Chania old town, also known as La Canea by the Venetians, is the second town of Crete. Chania (Xania) was the island's capital between 1898 and 1971. Its fortifications (mainly walls around the town) were erected in 1538-1540 by Michele Sammicheli.
Not all the walls have escaped being pulled down. The longest section is along the areas called Topanas and Evraiki but the top of the walls, maybe a hundred meters from the port, offers a quite different atmosphere with small houses and kitchen gardens. The town was originally limited to Castello a quarter on high grounds overlooking the harbour and where the Venetians had their main buildings. The walls protecting this area were made of ruins of temples (one can see signs of pillars and decorations) .