Wolfgang Staudt from Saarbruecken, Germany
Spili is a wonderful mountain village 430 metres above sea level at the foot hills of mt. Vorizi in the Kendros range.
It is located 30 kilometers from Rethymnon in the north. Due to it’s location it offers fabulous views and is surrounded by luscious vegetation.
A wonderful area for trekking and nature lovers. The main square is in the middle of the village and is backed by Spili’s famous lion head Venetian fountains, gushing out the coolest clearest water. Many people drive to spili just to fill up their water containers as this water as been certified.
Spili also hosts the bishop’s palace and monastery which is an impressive building on your right as you enter the village from the north.
At the other end of the village it hosts a medical clinic which is excellent.
There are three schools in the village which means that there is a year round community.
The main street which runs through Spili is filled with shops selling linen goods and rugs which attract many foreign shoppers who come for day trips during the summer months.
There are numerous caf-neos , taverns and coffee shops and all the necessities one needs like mini market, bakeries, bank, pharmacy and hairdressers etc.,
Various festivals take place throughout the year and every second year it host a music festival during the month of August.
In the winter months there is usually a free Greek language and dance tuition on offer.
This is a traditional Cretan village and the villagers live and carry on with their life as they have done down the ages. They collect horta, grow vegetables and raise chickens and also you can see a few donkeys carrying their loads through out the day.
There is also an organic shop selling vegetables and wonderful ointments and creams made locally from l organic oils and herbs there is also therapeutic treatments available.
Spili has always attracted arty people and there is quite a foreign community who have bought and tastefully restored old village stone houses. This is a wonderful village to set down roots for a relaxed and easy lifestyle where one can savor all the aspects of village life while having every facility close by.
