Amari valley

The Amari Valley or “Lotus Land” is a fertile valley on the foothills of Mount Ida/Psiloritis and Mount Kedros in Crete. The valley has remained largely untouched by modern development until today. It is full of picturesque villages, Roman settlements and old Byzantine churches. Amari was given the name ‘Lotus Land’ by the English soldiers, such as Patrick Leigh Fermor, who helped the greek resistance during WWII. They found the valley so beautiful and enchanting after spending a long time in the mountains that they thought of it like paradise on earth.