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Aegean Airlines.
ISSN 2945-1388
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Editor in Chief: Stavroula Saloutsi (saloutsi.stavroula@aegeanair.com)
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Senior Editors: Katerina I. Anesti, Kostas Farmakis
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Writers: Yorgos Archimandritis, Xenia Georgiadou, Eleni Psihouli
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Copy Editing (English): Don Domonkos, Damian Mac Con Uladh, Alex Vagenas
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Photographers: Mara Desipris, Dionysis Kouris, Epaminondas Koutsoukis, Yorgis Yerolymbos
Fashion Editor: Dada Ioannidou
Art Direction & Set Design: Nikos Yfantis
Videographer: Vladimiros Nikolouzos
Aerophotography / Drone operator: George Pappas
Photo Εditor: Nasia Diamantidis
Photoshop: Stefanos Kouros, Vangelis Kyriakos, Stelios Vazourakis
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Dear Friends,
We would like to thank you wholeheartedly for once again voting us “Best Regional Airline in Europe” for the 14th year, as well as the second “Best Regional Airline in the World,” at the prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards 2024.
As part of our continuous efforts to improve our services, we recently opened the brand-new Business Lounge at Larnaka Airport in Cyprus. Located next to the departure gates, it features plenty of natural light and unobstructed views of the runway and the aircraft movements. Now all four of our lounges – the two in Athens, and those in Thessaloniki and Larnaka – have been upgraded, incorporating our new corporate identity in the “neo” era of AEGEAN, and with the same warm smiles and exceptional service from our staff there to greet you.
This summer has started strongly, with AEGEAN operating the largest and most extensive flight schedule in its history. This summer, our capacity is approximately 13.4 million seats (an increase of 6% compared to last year), covering a total of 47 countries with 249 routes from our seven bases. Over the course of the year, we will have a total capacity of 19.5 million seats.
Our staff, as always, is ready to welcome you with kindness and a smile, giving you a foretaste of Greek hospitality and making your trip more pleasant, whatever your destination might be.
Thank you for choosing AEGEAN and Olympic Air for your travels.
Eftichios Vassilakis Chairman
50. Editorial
52. Skytrax Awards
H
/ AEGEAN wins the Skytrax “Best Regional Airline in Europe” award for the 14th time.
55. Agenda
80. Thomas Jolly
Ο
/ The artistic director of the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2024 Paris Olympics talks to Blue.
90. Olympics Agenda
/ Paris’ leading cultural institutions are celebrating the city’s hosting of the Olympic Games this summer with a series of themed exhibitions.
100. Paloma Picasso
H
/ The daughter of the “Minotaur” Pablo Picasso talks to Blue on the occasion of exhibiting her father's works at ancient Eleutherna in Crete.
115. Α-List
Τα
/ The best new restaurants, shopping destinations, and more
124. Santorini
Γεύσεις,
/ Flavours, art and trends that enrich the landscape
/ Photography: Mara Desipris
LEROS, THE HIDDEN GEM OF GREECE
146. Mykonos
Το
168. Main Story
Λέρος,
194. Leros
Ανέγγιχτη
214. Chalkidiki
Ένα
/ Greek gastronomy’s party
/ Leros, the most serene
/ Unspoiled beauty
240. Zakynthos
Καλοκαιρινός
/ Α culinary journey
/ A summertime paradise
246. South Heraklion
Εξωτικές
/ Exotic beaches and wild mountains
AEGEAN FILES
269. AEGEAN Services
270. AEGEAN News
296. Business Lounge
300. AEGEAN Wine List
Τα
/ Outstanding wines from the vineyards of Greece
302. Fleet
Ο
THE MOST SERENE
Text by Katerina I. Anesti / Photos by Mara Desipris (D-TALES)
Six windmills, built between the 17th and 19th centuries, stand on Apitiki Hill. The Leros Castle, also known as the Virgin’s Fort, sits at the top.
