Three separate spaces could perfectly describe it.
One room was for the kitchen and dining, in other words the get together room in the house.
A second room (much bigger) was the sleeping area for the big family - very common in Crete even in our days - and the third room, the barn, was used to stall the livestock... sheep, goats, chicken!
Early in 2019 an Athens based couple after completing a 3-day hike in the creepy and haunting landscape of the White Mountains, stone peak desert as they call it, ended up in the village of Agios Ioannis.
The almost ruined village stimulated their imagination and old icons were created in their eyes. The simplicity of everyday life attracted their attention. Over the next years they visited the place again and again...
They almost felt as part of the village getting to know almost all of the nine inhabitants.
The decision was then taken, Antonis (the owner of Alonia, the one and only guesthouse in the area) helped them locate and buy the ruins of this old stone house!
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The house was abandoned by their original owners and all their descendants some fifty years ago, to follow the fate of most village houses...
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Was it time for a new breath to be given?
Was it time to put the stones back in place?
It seemed it was!!
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Stella, and George the couple of trailscouters, actually started giving breath to the ruins.
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With the great help of Yiannis, an in the area of Sfakia born and raised fellow with great knowledge on house rebuilding, along with his son Yiorgis and two more coworkers, put the old stones back in place, reconstructed the demolished roof supported on the 130 year old wood blocks... altogether in no more than eight months we came to have an inhabitable house :-)
"the Stones", Petres in greek, is the first of names that crossed our minds as to our project to be called.
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Stones we found and Stones we put together, our Stones... "PETRES".
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A simple place with a simple history to give breath and home our memories in one of the most wild and rugged areas on Crete.
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The old kitchen room has turned to a sitting room with a food preparing area and a wooden loft for sleeping.
The main old sleeping area has been converted in two sleeping rooms with en suite bathrooms that are connected via an in-the-middle living space with a kitchenette and an eating bench.
The third space -the livestock barn- lack of funds is still remaining on the ground.