Beautiful neighborhoods with well-maintained houses, bright alleys painted with bold colors, flower-filled terraces and charming enclosed courtyards, fountains, and Byzantine churches.

In the village square, under dense foliage, the visitors will be delighted by the local gastronomy at the cafes.

The neighboring villages of Ano Asites and Kato Asites are built on the verdant foothills of eastern Psiloritis, 22km from the city of Heraklion.

The residents are mainly engaged in the cultivation of vines and olives, but also in livestock farming.

Their name, Assites, is attributed to the settlement of soldiers of Nikiforos Fokas from Assos of Mysia, after the liberation of Crete from the Arabs in 961 AD. Their first mention is found in Venetian records of 1394.

It is worth walking in the colorful alleys of the two villages with the traditional cafes, visiting the Folklore Museum of Ano Asites, exploring old churches such as Agia Paraskevi and Christ in Kato Asites, or hiking the gorges of Agios Antonios and Agios Charalambos.