Festivals in Greece

                                            Rethymnon Renaissance
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Every summer, the city of Rethymnon on Crete island attracts a large number of visitors, as it provides for diverse holidays. Reaching its 22nd year in 2008, the “Rethymnon Renaissance Festival” has made the town a well-known cultural destination. Most of the festival’s events take place at the outdoors 900-seats venue “Erofili,” which is located at the town’s old Venetian castle (Fortezza). This year, the festival hosts nearly fifteen arts events, which run from July 5 to 23. Rethymnon flourished during the period of the Renaissance, becoming a commercial and cultural centre. In an attempt to integrate the town’s cultural heritage into its contemporary life, the Municipality initiated the “Rethymnon Renaissance Festival” that presents Cretan Renaissance drama in conjunction with its European contemporaries, Renaissance music, as well as contemporary theatre, music, and visual art events. This year’s programme  includes Renaissance and Baroque music from several European countries, Shakespeare and Ruzzante theatrical plays as well as icons, paintings, sculpture and handcraft exhibitions of Cretan artists’ creations.