This citadel perched on its rock is fascinating. The Venetians built it on the island of Spinalonga in 1579 to protect the armada that was concealed on the mainland, in the port of Elounda. Boasting 35 cannons, it resisted numerous attacks before falling into the hands of the Turks in 1715. The impressive walls now only protect the wild vegetation growing among the vestiges of the leper hospital that stood on the island from 1903 to 1957 and over which a strange atmosphere reigns.