Frangokastello

The Venetians built the castle in 1371 to control the coastal plain of Sfakia, a plain rectangle of walls with corner towers and the lion of Saint Mark over the gate, and its isolation is what makes it: there is nothing around it but a flat shore, the Libyan Sea and the White Mountains rising behind. The interior is empty, so the visit is a walk around the ramparts and through the shell. In front of the fort a shallow sandy bay warms early and stays calm, one of the gentlest swimming beaches on Crete's south coast. In late May, around dawn on still, humid mornings, locals report the drosoulites, a mirage of moving shapes crossing the plain, an atmospheric phenomenon that has become the site's best-known story.

History

The Venetians built the castle in 1371-1374 as a garrison to keep order in rebellious Sfakia, deter pirates and protect Venetian nobles and their estates, naming it the Castle of St Nikitas after a nearby church; the local people, who never liked it, called it Frangokastello, "castle of the Franks". It is a simple rectangle with a tower at each corner and the remains of a Venetian coat of arms over the gate, while the buildings inside and the battlements were added under Ottoman rule, and in 1770 the Cretan rebel Daskalogiannis was captured here (Wikipedia, Frangokastello).

What you'll find

• The Venetian fort - a square walled castle with corner towers on an empty shore.
• The shallow bay - warm sandy swimming directly in front of the walls.
• The White Mountains - the range rising behind the coastal plain.
• The drosoulites - the dawn mirage reported on still spring mornings.

When to go

Spring and autumn for comfortable exploring; the plain is shadeless and hot in summer, though the bay compensates. Late May before sunrise for anyone hoping to see the mirage.

Good to know

The castle is an empty shell with no exhibitions and takes half an hour. There is no shade anywhere. The road along the south coast is winding, and facilities amount to a few tavernas and rooms.

Nearby

Chora Sfakion and the boats to Loutro lie west; the Imbros gorge descends from the north.

Key facts