Greece
Astypalaia
A butterfly-shaped island pinched at the waist where two wings of land barely hold together.
The island pinches at the waist — two wings of land connected by an isthmus barely a hundred metres wide, with a Venetian kastro crowning the hill above the main town. Houses are built directly into the fortress walls, and the whitewashed streets cascade down to a harbour that could be Cycladic if it weren't technically Dodecanese.
A narrow isthmus gives Astypalaia its butterfly-like form, with contrasting coasts on either side. A medieval Hospitaller kastro crowns Chora, where white houses climb towards the fortification walls. The island’s position between the Cyclades and Dodecanese is visible in its architecture, food and seafaring character, while air and seasonal sea links still reward advance planning.
Couple
Sunset from the kastro where the houses merge with the fortress walls, swimming at the isthmus beach where two seas nearly meet, and honey-drizzled pougia pies at a village taverna.
Solo
The architectural puzzle of where the kastro ends and the village begins, walking the isthmus at dawn with the sea on both sides, and the calm of limited connections.
- A narrow isthmus gives Astypalaia its distinctive butterfly-like outline.
- A medieval Hospitaller kastro crowns Chora above white houses and windmills.
- The island sits between Cycladic and Dodecanese cultural landscapes.
- Air and seasonal sea links make access possible while still rewarding advance planning.
Pougia cheese pies twisted into little parcels and fried, served with local honey.
Lamb slow-roasted with lemon and oregano in outdoor ovens on saints' feast days.
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