Kallithea Springs

The Italian administration built Kallithea in 1929 around mineral springs known since antiquity, and the architect Pietro Lombardi produced an unusual blend of art deco and orientalising design: a great domed rotunda, curved colonnades, pebble mosaic floors in black and white, and terraces stepping down to a small rocky bay among palms. The springs stopped flowing decades ago and the complex fell derelict, then was restored from 1999 as a monument and event venue. Visitors now come to look at the architecture, use the small beach and swim from the rocks in clear deep water popular with snorkellers and divers. Exhibition rooms in the rotunda show the spa's history and its film appearances, including scenes from The Guns of Navarone.

What you actually see

• The rotunda - the domed centrepiece of the 1929 spa complex.
• The pebble mosaics - black and white floors across the terraces.
• The bay - a small rocky cove with clear water for swimming.
• The colonnades and palms - the restored terraces above the sea.

When to go

Spring and autumn for the architecture without the heat; summer for swimming, though the small bay fills by mid-morning. Weddings and events occasionally close parts of the site.

Honest expectations

There is no thermal water any more, so this is architecture and swimming rather than a spa experience. The beach is tiny and rocky, with sunbeds at extra cost. Entry is charged even for those coming only to swim.

Nearby

Rhodes Town lies fifteen minutes north; Faliraki's resorts are just south.