Crystalline waters in shades of blue that require new words to adequately describe them. Discreet, hushed, joyful and friendly like a garden that keeps bearing fruit. Far from the tourist trail, Leros is a rare, precious stone, nestled in layer upon layer of history and beauty, waiting to be unwrapped.
Leros is known for its incredibly beautiful and proud 19th-century villas, which are scattered across the island but primarily concentrated in Agia Marina; for its colour palette, which is dominated by ombre, ochre, and sunburnt white, with occasional brushstrokes of blue; and the lush, bright bougainvillaea and tall, robust tamarisk trees.
The Italians, who captured the island in 1912 and stayed there for thirty-one years, constructed magnificent structures in this setting that are still outstanding specimens of rationalist architecture. Considered futuristic in their day, they were located mostly in Lakki. The Italians gave it the name Portolago and laid it out in accordance with Giorgio de Chirico’s designs and art deco style.
Leros’s rural churches, on the other hand, seem to plunge into the sea along the thin stretches of land that link them to the island like quivering ribbons; they dangle from jagged rocks and serve as storytellers of the legends and history of the Lerian people. One such chapel features a painting of the Virgin Mary inside a crab, while its hanging belltower faces Kalymnos and Turkey. Another, the 18th-century Agia Matrona-Kourgia, is adorned with paintings of saints created by political exiles on the island. Then there are the windmills, which stand like pins on the hill to the castle, and the watermill in the sea in front of the restaurant Mylos, which has transformed the island into an international culinary destination thanks to Marios and Giorgos’ wildly creative seafood dishes.
This is Leros: the soul of the Lerians, these unfailingly kind and welcoming people who adore their island unconditionally and expect nothing in return. Young Lerians do not abandon the island; rather, they stay to raise families, run businesses, innovate, and invest in a sustainable and authentic sense of well-being. Roots run deep on this sparkling clean, lovingly tended, and eyesore-free island, which resists being corroded by the demands of Disneyland tourism.
The Lerians don’t try to hide their island’s history. Indeed, they will sit down with you and talk about it over a glass of tsipouro, recounting the trials and exploits of their forebears. Their eyes will invariably wander towards the architecturally stunning building complex that housed Leros Psychiatric Hospital in 1957; it’s a “healing centre,” the local scold. At once terrifying and beautiful, the buildings are mirrored in the still water of the sea as they await a second lease on life after being listed as a historical monument.
“Every stone we tread on here has been broken apart by bombs,” says Stathis Gourgouris, the Columbia University professor who has been organising the international Leros Humanism Seminars since last year, an event dedicated to exploring the concept of humanism. There could be no better place than Leros for such an undertaking. Every step, every scene, has been shattered and courageously rebuilt in the incredible stories of the people here. Yet, if there is one word that best describes Leros, it is serenity. Leros, the most serene. During his exile on the island, the poet Yiannis Ritsos wrote: “This place is much loved, with patience and pride. Every night, from the dry well, the statues cautiously come out and climb into the trees.”
Hotel Archontiko Angelou is located in an 1895 villa near Alinda Beach. It is surrounded by a 550-acre garden, which grows olives, grapes, vegetables, fruits, and aromatic plants.
/ Panagia Kavouradaina stands on the edge of Xirokambos’ natural fjord, enclosed by high, sharp rocks that also serve as its roof. According to local legend, the chapel was constructed in 1796. Inside, there is an icon of the Virgin Mary surrounded by a crab.
The chapel of Agios Isidoros in the Kokkali area
On the left: The building that houses the County Court of Leros. The ground floor is home to Leros’ Research and Development Culture Centre, “Artemis.”
Bruegel. / The former Italian artillery PL288 is located on top of the mountain, in the area of Xirokampos. The strangely beautiful frescoes inside the building are said to have been painted by its former occupiers. Among other things, copies of works by Bruegel can be seen.
close to Panagia Kavouradaina
/ Lakki’s primary school was built in 1936 according to rationalist architectural principles.
