Greece
Amorgos
A whitewashed monastery clings to a 300-metre cliff face above crashing Aegean surf.
The monastery clings to the cliff like a barnacle — white walls plastered directly onto three hundred metres of vertical rock, with a balcony that hangs over the Aegean. Below, the sea beats against the base of the cliff, and above, the ridge is bare stone. Inside, the monks offer raki, loukoumi, and cold water to anyone who climbs the path.
The Monastery of Hozoviotissa, built in 1088 AD, is among the most dramatic architectural achievements in Greece — its whitewashed walls are flush with the cliff face, and the interior rises eight storeys within the rock. Amorgos gained international attention as the setting for Luc Besson's film The Big Blue (1988), which was shot in and around the village of Katapola and established the island as a freediving destination. The Chora is among the Cyclades' most intact hill choras in the archipelago, with windmills on the ridge above and a 13th-century Venetian castle at its centre.
Solo
The path to Hozoviotissa in early morning before the heat, freediving in the waters of The Big Blue, and the Chora's windmill ridge at sunset.
Couple
The monks' welcome of psimeni raki and loukoumi at the monastery, hidden swimming coves reached by goat track, and starlit dinners in the Chora square.
- Hozoviotissa's white walls are plastered flush onto the cliff 300 metres above the sea — the balcony hangs over open water.
- The monks still greet visitors the traditional way: a glass of psimeni raki and a piece of loukoumi.
- The Big Blue was filmed in these waters, and freedivers still treat the island as home water.
- The Chora is one of the Cyclades' best-preserved hill towns, windmills on the ridge above.
Patatato — lamb or goat slow-cooked with potatoes in a sealed clay pot until everything melts together.
Xerotigana fried pastry spirals dipped in honey and sesame, served at festivals and celebrations.
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