travel_rhodes

Renaissance

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Rhodes history is full of legends and myths. It is one of the most important islands in the
Mediterranean. According to mythology, the coast is the wedding present left to men by
Helios who fell in love with the nymph Rhoda and dedicated the island and its beauty to
her. The Greeks could hardly have provided for a more creative description of the
extraordinary natural beauty of the island. It is protected by three mountains which offer a
pleasantly ventilated and mild climate to the coast and to the shore. Lush woods and a rich
water supply make the island particularly rich and fertile especially in the northern part.
Actually, there is a less mythological explanation for the grandeur of the island which in
Greek time was as magnificent as Athens for its crucial strategical and commercial position.

The construction of one of the most renowned symbols of Rhodes is attributed to this period, the Colossus, a
bronze statue 35-metres high, situated on a 10-metre stone basement at the entrance of the port. At the time,
at least 80 thousand people lived there with a flourishing school of arts, rhetoric and philosophy. A terrible
earthquake knocked the Colossus down and its remains were abandoned for almost one thousand years,
when the Arabs collected, melt and sold them.

This event marked the end of Rhodes grandeur with a dramatic conclusion, due to the frequent invasions by
the Turks and Arabs. The Knights of Malta occupied the island in 1300 for two centuries and built several
works still evident today. The Turks reigned for a long time until in our contemporary age, the Italians settled
there occupying it up to the end of the war renovating and connecting the main cities. Since 1948 Rhodes has
belonged to Greece. The city is divided into two separate parts.

The northern part is modern and devoted to new tourist structures, the southern part is clearly medieval. In
the medieval city (surrounded by a four-kilometre fenced perimeter) are the Knights Hospital and the
Archaeological Museum with many remains of all the historical periods of the island. Not far from the Museum
is the Seven Languages Residence and the Great Masters residence, a copy of the Pope's Palace in Avignon
which was destroyed by the Turks and reconstructed by the Italians.

Lindos, 50 kilometres from Rhodes, is the most beautiful village in the island, with its narrow alleys and white
houses. The majority of these houses preserved the external decorations dating back to the 15th century.
The village is dominated by the Acropolis that was built on top of a hill. Here there are the remains of the
sanctuary of Athena Linda temple, the remains of Propilei Colonnade and Dionysius temple.