(Caserma Marinai)
The Naval Barracks (Caserma Marinai) in Lakki, now known as Posidonio
Ninon Dimitriadou-Kampouris’ three-story neoclassical building, which was constructed in 1910 by the grandfather of her husband George Kampouris, is a jewel of Agia Marina. Master craftsmen from Tuscany were brought in to oversee the construction, ceiling paintings, and frescoes.
A historical watermill stands out on the beach of Agia Marina. It is located in front of the island’s legendary restaurant, “Mylos.”
Fashion Editor: Dada Ioannidou, Art Direction & Set Design: Nikos Yfantis, Hair & Make up: Dimitra Altani (D-Tales), Videographer: Vladimiros Nikolouzos, Aerophotographer Drone operator: George Pappas, Photographer’s Assistant: Yiorgos Markozanis, Fashion associate: Vassiliki Symeonidi, Model: Antonia Iengo (AGENCIA)
The mesmerising Aerophone building complex on Mount Patela. It is a rare military construction that is thought to be a precursor of the radar. It enabled the Italians to track the movements of enemy aircraft. The acoustic wall and aerophone are still intact. The Ministry of Culture will soon declare the area a historical site.
LEROS: UNSPOILED BEAUTY
With a coastline punctuated with bays,coves and wonderful swimming spots, a unique architectural legacy encompassing neoclassical townhouses and Italian rationalist structures, and a fascinating local cuisine, this island is one of the Aegean’s best-kept secrets.
/ The view of Pandeli from Pandeli Castle
Touring the villages
Agia Marina, the island’s capital and one of its two ports, has a strong island atmosphere and rows of traditional houses stretching from the port to the foot of the nearby hill. Take a stroll through its narrow, labyrinthine streets, making sure to stop for a visit at the Archaeological Museum for its rich collection of artefacts from all over the island. Over the years, Agia Marina has spread as far as Platanos, the island’s oldest residential district, to form a single town that stretches, in the shape of a horseshoe, from the beach to Apitiki Hill. The elegant townhouses built by locals returning after emigrating and prospering in Egypt are one of its most striking features.
For an expansive panorama over the entire island and across the sea to Patmos, Kalymnos and the coast of Turkey, climb up the 300-odd steps from Platanos to Pandeli Castle, a 7th-century Byzantine fort built on the ruins of an ancient acropolis. As you head up to the castle, you’ll see what may be a familiar sight from the thousands of photos snapped here: six restored windmills originally dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries. Make some time for the third one, as it hosts a small folk museum focused on the furnishings and layout of a traditional Leros home.
Pandeli is a lovely, old-style seaside village that’s like an island within the island. It has a beach with crystal-clear waters, tavernas with tables out on the sand and a marina for fishing boats, sailboats and
In Platanos, the oldest neighbourhood of Leros
yachts. The Alinda area, in the middle of Agia Marina Bay, is the most developed part of the island in terms of tourism, with lots of hotels, as well as cafés and restaurants along the coast. It also has a very interesting Historical and Folk Museum in the Bellenis Tower, a building dating from 1927 that combines medieval fortified architecture with neoclassical elements and a beautiful garden.
Leros’ most striking and historically rich settlement, however, is Lakki, the island’s main port and one of the largest natural harbours in the Eastern Mediterranean. Its wide streets, roundabouts and cinema-theatre, its clock tower with the circular atrium of the market, and the former officers’ residences and public buildings along the coastal road comprise a unique collection of rationalist architecture, constructed during Italian rule (1912-1943), when Lakki was called Portolago and served as a naval base. Just outside Lakki, in Merikia to the west, the War Museum (also known as Merikia Tunnel) presents WWII memorabilia in a network of underground and above-ground arsenals built by the Italians in 1930, while the courtyard is an open-air gallery for decommissioned military vehicles, including armoured vehicles, and fighter jets. The Deposito di Guerra ― War Material Museum in the Agia Eirini area is also interesting. It houses the private collection of Ioannis Paraponiaris, comprising approximately 3,000 items ranging from black-and-white photographs and newspapers from the era to grenades, mines, parachutes and personal belongings of soldiers from WWII. Not far from there is a postcard-perfect spot on the western side of Gourna Bay, where the picturesque 14th-century chapel of Agios Isidoros, which stands atop a rocky islet connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of land, offers
/ Archontiko Angelou
/ Archontiko Angelou
VEGAN BREAKFAST
The hotel Archontiko Angelou (Alinda, tel. 6944-908.182) is situated in a beautiful summer villa dating from 1895. Built of stone in the Romantic style, it has a garden packed with all sorts of trees, from ficus and olive to fig, apricot and citrus trees, where it serves an amazing vegan breakfast at tables arranged discreetly in this marvellous setting. The breakfast includes fruits and vegetables grown organically on-site, marmalades (mandarin, fig, plum with sweet scented geranium), homemade gluten-free banana cake with buckwheat flour, and a delicious chickpea flour omelette. The hotel also hosts yoga retreats.
