Page 178 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Greek Islands

EXPERIENCE The Dodecanese

The lush green Butterfly
Valley, famous for its
Jersey tiger moths (inset)

11 12 "
Petaloúdes Ancient Ialysos
Πεταλούδες and Moní
Filerímou
⌂ 26 km (16 miles) Αρχαία Ιαλυσός and
SW of Rhodes town Μονή Φιλερήμου
§ 22410 91998 @
⌂ 11 km (7 miles) SW of
Petaloúdes, or Butterfly Rhodes town @ Towards
Valley, is a narrow leafy valley Triánda # May–Oct: 8am–
with a stream crisscrossed 8pm Tue–Fri, 8am–3pm
by wooden bridges. It teems used it as a base before taking
not with butterflies, but with Sat–Mon; Nov–Apr: 8am– Rhodes town in 1309; and it
Jersey tiger moths from June 3pm Tue–Sun was the head quarters of the
to September. Thousands Ialysos fused with two other Ottomans before their assault
are attracted by the sap of Doric city­states, Lindos and on the Knights in 1522. It was
the local oriental sweetgum Kameiros, to create one also used defensively by the
(Liquidambar orientalis) trees, capital, Rhodes, in 408 BC. Italians, as gun positions
still extracted for industrial As this new centre grew, during World War II.
and medicinal use in Turkey. Ialysos, Lindos and Kameiros The only remnant of the
Cool and pleasant, this pop­ lost their former importance. acropolis is the 3rd­century
ular valley attracts walkers as However, Ialysos proved a BC Temple of Athena Polias
well as lepidopterists, and it is much fought­over site: the and Zeus Poliefs on the hill­
at its most peaceful in the Byzantines were besieged sides of beautiful Mount
early morning before all the by the Genoese there in Vounára, by the church of
tour buses arrive. 1248; the Knights of St John Agios Geórgios Hostós. Inside
the temple, the holder of the
statue of Athena can be seen.
Petaloúdes teems not with butterflies, To the south, the restored
but with Jersey tiger moths from June to lion­head fountain is from the
September. Thousands are attracted 4th century BC.
by the sap of the local oriental sweetgum The mountain is home to
(Liquidambar orientalis) trees cypresses and pines. Among
the lush trees near the ruins
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