Ziros
The lovely village of Ziros spreads over the lower slopes of what the locals call Egremno (the Cliff) and is situated at a 590 m height on the picturesque Armeni-Handras plateau. In the past an American army base was located on the mountain that separates Ziros from the far eastern part of the island, and was responsible for a lot of activity and income in the tiny Ziros village. Nowadays the army base is in Greek hands. The people of Ziros, progressive and hardworking farmers, cultivate their land with vineyards producing mainly sultanas with an annual production of 600tons of which some 150 tons of grapes is used for delightful wine and the rest is dried for raisins and currants. The lower coastal regions are used for bee keeping and the cultivation of vegetables and bananas in greenhouses. The Ziros area is dotted with gorges, caves and other geological features of which the Agrilia- and Voevodas Cave are the most important ones. Ancient sites can be found at Plakospilios (roman settlement and tombs), Fonias (a Minoan settlement), Stalos (Minoan tombs and settlement), Pentalitro (Minoan) and Anemomilia (Minoan building). Unfortunately accommodation possibilities are rare in Ziros, but if you happen to visit nearby Xerocambos this lovely little village should definitely not be missed.
