THE CONCEPT The idea of Villa Adagio was first conceived during a morning conversation between me and my father. Although I am a physicist and he is a doctor we both love traditional Cretan architecture as we both love our birthplace Merambello in the prefecture of Lasithi. The first drawings of the house, that were sketched on a piece of paper while enjoying thyme honey and Cretan graviera at breakfast, later took on shape in the hands of the architect Katerina Thanou. The principal idea was to create a modern house that would follow the rules of traditional architecture (there are no balconies protruding but the flat-roof of the ground floor would function as a terrace for the upper floor). Special attention was paid in incorporating these architectural features to the particular geomorphology of the area and on finding smart layout arrangements that would take advantage of the extraordinary microclimate. Our target was to render every corner of the Villa attractive, on the exterior as well as on the interior, not only during the whole day but also during the whole year, because believe me, each season has its own magic.

THE AREA The Villa is located at the entrance of the village Vrachasi. It is built on the foothill of Mount Kalaritis. On the mountain top there is an archaic sanctuary as well as a Minoan settlement, which is now being excavated. If you like trekking you can easily visit the excavation. It is approximately a 30 min. climb. • The distance of the Villa to the international airport of Heraklion “Nikos Kazantzakis” is 35 minutes and to the port 40 minutes • In a distance of 1 minute there is a mini market • In the traditional settlement you will find taverns with marvellous Cretan cooking and in the nearby seaside villages of Milatos and Sissi there are amazing fish-taverns • In a distance of 10-15 minutes car drive away there are sandy of rocky beaches for swimming • Easy access to the inland of the prefecture of Lasithi, where you can visit the unknown, not so crowded Crete, with its unique wild beauty and the charming Palaeolithic settlements • Finally only 20km away lies the village of Elounda, a well-known luxurious resort with the famous island of Spinalonga and its wonderful Venetian castle.