Kastelli Town (Pediada province)

Kastelli Pediada is a small town in the Heraklion hinterland and the historic centre of the province of Pediada. It is located approximately 36km southeast of Heraklion, at an altitude of about 350 metres, in one of the most fertile regions of Crete.

The local economy has traditionally been connected with the cultivation of olives, vines and vegetables. For centuries Kastelli served as the commercial and administrative centre of the surrounding region and still hosts the weekly open-air market of Pediada. The town provides shops, public services, traditional cafés and tavernas for residents of the wider area.

The name Kastelli derives from the Castel Pediada fortress, around which the settlement developed. During the Venetian period, the fortress was the seat of the local castellany and housed administrative and military authorities. Nothing substantial survives today, as newer buildings occupy its former site.

The history of the area extends much further into the past. In the centre of the town, near Saint George Square, archaeologists have uncovered remains of the Minoan settlement of Kastelli. The finds indicate habitation from the Neolithic period, while the settlement developed significantly during the Minoan era. Several Byzantine churches with old frescoes also survive in the wider region.

A military airfield operates beside Kastelli, while the new Heraklion International Airport is being constructed in the surrounding area. The new airport is intended to replace the existing “Nikos Kazantzakis” Airport and is expected to have a major influence on the future development and character of the region.

More activities

Agarathos Monastery

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The fortified monastery of Agarathos is located 23km east of Heraklion in a wooded location at an altitude of 538m near Episkopi. The monastery, especially during the Venetian Era, was one of the richest in Crete owning several other monasteries in Heraklion and Lassithi prefectures. It is considered the first in the hierarchy of the monasteries of the island.

Ancient Lyktos

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Ancient Lyktos or Littos is located near the settlement of Xidas. The city was one of the strongest of ancient Crete, an eternal enemy of Knossos and owned the port of Hersonissos. It is reported by all the major ancient historians.

Kallergis Monastery near Kasteli

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The monastery of Kallergis or Kaleris is located southeast of Smari village, about 35km east of Heraklion and 4km north of Kastelli. It is built in a wooded area with many hills and mountainous morphology.

Livada Lake (Thrapsano)

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The pond of Livada is located at the homonym position 1km north of the village Thrapsano and is one of the favorite places for locals to walk. The small lake covers only 21.000 sq.m., but is an important wetland, where more than 130 species of birds have been met.

Saint Panteleimon church at Bitzariano

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Agios Panteleimonas is a Byzantine church that must be one of the oldest in Crete. It is about 3 Km away from Kasteli. On the outer walls of the church, there are marble crosses and inscriptions that must belong to an older Roman or Byzantine building.

Minoan Settlement of Kastelli

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At Kastelli Pediada we meet traces of a settlement that flourished in the Minoan Era and was built since the Neolithic Period. The settlement had developed around a central two-story building of large dimensions, the architectural remains of which are visible today in the square of St. George.

Saint George Sfakiotis church at Diavaide

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Near Diavaide there is the church of St. George Sfakiotis, bearing frescoes of the 14th century (there is an inscription of 1390). One of the frescoes represents St. George and St. Demetrius on horseback crossing the sea with octopuses, crabs, eels, and lobsters below their legs.

Saint George church at Apostoli

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On November 3rd, every year, Cretans celebrate St. George Methystis (i.e. St George that makes people drunk). On that day they first open the barrels and taste the new wine made of the grapes that were collected two months ago. Normally Saint George is celebrated on April 23 every year, but because he was always put in a special place in the hearts of the Greeks they gave him the advantage to be honored twice a year.