Rhodes town is a palimpset of civilisations, These range from the classical period to modern Greek, However, the dominant influences are the period between 1309 and 1522 when Rhodes was held by the Knights of St. John and the Ottoman occupation lasting to 1912. The Knights built the formidable fortifications, Their walls still surround Rhodes town, The Street of the Knights, divided by language and nationality, and the Palace of the Grand Masters are the outstanding examples of Crusader architecture. Mussolini imposed restorations and new build  - most of it hideously copied from the Venetian, with some modern brutalist thrown in fNor good measure. Rhodes has been part of modern Greece since 1948, Rhodes old town is a UNESCO World HeritagE site..