The House
Our house is located right behind the “plateia” (the paved central square) of Stavrohori. The square is the most beautiful place of the village. In its center there is a little pond with goldfish and all around are three little kafeneions, where the people of the village meet, exchange news, have their coffee or a “karafaki” (a tiny pitcher) of raki and where the men play “tavli”, a kind of backgammon. In Stavrohori even the women are sitting in the kafenions which is absolutely uncommon in other villages of the country.
History
We believe the house is around 100 years old. It is a traditional stone house with surprisingly high
ceilings and beautiful stone floors, different in every room.
Originally the house belonged to a Cretan couple. During the years they lived here they maintained it
quite well, keeping many of the original characteristics of the design, including an open court yard,
balcony and traditional doors, windows and shutters.
The wife died in 2000 and the new owners restored the property in 2004 maintaining the historic beauty
of the house with modern upgrades.
This included interior cement reinforcements for enhanced earthquake protection.
The rooms that previously had an entrance only from the courtyard and/or the balcony have been
interconnected for more convenience.
We purchased the house in 2007 and have made additional changes including a large roof terrace with an enclosed pergola on the roof and a modern kitchen that blends well to the traditional design of the house.
Room Layout
The house is 160 square meters in size. It is L-shaped, on two levels, and upstairs has two sleeping areas,
a living room with a fireplace and a full bathroom. Downstairs there is one bedroom, a large kitchen and eating
area, a second full bathroom and an office working area.
The upstairs has a covered balcony and on the downstairs there is an enclosed courtyard with a planted area, an
old restored Cretan bread oven, and a walled garden to the left of the house.
Both upstairs and downstairs rooms have heating and air conditioning and there is a large wood burning oven in the
kitchen/eating area.
