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Spinalonga, Greece: Crete's "Island of the Living Dead" with Dimitra Pilarinou

Spinalonga, Greece: Crete's "Island of the Living Dead" with Dimitra Pilarinou


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Can't make this time? A video recording will be sent to all participants after the seminar.

Spinalonga island and peninsula are located in one of the most beautiful parts of Greece, within the famous Elounda region of Crete.  This interactive discussion will teach us about the region's dark, tumultuous history. We begin from 500 years ago when the Venetian lords of Crete first decided to fortify the island against the imminent threat posed by the Ottoman Empire. They aimed to secure their precious treasure–Crete, which was the crown jewel of the Republic of Venice. 

Our expert will introduce us to the Hainides, a group of refugees and rebels who have sought shelter here.  We will review the narrative timeline of the island's final siege, the Ottoman conquest, the liberation of Crete, and the decision to turn Spinalonga into an "Island for the Living Dead." Up until its closure in 1957, Spinalonga Island was a Leper Colony, one of the last colonies surviving in Europe. An endless array of folktales describe the human pain of its residential patients, who were suffering from Hansen's disease, the biblical "Death before Death."

A media spotlight shone onto the island in 2005 when the acclaimed #1 best-seller The Island by Victoria Hislop was published. Hislop's novel then inspired a television series adaptation in 2010, which is considered to be the most expensive series ever created in Greek television history.  Ever since the touching multi-generational story of a Cretan family drama broke into the zeitgeist, hundreds of thousands of travelers overwhelm Crete and Spinalonga peninsula each year. 

Led by an expert on the history of Crete, Dimitra Pilarinou, this Conversation will explore the multifaceted history of the Spinalonga islet. Designed to inspire curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased knowledge of the history of Crete and especially the crucial role Spinalonga folklore has played in its tourism industry.

Dimitra Pilarinou is a Greek archaeologist and Licensed Tour Guide with a Masters degree in Prehistoric Archaeology of the Aegean. She has worked in excavations all around Greece, has given speeches on various topics in Seminars and Congresses, and has appeared on documentaries about the Minoans on History Channel and Travel Channel.

This conversation is suitable for all ages.

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.

Customer Reviews

Based on 6 reviews
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B
B.M. (Victoria, CA)

This seminar was fantastic. Dimitra Pilarinou always delivers the highest quality presentations in a lively and entertaining manner. This one really exceeded my expectations.

B
B.G. (Briarcliff Manor, US)
Another excellent lecture from Dimitra

Until I listened to Dimitra's lecture on Crete earlier this year, I never thought about going there. But after that lecture, I not only put Crete on our "must visit" list, but I also decided we would need to hire Dimitra to guide us around. She is smart, funny, incredibly personable and is able to present the history, stories and practical information in such an interesting manner. Her photos really enhance her lectures. This one on Spinalonga was fascinating. I loved that she went way back into history to explain Spinalonga's place and why it was important and the various changes through history. She explained all about leprosy which played such an important part in Spinalonga's more recent history.

B
B.J. (San Jose, US)
Another great lecture from Dimitra

We visited Spinalonga just this past October, but learned so much more from this lecture, including placing Spinalonga in the long complex arc of Cretan history with a pretty comprehensive review of the biological nature and history of leprosy. Well researched and well done!

S
S.S. (Oxford, US)
Isle of the living dead!

Dimitra is a fantastic teacher! she can make a tragic story one you must hear! and her history is wonderful!

R
R.D.
Spinalonga

This was my second seminar with Dimitra and it will not be my last - she is an outstanding presenter, so organized and informative, but also never less than incredibly lively and interesting in her presentation. I learned so much about the island of Spinalonga, commonly known as the former leper colony, but actually the long history of the island dating back thousands of years is the more interesting! Who knew? Dimitra is simply a gem.

Customer Reviews

Based on 6 reviews
100%
(6)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
B
B.M. (Victoria, CA)

This seminar was fantastic. Dimitra Pilarinou always delivers the highest quality presentations in a lively and entertaining manner. This one really exceeded my expectations.

B
B.G. (Briarcliff Manor, US)
Another excellent lecture from Dimitra

Until I listened to Dimitra's lecture on Crete earlier this year, I never thought about going there. But after that lecture, I not only put Crete on our "must visit" list, but I also decided we would need to hire Dimitra to guide us around. She is smart, funny, incredibly personable and is able to present the history, stories and practical information in such an interesting manner. Her photos really enhance her lectures. This one on Spinalonga was fascinating. I loved that she went way back into history to explain Spinalonga's place and why it was important and the various changes through history. She explained all about leprosy which played such an important part in Spinalonga's more recent history.

B
B.J. (San Jose, US)
Another great lecture from Dimitra

We visited Spinalonga just this past October, but learned so much more from this lecture, including placing Spinalonga in the long complex arc of Cretan history with a pretty comprehensive review of the biological nature and history of leprosy. Well researched and well done!

S
S.S. (Oxford, US)
Isle of the living dead!

Dimitra is a fantastic teacher! she can make a tragic story one you must hear! and her history is wonderful!

R
R.D.
Spinalonga

This was my second seminar with Dimitra and it will not be my last - she is an outstanding presenter, so organized and informative, but also never less than incredibly lively and interesting in her presentation. I learned so much about the island of Spinalonga, commonly known as the former leper colony, but actually the long history of the island dating back thousands of years is the more interesting! Who knew? Dimitra is simply a gem.