Kalessa Village

A village of 1238 inhabitants found at an altitude of 140 meters. Its distance from Heraklion is 12 km. The village maintains its rural character, its social cohesion while its old spatial development, where old pre-war landowner’s mansions coexist with humble farm worker’s houses, is really intriguing. Kalesa has many active institutions, establishments, schools and services as it is positioned in a location with panoramic view. Among the sites worth visiting are the “7 Spilioi” [7 caves] and the Church of St. John that are constructed inside the soft kouskouras bedrock and have therefore a particular resistance in time

On the west of the village lies a unique habitat, the Kalesano stream of 5 km length. It is a place where the wild animals of the region can breed with safety as well as a bird refuge for many species of birds- birds of prey such as the rare and unique Eleonora’s Falcon found among them. Following the path alongside the stream amidst the route we have Palia Vrisi a settlement, with a very beautiful landscape featuring the Venetian Fountain that in the past used to provide water to whole village

Map