1) Fodele Basics

Fodele is a small village between Heraklion and Rethymno, less than 10 minutes drive away from Agia Pelagia. It is one of the few villages by the sea that is actually inhabited by locals. The village offers a lot of shade and has a river running through it even in the hot summer months. 

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2) Fodele is also called the village of the oranges

Hundreds of orange trees adorn the streets of Fodele, which doesn't only dress the village in a beautiful smell, but also gives it its name. In early spring of every year the people of Fodele celebrate the orange fiest, where people gather at the central square, drink and eat and enjoy the freshly made orange products.  

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3) Fodele is the birthplace of El Greco 

The famous painter Doménikos Theotokópoulos, who is mostly known as "El Greco" (the Greek in Spanish) was born in the village of Fodele. There is a museum with some of his paintings in Fodele.

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4) There is a gorgeous Byzantine Church in Fodele

Built between the 11th and 12th century, this gorgeous small church of Panagia (mother Mary) is still completely intact and gives some of its charm to the village of Fodele. The inside of the church is decorated with numerous frescoes, that are worth taking a look at. 

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5) The monastery of Agios Panteleimon

On Crete there are numerous monasteries, that are worth visiting and even in the small village of Fodele you get the chance to visit the beautiful site of Agios Panteleimon. In the years of Turkish occupation a centre of revolutionary action was formed in this monastery.