Chrissi island or Gaidouronisi is located 8 miles south of Ierapetra city, in the open South Cretan Sea. It is a flat islet very famous for its tropical blue water that cover all possible palette hues of blue and green, the protected forest with large juniper trees and the thousands of broken shells that make the sand pinkish. The residents of Ierapetra love this island and call it simply "the Island". It is said that years ago by Gianni Agnelli, the chairman of Ferrari, wanted to buy the island to make it a tourist attraction. Chrissi takes its name (golden in Greek) after the white sand that covers the entire island and comes mainly from shell debris. Chrissi has been declared as an area of natural beauty. You must keep away from the fragile juniper trees and avoid collecting sand or shells.