Myrtia is a very traditional Greek village located in the area of Crete, at no more than 15 km from Heraklion. This village is famous by being the home town of the novel winner author of Zorba the Greek, Nikos Kasantzakis, and tourists who visit this destination could meet a museum dedicated to him.
The village of Myrtia, also known as Varvaroi or Varvarie, offers beautiful landscapes and natural spots ideal for loosing stress and relaxing while walking around and breathing fresh air. Besides this, Myrtia is also characterized by its friendly and welcoming local people, being this often consider one of the best characteristics of the destination.
The Museum of Nikos Kazantzakis, created in honor of the novel winner author, is one of the main spots tourists should not miss. Nikos Kazantzakis, the author of Zorba the Greek, is one of the most famous personalities in Crete as well as in the entire Greece, and in this museum visitors can meet an important collection of his letters and manuscripts as well as some personal objects such as pens, pipes, and glasses among others.
The Museum of Nikos Kazantzakis in Myrtia also has a variety of different editions of the authors’ books, some of them in many different languages, in such a way that visitors could read them in as much as 49 languages. Besides this, this museum also has a variety of photographs, art works, documents, busts, posters, and television and newspaper material.
Nikos Kazantzakis was born in Myrtia in 1883, and would later become one of the most iconic personalities of not only this village but the entire Crete and Greece as well. Kasantzakis was not only known as a writer but also as a philosopher. His writings are very influenced by Bergson, Nietzsche, as well as by the Buddhist, Marxist, and Christian philosophies. Despite of the fact that he did not become famous until he wrote Zorba the Greek, there also are several other excellent books and writings of this author, such as Freedom and Death, The Last Temptation of Christ, and Report to Greco, among others.