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The Matala is its town Of Crete
At a glance
The beach of Matala has been inhabited since antiquity, while it became famous as a place for hippies in the 60s and 70s. The village used to be a fishing village while today it lives mainly from tourism.
Matala was a port of Phaistos during the Minoan period and Gortyna during the Roman period. Traces of the ancient settlement can be seen from the sea. The Venetian documents mention the church of the Virgin (La Madonna di Matala), at the entrance of which there is the inscription Wash your head and clean your feet and then enter this sacred house.
On the steep shore of the village there are artificial caves (and underwater caves), carved into the rock. It is said that they were tombs. But some have rooms, stairs, windows and porches. So it seems that they were once used as homes. The beds look like Etruscan tombs. The caves remained empty for thousands of years until the 1960s when wandering hippies discovered and inhabited them for some time. During the junta period, at the request of Metropolitan Gortyn, tourists were temporarily expelled from the caves. The caves seem to have closed permanently around 1977.
How to get there
How to move
What to see
Entertainment
What will you buy
Where are you going to eat?
Where to go for coffee - drink
Where will you stay?
- Camping Matala, ☎ 30 28920 45720. July 01 to October 31. Adults / Children (over 12 years): 4,50 Euro, Children (4-12 years): 2,70 Euro, Tent (small): 3 Euro, Tent (big): 3,50 Euro, Car: 3 Euro, Caravan / Mobile Home: 5 Euro, Motorbike: 2 Euro.
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