Melidoni is a traditional village about 30km away from Rethymnon and the homeland of Antonios Dandolos, a fighting member of the Society of Friends (Filiki Eteria), who was appointed by Alexandros Ypsilantis as the person responsible for the initiation of the Greeks of Minor Asia into the organization.

On the west and in close proximity to Kouloukonas and at an altitude of 220m, there is one of the most interesting caves of Crete, Gerontospilios (Old Cave), which is inextricably linked to the bloody fights of the inhabitants against the Turkish yoke.

The arched entrance leads to the first chamber of this splendid cave, called the Room of Heroes, where there is the ossuary that serves as the final resting place of the human skeletal remains of the heroes slaughtered by the Ottomans in 1823.

The room is one of the largest in caves of Crete, while the outstanding decoration of truly huge stalactites and stalagmites creates a wonderful cluster and offers a dreamlike sight.