Most tourists on Rhodes head for Lindos, 29 miles (47km) from
the island capital, which was once the capital of the island but
today is basically a holiday resort centred on a small medieval
village, topped with a fortified ancient Acropolis. The village is
quaint with its cobbled streets and white-stuccoed houses sloping
down to the sea. The Acropolis is reached through a series of
steps, which can be ascended on donkeys. From the outside, the
Acropolis does not betray its Hellenistic origins because the
original complex was surrounded by a strong fortification in the
Middle Ages by the Knights of St John, but inside are the Doric
Stoa, propylaean ruins, the sanctuary of Athena and the Byzantine
church of St John. The ruins of an ancient theatre have been
discovered on the slope below the Acropolis. Many celebrities have
chosen to buy or build holiday homes in the Lindos vicinity and
frequent the cafes and tavernas lining the beachfront.
