All activities / Music at the Source / Chania
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Music at the Source in Chania
Crete's northwestern gateway, a historic Venetian harbor town that serves as the access point for Samaria Gorge and the White Mountains canyon system, two of Europe's finest canyon walks.
Why here
Cretan lyra is still made by hand in Chania and Rethymno by family workshops, several of them multi-generational, where you can watch the instrument being built.
Best months
Luthier workshops. Call ahead rather than turning up.
Getting there & around
Schools & guides (1)
Mountrianakis Cretan Lyra Workshop
OutfitterStelios Mountrianakis has made Cretan lyras by hand since 1983; his son Pavlos joined the craft in 2009, and together they run the family workshop at St. Fiotaki 13 in Chania, established there in 2000. A professional lyra takes more than sixty hours of chisel work, built from woods chosen among mulberry, walnut, aspen, pear and rosewood, with cedar-of-Lebanon soundboards on professional models. The range covers beginner to professional lyras, the smaller lyraki, viololiras and mandolins, plus refurbished instruments and custom orders; it is a maker's workshop, with no lessons advertised.
Also good for music at the source in September:
Torn between Chania and Gishora for September?
A plan settles it for your skill and budget, same-day.