Chaniá: Around the city

South of Chaniá: the Gorges of Thériso

The dramatic, red-tinted 6km-long Thérisson Gorge (or Gorges of Thériso) is famous in Cretan history as a scene of battles and revolts, in particular the Revolution of Thérisso in 1905, led by Venizélos in response to the reactionary policies of his boss Prince George—an act that launched his career as a national figure.

The village of Thériso has a pair of little museums, the Museum of National Resistance (+30 28210 78780) with photographs, weapons and other memorabilia from the fighters, and the Historical and Folklore Museum in a building that once served as Venizélos’s headquarters (+30 28210 56008).

Near the entrance of the gorge you can stop by the large, sleepy village of Mourniés, birthplace of Venizélos, Greek Prime Minister most of the time between 1910 and 1932. Before he was born, his mother had a dream that her son would liberate Crete, and so named him Elefthérios (‘Freedom’). The Venizélos House Museum at his birthplace, is dedicated to his life and times.