Greek singer Giorgos Mazonakis had a special connection with eastern Crete, returning for years to the village of Pefkoi near Makry Gialos in Lasithi.
Located about six kilometers north of Makry Gialos, Pefkoi became a place where the singer could step away from his busy professional life. He eventually bought an old factory in the village center and began turning it into a home.
According to people who knew him there, Mazonakis enjoyed a much quieter side of Crete during his visits. His days could begin early with a swim at Makry Gialos or a walk through the surrounding countryside, including the nearby village and the small church above Estavromenos.
His connection with Pefkoi went back to the mid-1990s. Fanis Eikosipentakis, a longtime friend and former president of the Makry Gialos Commercial Association, recalled meeting Mazonakis around 1995, when he invited him to perform at the Sultana Festival in Sitia.
The singer subsequently began visiting Pefkoi for holidays and gradually became part of village life. Eventually, he decided to buy the old factory near Eikosipentakis’ business and renovate it as his own retreat.
Those who spent time with Mazonakis in the village remember him less as a famous singer and more as a regular visitor who enjoyed the company of local people.
He was known to spend time at the village tavern, chat with residents, and joke with older people in the village. His relationship with the community appears to have grown naturally over many years, rather than simply through owning a house there.
Food was another part of the connection.
Mazonakis reportedly preferred traditional Cretan dishes, including cheese and wild-green pies, fennel pies, boubouristi snails, and locally prepared fish. On some occasions, when meat dishes such as lamb were served, he would joke with his friends about how tempting it was.
Evenings could be spent beneath the village’s old pepper tree with a small carafe of raki and Cretan meze.
His visits also took him beyond Pefkoi. During Easter, he attended services in the village and visited the Monastery of Kapsas on Good Friday, drawn to the monastery’s quiet setting overlooking the coast.
For travelers exploring this part of Lasithi, Pefkoi offers a very different experience from the larger coastal resort areas.
The village sits inland above Makry Gialos, surrounded by the dry hills and countryside characteristic of southeastern Crete. Makry Gialos itself is known for its small harbor and beaches, while the wider area combines coastal villages, mountain landscapes, traditional settlements and some of the island’s more secluded corners.
Mazonakis’ choice of Pefkoi reflected precisely that quieter side of the region.
He last spent a holiday in the village about two years ago, according to his friend, and kept in contact by telephone while professional commitments kept him away from Crete. He died before he had the opportunity to return and enjoy the home he had created there.
For the people of Pefkoi, however, his connection with the village was about more than the house he bought.
They remember the singer walking through the narrow streets, swimming at Makry Gialos, eating local food, attending church, and simply spending time among people who had come to know him over decades.
