities of the Prefecture of the Dodecanese.

The National Theater
Built in 1937, its original name was Teatro Puccini, one of the most important stages of its time where operas were also performed. This is definitely an imposing construction, boasting of a sizeable stage, a spacious balcony, boxes for the prominent spectators, a foyer and a bar.

Post Office Building
Yet another construction built on plans by architect Florentano di Fausto. Featuring a façade made in local sandstone, its main characteristic is the symmetry of its openings and the grandiosity of its stately entrance.