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Located 65 km from Heraklion, on the south coast of Crete lies a secret: the small village of Tsoutsouros. The village can be reached from the capital following the route Heraklion - Peza - Arkalochori - Skinias - Kato Kastelliana - Tsoutsouros. Kato Kastelliana, sometimes spelled Kato Kasteliana, is a small village with a couple of churches, a war memorial, a village square and a tavern / kafenion where you can buy snacks or have a drink. Here you find the crossroads with signs where you can take the exit for Tsoutsouros. The other road goes to Viannos and Ierapetra.

When entering Kato Kastelliano from the road that leads from Tsoutsouros there is a square ancient building on your right hand side just before entering the village. It looks like a small fortress. The structure and the type of stones used in combination with the masonry seem to me more like a building that dates back to Roman times, but they are the remains of the Belvederre or Kastellos fortress. It was built with stones from the old town of Prainsos that stood in the same place. The fort has fallen apart and there were the six churches here. This fortress was built by the Byzantines in the 10th century and it dominated the western half of the Messara plain.

There are different routes going south if you want to go to Tsoutouros. If you take the route from Ano Viannos to Keratokampos and then drive to Tsoutsouros you will pass what looks like a small village with a Byzantine church with remains of frescoes. This church is part of te Agia Moni monastery. The entrance to the church is framed by beautifully crafted marble and ends in a point. The distance to Heraklion is about 60 kilometers and about a 10 minutes drive from Ano Viannos. According to tradition the monastery was built by 3 nuns from Cyprus who previously lived on the coast in Keratokampos but left there and moved inland because of pirate attacks. There is still a monk living in the house next to it and he can open the church door if you want to take a look inside. There is not much left of these frescoes, but I personally have a soft spot for Byzantine churches.

South of the village of Kato Kasteliana just outside the area with the houses (as you drive into the village from the south) at the foot of the Asterousia range, there is a waterfall during autumn, which is called the Richtra waterfall. Above the waterfall a new stone church dedicated to has been built. The first part to the church is on asphalt and the last part is on an unpaved road. I recommend parking your car where the asphalt ends and walking the last part.

About forty years ago there were close to a 1000 people living in the village of Kato Kastelliana and nowadays the number of inhabitants has shrunk to around 250. Yet the village still seems quite lively, with friendly people meeting for a chat in the local taverna The Balcony, where it is very pleasant. Here you can also take a rest and order something tasty to drink and eat, which we often do before we head down south. The people there are really nice and there is a lot of laughter. Before you know it you get free snacks and one the locals will order a jug of wine for you. The owner speaks English, is super sweet and for the people that do not speak English you always have Google Translate.

On the square next to the church in the village of Katos Kasteliana is the Balcony Taverna, a cozy place where the villagers come together. You can order something tasty here inside or outside on the terrace. Highly recommended for the atmosphere alone.