Varnavas

Standing a short distance from Varnavas in eastern Attica, this Frankish tower dates from the 13th or 14th century and forms part of a wider defensive network raised against pirate raids. Its precise history is unknown, but its size and solid build suggest it served as a local lord's mansion. The tower measures 5.40 by 9.46 metres and still rises at least 11 metres, with walls 0.91 metres thick. The original entrance, probably at second-floor level, has not survived; a ground-floor opening on the west wall was broken through later. The ground floor once had a vaulted ceiling, now collapsed, though its presence is betrayed by the vault springs in the north and south walls and the arched bond between east and west. A crosswall, 62 centimetres thick and mostly ruined, divided this floor into two equal chambers. Windows, niches and slits appear throughout, with large rectangular windows, simple but carefully made, set centrally at second-floor level on each side. Roughly 500 metres south stands a far older tower from ancient Greece.