Venetian Walls of Heraklion
Renaissance-era ramparts encircling the old town, crowned by a bastion overlooking a writer's grave.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Venetian Walls of Heraklion follows the funeral of Nikos Kazantzakis, the Cretan author of Zorba the Greek, whose writing brought him near excommunication and left the Orthodox Church unwilling to grant him a plot in the town cemetery. It traces the walls themselves, begun in 1462 and hardened over a century against the twenty-one-year Ottoman siege of Candia, and the spot on the Martinengo Bastion he chose for himself before he died. Listen for how his widow found another way to lay him to rest.
This audio guide was created using AI.
Similar places
Martinengo Bastion
Largest of seven Venetian bastions crowning the old city walls, now home to a writer's plain grave and sweeping views.
Jesus Gate (Kainourgia Porta)
Renaissance fortress gate with a plain outer face and a richly carved inner facade by Michele Sanmicheli.
Pantokrator Venetian Portal
Venetian fortress gate carved with the Lion of Saint Mark and a medallion of Christ the Almighty.
Heraklion Venetian Port
Sea fortress guarding a Venetian harbor, built on sunken ships and armed against a twenty-one-year siege.
Dermatas Gate
Modest Venetian sea gate built cheaply into the coastal walls as a backup route to the harbor.
Venetian Fortress of Koules
Squat Venetian sea fortress with walls nearly nine meters thick, guarding a harbor entrance since the fifteen forties.