Knossos

This palace, in a beautiful site just southeast of Iraklio, is the most magnificent, intricate and evocative of Crete's Minoan sites. In order to give visitors an idea of what the palace looked like, its discoverer, Sir Arthur Evans, had parts of it reconstructed.

Thanks to Evans' controversial reconstruction, the most significant parts of the complex are instantly recognisable (if not instantly found). On your wanders you will come across many of Evans' reconstructed columns, most painted deep brown-red with gold-trimmed black capitals. Like all Minoan columns, they taper at the bottom.

It is not only the vibrant frescoes and mighty columns which impress at Knossos; keep your eyes open for the little details which are evidence of a highly sophisticated society. Things to look out for include the drainage system, the placement of light wells, and the relationship of rooms to passages, porches, light wells and verandas, which kept rooms cool in summer and warm in winter.