Rodialos
A home in Crete

"Out of the wine-dark sea
there lies a land called Crete,
a rich and lovely sea-girt land,
densely peopled, with ninety cities

                           Homer: Odessey
In this land of rare beauty and rich tradition, with a long history and a unique civilisation you are now.
Thousands of people have passed through here before...
Some as travellers, others as conquerors...
To all of them, Crete gave part of its soul and in return took part of their hearts.

In this land, the light, the climate, nature and history have created a special race in the passage of time: the Cretans.
And they, in their turn, from ancient King Minos' time to the present, have created an exceptional civilisation and made unique history.

In this land tradition is still vibrant
In this land hospitality is still sacred
In this land the sea is still pure

Crete still stands immaculate, despite the changes brought on by tourism, a modern form of conquest.

In the centre of the island, on one of its so many rocky shores, lies the "Rodialos" house.
Rodialos means the "pomegranate tree of the sea " and it is built in harmony with the Cretan landscape and properly reflects the beauty of the Minoan era.
Materials, both traditional and "living": stone, earth, wood.
Colours of nature; lime, earth, hagiographic paints and sunset.
Modem architecture adapted to ancient memories* respectful of geometry.

"Rodialos " is constructed for inhabitants to live indoors and outdoors at the same time.
"The life of the Greeks was in the open "so all windows open out to the sea, and there is no main entrance. "Rodialos" bears no superfluous elements. It is plain, unaffected yet functional as all ancient greek dwellings. Do not look for umbrellas and deck-chairs, but, there will always be a cool spot - a stone bench - to gaze at the Cretan sea.

"Its worthy, on a bench of stone
facing the sea, Myrto standing
like a beautiful eight or like a jug
with her straw hat in one hand"

                            As Elytes writes

Do not look for flowers. Not that we do not love them. But we also love the natural flora of the landscape and all the creatures that nestle there. And we have not rooted out in order to plant.

Discover aromatic plants, herbs and wild greenery and use them in your cooking or simply smell their perfume.

Lastly, do not look for a beach to swim, nor a pool. Do not forget that you chose a rocky shore.
Walk down to the rocks and plunge into the deep blue sea. One look at the seabed will leave you marvelling. And if you fish, the sea will provide your food.

But what is most important, is that you wake up early in the morning to see the sun rising from the sea and gaze at it setting at dusk.
At dusk the house is at its best. Then the colours of the day fuse together with the colours of the house, the colours of the pomegranate tree, the sea and the night.
Then, everything smells of Crete....

Have a nice stay,  
Mary P. Fragaki