Η Κ ΡΗΤΗ Μ ΟΥ
MY C
RETE
Discover Crete
View of the village
of Milia from Halepa.
Village of Milia transformed
into eco-friendly tourist destination
E
cotourism, agrotourism, ecology, the great outdoors, respect to humanity and its needs, simplicity, harmony, clean air, warm hospitality, relaxed atmosphere, homemade cuisine. These are qualities of Crete
that for millennia have been celebrated in the small corner of Western Crete in the village of Milia.
Milia is a village that seems to have sprouted from
the lands of Crete. The village is an authentic mountain settlement that has been transformed into an ecofriendly tourist complex. Since about 1650, this area of
Kissamos has boasted exceptional rugged beauty.
Placed among plantains, chestnut trees and mountain tops kissing the sky, Milia overwhelms visitors
with its unique diversity. The philosophy of “back to
basics” has found true meaning here.
In the early 1980s, when Iakovos Tsourounakis
spoke about his dream to transform his ancestral
lands after four decades of abandonment and neglect,
people said he’d gone “crazy.” He wanted to cultivate
the land, grow organic products, reforest the area, and
have a small breeding farm to save what was left of the
ruins of the medieval settlement.
He was lucky. In 1982 he met Giorgos Makrakis,
another local whose family had property in the area.
Together they discovered a shared dream, a shared
“kouzoulada” or Cretan “insanity” and started work!
Somewhere in the middle of this journey, a dream
was born to transform the old settlement into an ecofriendly inn for visitors to enjoy.
In 1990, they gained funding from the European
Union’s Interreg program and began work on renovations to the area, which lasted for about three years.
They chose the difficult path and renovated the ruined
settlement with care and caution so as not to lose the
local character.
The interior of the buildings were restored to their
original identity with only minor modern amenities
added, such as bathrooms. The exterior space was designed to include charming gardens and narrow walkways. The landscape remained untouched, preserving
the amphitheatrical layout of the settlement, all the
while maintaining the original harmony of the buildKPHTH | WWW.PANCRETAN.ORG
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