The Municipality of Lappaioi has a population of 2585 and it covers
51,132,000 sq.m. It is situated near the boundaries of the prefectures of
Rethymno
and
Chania and it stretches
from the beach of
Episkopi
to the massif of
Miriokefala
and
Alona. It is only 10 km
from
Rethymno, 40 km from
the
city of Chania and a mere
75 km from the capital
Heraklion.
This gives the area great advantages since the visitor has easy access, through
the newly constructed national road, to all
Crete’s
centres.
Moreover through the road that crosses the Municipality, southern
Crete is in fast and easy reach.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a tourist during a day-trip could
go as far as the palm forest of Vai on the eastern edge of
Crete
and of course spend the night in his hotel at Lappa. The Municipality of Lappaioi
has some very beautiful villages, which are scattered to the hills and mountains
between the rivers Mouzela and Petre. Starting from the northern section of the
Municipality we find ourselves at
Episkopi.
The area had been settled from the 1st Byzantine period (325-824) according to
the ruins of an early-Christian church temple, which was discovered in 1959 near
the spring Fountana.
To the south of
Episkopi
and in a distance of 4 km is
Argiroupoli
in the place of
ancient Lappa.
Lappa was one of the greatest
cities of ancient
Crete and
flourished in the Roman period, which is estimated from the extent of the remains
that it numbered around 10,000 inhabitants. Many houses of
Argiroupoli
are created by building materials from
ancient
Lappa.
Continuing our route to south, we reach the mountainous village, called
Miriokefala. The village is
known from the Monastery, which is situated here, in which an icon of Panaghia
of Byzantine technique has been preserved.
The Municipality has also some very beautiful and picturesque village
such as:
Karoti,
Archontiki,
Kato Poros,
Vilanthretho,
Arolithi,
Alones,
Roubatho and
Maroulou,
to which the passage of the Venetians has left the markings of that era (such
as smoothly polished stones, the beautiful door frames and the doors themselves
with Latin inscriptions etc). The "dowry" however of the Municipality
of Lappaioi isn’t limited only to beautiful villages but it also includes
regions of exceptional natural beauty, historical and archeological monuments
and buildings, churches and traditional settlements.
This text (extract) is cited February 2004 from the Municipality
of Lappes tourist pamphlet.
