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Malevizi
In Crete, the biggest island of Greece, a few miles southwestern of the city of Heraklion there is the historic province of Malevizi. The name Malevizi itself refers to the homonymous Venetian castle called Malvicino at Keramoutsi village. The two Municipalities, the Municipality of Krousonas with Krousonas as its capital and the Municipality of Tylisos with Tylisos as its capital, spread at the eastern banks of Psiloritis and their capitals keep the economic and commercial life of the area alive. There are also tens of villages with squares, coffee shops and taverns ready to offer times of relaxation, familiarize the visitor with the daily life of the hospitable residents and a plethora of other sightseeing to archeological sites, Byzantine monuments but also places of historical remembrance of national fights. Malevizi is a transitional zone. There is an entrance to the mountain or the low land, a landscape that is unique and special. The majority of the area is a part of the low land of Heraklion with the fertile cultivable lands at the mountainous zone of Psiloritis. Small coombs start from the eastern banks of Psiloritis and end up to the north coast, interrupting the lower palisades of the low land. At their exit from the mountains they form successive gorges, which are the ancient routes of the sacred mountain. The same routes are followed by the current road network to transfer the visitor to the mountainous zone. Tarmac earthen routes cross the gorges and climb to the craggy mountains, offering unique experiences and images of the pure Cretan up country. At the same time, they connect the beautiful villages of the low land with the villages of the mountain, serving the old time needs of product exchange and the current needs of leisure and communication. The old national road of Heraklion and Rethymnon starts from Malevizi. It consists one of the most beautiful routes of the island, such as the route towards the mountainous villages of Mylopotamos. Most of the dorps of Malevizi are rooted and hooked at the shadow of the abrupt glacis as a way to dominate the fertile low land. Krousonas, Tylisos and Korfes villages are some of the biggest dorps in the area. There are few however, that prefer the isolation of the mountain tops and the sound of the sheep, such as Gonies, Astiraki, Kamariotis, Marathos and Damatsa villages. The mild climate with the bountiful rains during winter creates beautiful landscapes with alterations of cultivable areas and natural ecosystems.
