About Exantis Exantis is a very small Village in the Geropotamos region of Crete, roughly halfway between Heraklion and Rethymnon. The postcode is 74057 and the telephone code +30 28340. The village is situated in a valley of the foothills of the Psiloritis mountain range and at 100m above sea level is approximately 31km West South West of Rethymno, 4km North East of the popular tourist resort of Bali, 7.5km South West from Perema, 7km West North West from Panormos and its other neighbours are Skepasti, Roumeli and Siripidiana. The origin of the name is ambiguous, but most agree that it is named after one of the mountain peaks which looked like a sextant to seafarers of old, or was used for navigation - "Exas" in Greek. It had 108 inhabitants at the time of the last census in 1991, most with the family name Tsiritas or Psomas. The cultural and social centre of the village is the Taverna Maria. Exantis has an ageing population and unfortunately the school has been closed for some years. This is a place where, to the visitor, life passes slowly. However, do remember that your one day snapshot of Exantis only scrapes the surface of real life. Many of the population own olive groves and work very hard to contribute to the annual olive harvest. Stock breeding is still a way of life here and the agricultural nature of the vehicles endorse this. Slow it may appear, but inert it is not. Much of the activity goes unseen and is dictated by the seasons and the weather. Exantis is a deeply close community with a very collegiate feel. Friendships go back years, just like in any other village. News travels fast in Exantis and celebrations of name days etc are enjoyed by the whole community at Taverna Maria. Dwellings are traditionally made of stone, rendered and whitewashed to culminate in a startling stark appearance which is a combination of ramshackle and beautiful. Life in Exantis is slow and not much happens here, although the locals seem to find plenty to do.  The author has yet to do extensive research on the history of the village, but in some ways this is unnecessary although any contributions are most welcome. Villagers will tell you about their village, such as tales of heroism when German troops marched through the village on their search for General Kriepe in 1944. The village has one taverna, Maria's, which acts as the social centre of the village. It is open most of the time and is the place to go for conversation, your mail, a coffee, beer, snack or dinner. The menu consists mainly of grilled meats and salads but huge celebrations take place there sometimes, when the catering really goes wild and some sumptuous dishes are brought from the kitchen. Tables are pushed together, the music turned up, shots are fired in the air and everyone dances. This is especially true on name-days or religeous occasions.

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