Did you say Agrotourism?
That can cover a lot! But what are we talking about exactly?
Agrotourism, or agritourism depending on the source and the country, the word differs slightly. Whether it’s a banana or lemon grower offering tours, or even an overnight stay on the production site, with the chance to take part in the production work? Or whether it’s a farm? Or a craftsman making knives or musical instruments? And what if you add oenotourism to the word agritourism? Etc…
We are not suggesting we start a discussion on the topic, but we do wish to describe our agrotourism project in Crete. We are not producers, we have no farm, we do not make wine or manufacture bouzoukis or Cretan lyras.
First of all, it is quite difficult to find a farm in Crete as we understand it in western European countries. Particularly if you live outside a town. We could say all homes are farms, as nearly each and every one has its own small production of home-grown fruit and vegetables, its own hencoop, its own olive trees to harvest the oil, its own tiny vineyard to make wine and raki.
What we wanted to do and have done is to renovate an old hotel on the edge of a traditional village called Milatos, in the region of Lassithi in Crete, to offer accommodation and a place to relax. From here, we offer our guests full or half days of agrotourism activities to discover the rich variety of the local, agricultural production and the know-how of the local craftsmen.
It is even more interesting, as it allows us to widen what we can offer to help you discover all types of production to be found in this land, of “goods” ranging from bananas to Barbary figs, including avocados and snails, without forgetting the basics, which are olive oil, botany and wine!
We begin with the basics, but then as our journey progresses, we will be extending our tours to other productions.
Let’s not forget the Cretan craftsmen, some of whom are unfortunately “disappearing”, such as the boot makers. Only a few of them remain, who know the tradition of making the “stivanias” (the Cretan riding boot) and who could supply all the equerries of France and Navarre if they were better known, as their boots are top quality and are tailor-made for 200€!
This is our offer, our project, and we hope it will tempt you.