Skilled craftsmanship can, indeed, be found throughout Crete with traditions that have stood the test of time. Basket-making and fabric weaving, using natural products and dyes, are time-honoured skills that have lost none of their intricacy and attention to detail. So too pottery, with pots that resemble in every way those that once decorated Minoan palaces.
Taking a souvenir home with you is to not only own a piece of Cretan history, but to also breathe life into a future generation of artisans. Perhaps a pair of stivania (the knee-high riding boots slapped by men during Cretan dances), a white sariki headscarf (worn by women as a sign of joy during weddings, feasts, births and christenings) or a beautifully engraved piece of local woodwork.
images by incrediblecrete.gr