Sitia

A couple of vultures (skares in the local dialect) glide low overhead, accompanied by the eerie howl of a fierce wind, greeting me with an unsettling welcome as I arrive in Temenia in the White Mountains. The vine leaves of the ancient, pre-phylloxera vineyard shimmer in vibrant green, clinging to the first delicate shoots that sway restlessly in the breeze.

A 47-year-old driver was sentenced to seven years in prison by the Heraklion Court for killing an elderly man and injuring two other people in two separate accidents within a 10-day period.

While the Lassithi region is primarily known for the glamorous Elounda and bustling Ierapetra, it also boasts other beauties worth exploring: from fortresses and churches to the ruins of ancient cities and settlements, as well as intriguing hiking trails like the one through Zakros Gorge.

A star is born, not made, and has no age. This realization prevailed in the minds of all of us fortunate enough to attend Marinella’s concert last Saturday evening, in the beautiful courtyard of the Moni Toplou.

A man in his 30s was found dead in Lasithi, Crete, on Wednesday, in a suspected homicide.

More than eight decades after the death of a woman who had her own role in the history of Crete, the tomb of Adelina Guitar, the legendary Madame Hortense, has been found.

The airport at Iraklio in Crete will be closed between February 19 and 24 as maintenance and repair work is carried out on the runway.

Responding to the announcement, Greek carriers Aegean and Sky Express on Tuesday said that passengers will be rerouted to Hania or Sitia or offered the option of a ferry boat.

Aegean Airlines offered the biggest number of seats in a year ever in 2023, also setting a new passenger record, while occupancy also improved from 2022.

Last year, the airline offered 20% more seats, which amounted to 18.5 million, i.e. 800,000 more than in 2019. It carried 15.5 million passengers, a number that is 26% higher than in 2022.

The Hellenic Coast Guard located and rescued 48 people on Friday after they had been disembarked on a rocky outcropping off Siteia, on the island of Crete. The group was comprised of 35 men, nine women, and four children.

A mother and two newborns were moved to the General Hospital of Agios Nikolaos, while two men and one woman are being treated at the local health center.

New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis will tour the regional units of Lasithi and Iraklio, in Crete, on Tuesday.

At noon, he will visit Sitia, Makris Yalos, Ierapetra and Agios Nikolaos, before visiting Moschos.

At 8 p.m., he will address an open event at Agios Titos square in Iraklio. [AMNA]