Looking to the endless blue of Agia Marina and Platanias our gaze is interrupted by a small island in the middle of the sea, the island of St. Theodore which locals refer to it as “Thodorou”.

In history, during the Minoan Period, Thodorou was a sacred asylum while during the period of the Venetian occupation, the Venetians decided to build on the island two fortresses to prevent pirates and Turks to invade Chania from the region of Platanias.

The largest of the forts is called “Tourlourou” while the smaller “San Theodoro”. Historical battles with the Turks occurred around Thodorou, but today only two ruins remain from the forts.

Sole inhabitant of Thodorou is the Cretan goat, the famous Kri-Kri that is an endangered species and was transferred in an effort to promote its breeding effort away from the dangers that lurk in the residential areas. For this reason Thodorou has been declared a protected area and human activity is prohibited in the territory. Today it is estimated that around 80 live wild goats in the territory of Thodorou and since 2009, it is allowed a short hour visit for people, for tourism reasons.

Source: GxG