Approximately 5 kilometers off the city of Chania, on the island of Crete, Greece, between the villages of Souda and Tsikalaria, there is a village named Verekynthos where many artists live. Verekynthos used to be a village where Cretans built pots (tsikalia).
Verekynthos, according to Greek mythology, was a mountain where the sons of Zeus, named Idaioi Daktyloi, use to reside. They were the protectors of art and on that mountain they taught humans the ancient arts of ceramics, glassware and weaving.
The last 15 years, the area has been “reborn” as a unique artistic area, where crafts that are related to Cretan civilization and traditions are being re-created. As Ethnos Newspaper notes, artists have already given life to 25 out of a total of 35 workshops of Verekynthos. Citizens of Verekynthos have made an open invitation to artists interested to come and ‘fill’ with their works the remaining ten workshops.
The village offers artists interested in relocating a very low-budget rent of no more than 200-300 euros for each workshop. It also offers the chance for artists to show their talent, since the village organizes many artistic fairs and exhibitions throughout Greece. They also offer their crafts to hotels and galleries around Greece. The artists of Verekynthos were also the creators of the gifts given to all the Chinese couples that chose the city of Chania for their marriage earlier this year.
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