
Located approximately 1.3 km east of the village of Karidi, 22 km from Palekastro and 20 from Sitia. There are two noteworthy caves ίn the Karidi area, both with traces of inhabitation. They are the Katofygi cave at Limnilakkos and the Peristeras cave. This latter is one of the more important Cretan caves. It is some 300 m north of the public road, and the place is known both as Platyvolo and Peristeras. The mouth of the cave is 540 m above sea level. It is a deep subterranean cavern opening into Jurassic lίmestone, and there is a difference of 63 m between the level of the entrance and the lowest point.
The opening is 23,5 m wide and 12 m high, but a big rock fall prevents close examination of much of the entrance area. From here one passes into a huge chamber 80 m deep and 35 m wide; at one part the height varies between 2-12m. At the left of the back of this chamber a narrow gap leads, after a sharp drop of 4m, into a series of curved chambers which swing round to connect υp again with the left wall of the main chamber. Nature has adorned the first two chambers richly with stalagtites, stalagmites and pillars of stone. In the third and fourth chambers human bones were found, and other signs of habitation. From eχamination of the sherds it has been concluded that the cave was in use from the Εarly Μinoan to the Late Μinoan period, and also in Byzantine times.
From the book "Sitia", N.Papadakis, Archaeologist,1983