The valley that begins at Sinapi (east of Palianì), past Agios Thomàs and on to Agia Varvara is one of the most beautiful on Crete. Setting off at Agia Varvara and right before Pirounianà, “next to a fountain (Kartsali) with lush vegetation, there is a carved pressing vat, a collection basin and a beautiful wine press with a diameter of 0,62m, suggestive of the god of vegetation and wine, Dionysus” (Stelios Manolioudis, 2018, Dionysus). Just below the settlement at Pirounianià, enormous oaks take up the space above the water mill—a natural park, that people have respected and refrained from cultivating. On a carved rock there is a grape press that was very possibly a place used for celebrations. The cultural club of Pirounianà, ‘Axenti’, keeps the area clean and every summer (since 2011) has been organizing feasts in this beautiful place. After the water mill, past the stream, we follow the path and get to the chapel of the Holy Spirit. Next to it, there is a carved ancient installation, on top of which Axenti was founded and built. Following the path, we get to Agios Thomàs.
Agios Thomàs is the current name of an extremely ancient settlement. This is marked by the abundance of archaeological evidence (in the 1970s Neolithic double axes were found and handed in), but also the extensive carved remains inside and around the settlement. It stood at a prominent position at the edge of the hill, in the middle of a beautiful, fertile valley, with a fresh water source nearby. To the north of the settlement, on the rocky hillock (where the cemetery is located today) there is a large boulder with carvings all around it, suggestive of ancient cults.
“An emblematic point, the sanctuary of Chthonian Deities, as it is called” (Vasilakis, 2014, 121). There are many traces of rock carving along the path towards Panagia Kardiòtissa. From Panagia Kardiòtissa towards Agios Antonios, there are many pressing vats, here and there along the way. Two, however, stand out: the one with carvings all around it, suggesting a place for celebrations, and the other (in the Savvopoulos Domain) carved out of a huge monolith. The late Herakles Benetos recorded these pressing vats and set up a catalogue with their positions, at least for about 170 of them.
