About 4km south of Peza, Houdetsi is home to a few Byzantine churches but it really got put on the map by Labyrinth. This beautiful stone manor is both a Museum of Traditional Musical Instruments and a highly reputable summer-long musical workshop that draws top talent from around the world.
Established in 1982, Labyrinth is the brainchild of renowned musician Ross Daly, an Irishman who’s one of the leading exponents of the Cretan lyra (lyre). He’s also a master of the modal non-harmonic music of Greece, the Balkans, Turkey, the Middle East, North Africa and North India and has released more than 35 albums. Check him out at www.rossdaly.gr.
Daly is also an avid collector of traditional musical instruments, some 250 of which are displayed in the manor. These are mostly string and percussion instruments from around the world, many of them rare.
On Friday evenings in summer, the lovely grounds make an atmospheric backdrop for concerts in which the teachers and students of Labyrinth participate (free entrance). Call or check the website for the schedule.
