The island of Spinalonga is one of the undisputed cultural highlights near Agios Nikolaos. Seen from Plaka, a fishing village just north of Agios Nikolaos, it is the site of an offshore Venetian fortress, built in the 16th century to protect Mirabello Bay from attack. Closer inspection reveals the ruined houses of a settlement that was Greece’s official leper colony from 1903 to 1957. There are the remains of shops, tavernas and a school that served a community that reached 400 patients. 💙...