Paradisi village, one of the best vacation spots in Rhodes, is located on the northern coast of the island of Rhodes and it was first inhabited in the period of the Knights' rule of the island, when Grand Master Villeneuve built a castle to protect the north-eastern part of the island from pirate raids. Then people started building around that castle and Paradissi was formed. Later, Arab inhabitants brought exotic flowers and planted them along the village mountain, making it look like paradise, hence the name Paradissi. After the Italian occupation, the village was renamed to Villanova, only to be changed again to Paradisi after the final reunitement of the island of Rhodes with Greece.