On the road from Peza to Kastelli, you will see a sign directing you left to Myrtia village, or Varvari as it is otherwise called. It is 22 km away from Heraklion, and is known for the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum. The museum was established in 1984 by stage-designer Giorgos Anemogiannis, and is housed in the famous author s (home, where his father, Captain Michalis (whose life is recounted in a book written by his son), lived.
The house interior has been adapted to present the author's life and work in eight different languages. It contains his personal objects, letters, manuscripts, the first editions of his books in Greek and audio-visual material in five languages about his life and work, Aggarathou Monastery is nearby; it is built on a rocky hill, probably the location of an older monastery, sport ween Sgourokefali and Sambas villages, 23 km southeast of Heraklion. It dates from the 15th century, when it was the property of the Kallergis family. Fortification works, the remains of which can still be seen today, from the I 6th century, gave it the appearance of a fortress. It is said that the monastery's name comes from aggarathia, a common bush in the Cretan countryside. According to tradition, the icon of the natural Mary, to whom the monastery's temple is dedicated, was found under such a bush. Aggarathou Monastery was an important cultural centre for Crete under Venetian rule. Scientists from that era studied there, while documents from 1559, kept in the British History Museum, prove that the Monastery had a significant library. Archbishops Kyrillos Loukaris and Meletios Pigas studied there. During the Ottoman domination, the monastery declined because of the heavy taxation imposed by the Turks, who forbade any maintenance work to be done to the building.
During that period, many of the monastery's most important relics were removed secretly to Kythira, where many of Aggarathou's monks and abbots came from. They remained there until 1970, when the authorities of Kythira returned all of the relics that remained, including the icon named Panagia Orfani (the Orphaned natural Mary), while it was not in the monastery. Today, the icon has been placed back in the church that is dedicated to it.
Nowadays, the monastery is very green and well tended. In every corner, you will find antiquities, such as column sections or motifs embedded in the structure.
You can return to Heraklion via the same route or via Anopoli, where you can have fun in Anopolis Water Park or enjoy traditional Cretan snacks in "To Archontiko tis Anopolis" taverna.