Liada

On the hill of Liada, near Markopoulo in Attica and just east of the village of Dagla, stands a Frankish tower that dates from the 13th century. It was raised while the Burgundian De La Roche family held the Duchy of Athens, and it formed part of a chain of lookout towers meant to give early warning of pirate raids. It also served as a vantage point over the surrounding fields and as a residence for a local lord. The square structure now rises 8.5 metres with two floors, though it once had three; villagers over the years carried off much of its stone for their own houses. The fabric includes pieces salvaged from ancient buildings, and the nearby church of Taxiarches on the same hill was built in the same manner. What remains is a sturdy, weathered relic of a defensive network, its original height reduced but its character intact.