Meronas Village in the heart of Amari Valley and in an altitude of 620 m., is proudly known as the balcony of Amari. The Village was once named “Elia”, which means ‘bright place’!
The History of the village dates back to the 14th c. A.C and the legendary Kallergis Family (noble house) that has built within the village in the mid 1300’s the Byzantine Church of Panagia Odigitria (Virgin Mary), one of the most prominent ones.
The three-aisled church has a rare decoration with frescoes and icons, including the icon Of Virgin Mary, also known as the ‘Mona Lisa of Byzantium’.
There is a large network of Byzantine chapels inside and outside the village that are restored and are open and accessible to the public. In the wider region of Meronas there are approximately twenty caves, among the most important of them is Mygiospilio. According to a legend, in this cave Kourites, Zeus’ sleepless guards on Mt. Psiloritis, performed their rituals. The narrow lanes and cobblestones from another era lead to the neighborhoods of the village, and the housewives hanging the whitewashed laundry outside in their flower-filled courtyards. The 100 habitants of Meronas are breeders-shepherds and mostly farmers; they plant their fertile fields with seasonal vegetables and fruits in the summer, they pick the olives in wintertime and their cherries at the beginning of summer. In Autumn, after the grape harvest, they follow a special century-old procedure of making the renowned Cretan rakí, a procedure that remains unaltered through time: the Cauldron feasts (called kazanemataor kazania), celebrating the arrival of winter.

Amari lies in the heart of Crete, in the south and east of Rethymnon prefecture. A group of small, traditional, picturesque villages enjoy the beauty of its green, fertile valley; as watchful guards stand the surrounding mountains of Kentros, Samitos and, of course, Psiloritis (Iti).
Its nature is untouched, with great changing scenery; sometimes it is wild and mountainous and sometimes is tranquil and calm.
The constant flow of the springs’ water maintain the green all year round; the olive trees form a unique canvas, together with the different kinds of fruit trees, plants and flowers. Signed footpaths lead to pristine spots of natural beauty between hills, waterfalls, springs, mountainous meadows, etc.