Man's presence in the area of Gialtra goes back to neolitic times. The first traces oh habitaion on the hill date from the New Stone Age,

wheareas the settlement continued to exist until the late helladic period. Reseachers identify the classical and hellenistic settlement, which obviously had a greater extent than the ones before it, as the ancient town Athinai-Diadai.

According to archeaological finds, the town was in existence up to Roman times. The naval maps of the Venetians refer to it Laturla: probably this is the source of one of the modern place name, Turla.

Today Gialtra is located on two levels, the old upper village and the relativity new modern settlement by the sea.