History of Sitia
Sitia got its name from the ancient city Iteia, Itida or Sitaia, which lay just east of the present town. Iteia was inhabited since the Bronze Age, and flourished during the 2nd century AD. It was also allegedly the home of Myson, one of the Seven Sages of antiquity. The city was inhabited by Eteocretans, i.e. the 'old' or ‘true’ Cretans, aka the Minoans, after the island's occupation by the Dorians.
Sitia Today
Leaving its troubled history behind, Sitia today is a picturesque enough seaside town with about 11,000 inhabitants, built like an amphitheatre on the hills around the lovely harbour.
The home of Vitsentzos Kornaros, who wrote the Cretan epic ‘Erotokritos’, it has retained its local colour and its leisurely pace of life. It offers a beautiful seaside promenade next to the multi-coloured boats and dinghies, but also a long sandy beach that gets flooded with locals and tourists.
The port and the seaside promenade every summer are full of life, as the area is filled with restaurants, taverns, cafes and, of course, the legendary taverns of the city that are very popular with the young.
It is worth visiting the fortress of Kazarma to partake of the view from up on high, or to attend an event at the ‘Kornareia’, the cultural festival of Sitia.
The city’s archaeological museum is a definite must, with exhibits covering a period of about 4000 years.
