Venetian Walls and Martinengo Bastion (Tomb of Nikos Kazantzakis)

The Venetian Walls of Heraklion form a fortification ring about 4 km long that the Republic of Venice built around the city, then called Candia, during the 16th century. They are among the best-preserved Venetian defences in the Mediterranean, and visitors can walk on top of long stretches in Heraklion, Crete, Greece. The Martinengo Bastion, off Plateia Martinengo and Leoforos Plastira on the southern side of the old town, is the highest and most imposing point. Its broad grassy terrace gives views over the red rooftops, the harbour, the sea and, on clear days, the outline of Mount Juktas to the south. The bastion is best known as the burial place of the writer Nikos Kazantzakis, author of Zorba the Greek. His grave is a plain earth mound marked by a rough wooden cross, with the epitaph 'I hope for nothing, I fear nothing, I am free' carved on it in Greek. Visitors usually spend 30 to 60 minutes here, reading the epitaph, walking along the bastion crest and looking down into the thick masonry of the bulwark. The best photograph is the grave against the sky and the city, and sunset gives the warmest light over the sea. The site is open-air and free, so there is no timed entry; the grave can be visited at any hour, though daylight is recommended because the area has limited lighting. It is rarely crowded, as most tour groups head to Knossos and the harbour instead. From Lions Square the walk is about 15 minutes uphill through residential streets, and urban buses stop at Plateia Martinengo. Visitors can combine the bastion with the nearby Kazantzakis-related sites and the old town walk, finishing with coffee on the way back down toward the centre. The ground can be dry, windy and exposed, so a hat and water are useful in summer.