Rhodes - Dodecanese - Greece

Rhodes Island

As you enter Rhodes by ferry, you see the two famous statues -the deer and the fawn- which stand out on columns at the entrance to the ancient harbour and which have become the symbol of the island. Tradition relates that their position was once occupied by the famous Colossus, one of the seven wonders of the world. This was an enormous bronze statue representing the god Helios holding a burning torch.. One foot stood on the side of the entrance to the harbour and the other foot on the other,so that ships passed beneath him. The search for this statue, which was thrown down by a major earthquake, continues, but the search is a vain one because, in fact, the Colossus was cut up into small pieces and sold as bronze to the Saracens.

Above the old harbour stands the Castello, the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes. Next to it is the medieval town, scarcely affected by the passage of time. The new city with its modern buildings and large hotels extends to the north-west, where the boundless beaches start and continue for kilometres.

Its mountains are mostly pine-covered with wellwatered, verdant and fertile valleys between them. The most important products of Rhodes are wine and olive oil,but it also produses folk artefacts such as ceramics, embroidery, textiles and carpets.

Rhodes, the pearl of the Mediterranean as it has been called, is of the greatest interest both for its natural beauty and for its archaeological treasures. For this reason Rhodes was recently proclaimed by UNESCO a world cultural heritage monument. With its marvellous climate and its well-organised tourist infrastructure, it is a place for holiday all year round.

Rhodes can be reached direct by air from many of the capitals of Europe, as well as from Athens , Thessaloniki , Crete, Mykonos, Paros, Santorini, Kos and Karpathos . There are also ferries to Rhodes from Rafina, Piraeus , the Dodecanese and the Cyclades .