Frangocastello

On the south coast of Crete, on a magnificent white sandy beach, stands one of the most beautiful Venetian fortresses of the island, Frangokastello. It is located approximately 170 km from Heraklion, 70 km from Rethymnon, 80 km from Chania, 12 km from Chora Sfakion en route to Plakias. Frangokastello was named after the castle that the Venetians built right on the beach in 1371, in order to protect themselves from pirates and from the constant revolts of the locals. The Venetians called it Castle Franco. Today, Frangokastello is a small, but developing, community, with nice beaches covered in sand dunes, and limited, but increasing, tourist facilities. Frangokastello, together with the neighboring villages of Kapsodasos, Kalikratis and Patsianos, belong to the municipality of Sfakia.