The Lassithi province’s enchanting beauty is best contained on its famous plateau, where the Venetians once declared it a forbidden area on penalty of amputation. That is until a famine led to windmill-based farming and its settlement. On this driving tour, you’ll discover the area’s fascinating history and the legendary myths that define this province. Our tour starts and ends in the village of Stalida and passes the Minoan Palace of Malia, where you’ll have the option of making a quick history-filled detour. The highlight of the tour is the Diktaion Andron Cave, Zeus’s birthplace, in the village of Psychro located on the plateau. You’ll have a chance to descend into this cave and be amazed by the 15-meter-high chamber with its beautiful stalagmites and stalactites. In the second half of this tour, you’ll weave by the gigantic plane trees in the village of Krasi. Back at Stalida village where our tour ends, you can enjoy its beautiful sandy beaches, where hotels and taverns were once built by the locals of Mochos (a village with a love for festivities on its cozy square). Along the way, you’ll have a chance to: • Hear the special story of Agios Georgios, the bulletproof icon, while exploring the Selinari monastery and find out why the church was built in one night, during a full moon • Find out how one of the former residents of the Neapoli became Pope Alexander (for a short while!) • Enjoy a beautiful view over the olive tree fields at the nuns' monastery of Kremasta • Pass the Lasinthos Eco Park, where local traditions and customs are exhibited live in a workshop format • Encounter typical Cretan tavernas, where all the food is prepared with love and passion, and always sprinkled with a dash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil • Learn about the entire water system that has been constructed on the Lassithi plateau to fill the Aposelemi reservoir • Understand the importance of the Kera Kerdiotissa monastery’s chain, used every year on September 8th, during the celebration of Mary's Day • See the water well of Krasi, where villagers have done their laundry in the shade of its ancient plane tree for over a century Discover Cretan enjoyment in its ultimate form as you drive from the northern part of the island into mountainous regions and enjoy its folklore and festivities.