The Romans and Byzantines neglected the city. It was not until the Venetians that the town was fortified and regained its prestige. The Venetians wanted a safe harbor between Chania and Iraklion and Rethymnon was the logical place. They fortified a hill known as plaeokasteli (old castle) with the idea that the entire town could hide in the castle if need be. The town entered a golden age during the time of the Venetians (YES A GREEK BOOK SAYS THAT) with the Venetians building many elegant buildings around the town. The town became the regional capital and the governor or Rimondi lived here. The town eventually fell to the Turks, after a 22-day siege. The Turks replaces the Churches with Mosques, and built some other buildings but more or less left the building alone. The Russians (why?) took over the town in the 1800's and returned it to the Greeks in 1913.

    Rethymnon has an eclectic collection of buildings, mostly from its Venetian and Turkish occupants. Some of the structures are very elegant, such as the Loggia and some reconditioned houses. Other is not as elegant. I liked Rethymnon, it felt smaller that Chania and it had some really impressive buildings. However, Chania was more photogenic overall though and had a more things to do around the town.

I hope you enjoy the photos. Any comments, please E-mail me, .