/ The Historical and
Museum in the Bellenis Tower
/ The Bellenis Tower in Pandeli
view of Agia Marina Bay from Pandeli Castle
stunning sunset views. In the north of the island, make time for the Temple of Artemis near the airport and for the 18th-century Church of Agia Kioura, renowned for a series of amazing (and pioneering for ecclesiastical art) murals done by political exiles during the 1967-1974 dictatorship.
On the southernmost tip of Leros, just one nautical mile from the island of Kalymnos, Xirokambos is an enchanting, fjord-like harbour with fishing boats, a handful of tavernas and a beach with tamarisk trees providing shade. The prehistoric fortress of Palaiokastro stands perched on a hill above, while a set of steps just outside the village takes you to Panagia Kavouradena, a seaside chapel built among rocks and named for an icon depicting the Virgin Mary with a wreath of crabs around her head.
Where to swim
Starting at the Bay of Pandeli on the island’s eastern shores, you’ll find a bustling beach (named after the village) that has sand and fine pebbles. South of that is the large, organised beach of Vromolithos, with fine pebbles, crystal-clear waters and a view of the opposite islet of Agia Kyriaki. Still heading south, there is a remote sandy beach called Velanidia, followed by Tourkopigado and then Damari, which has white sand and striking turquoise waters, but is only accessible by sea.
The island’s most popular beach is that of Alindes, though just north of it lies the less crowded and better-sheltered Panagies, which consists of one beach with sand and a second with pebbles. Dyo Liskaria offers coarse sand, natural shade from trees and a view of Agia Marina; just beyond that, Krifos is arguably the island’s best beach, a spot with tur-
“SHIPWRECK MECCA”
Known for its underwater wonders, Leros has in recent years been evolving into a top destination for scuba diving enthusiasts drawn to its rich marine ecosystem and rare marine plant life, its underwater caves, and a plethora of historic shipwrecks. It is, in fact, said to come second only to Normandy in WWII wrecks. In Krithoni Bay at Agia Marina, the team at the dive centre Hydrovius (tel. 22470-26.025) organises scuba excursions to points of particular historical interest or natural beauty, including the wreck of the famed destroyer Vasilissa Olga, an American barge and a Junkers 52 transport aircraft. It also offers longer excursions, night dives and scuba seminars for kids.
/ Alinda Beach
A FILM-SET TOWN
“Portolago: Ghosts in the Aegean” (2017) is a documentary by Ioanna Asmeniadou-Phocas that presents the unique history of Lakki by focusing on its impressive buildings, reminiscent of a film set. Italian, Germans, British and Greeks, soldiers, orphans, political exiles, mental patients and refugees are just some of the groups who’ve left a mark at this very special spot of the island. Screened at dozens of Greek and international festivals, the documentary has earned critical acclaim and numerous awards.
quoise waters that can be reached by boat or on foot from Dyo Liskaria. On the island’s northern coast, Agia Kioura is a slightly rough spot with very clean waters, while neighbouring Blefouti, with coarse sand and natural shade, is popular with families with younger children.
On the considerably less-serviced western shores, there is, south of the picturesque chapel of Agios Isidoros, Kokkalis Beach and then Gourna, the largest sandy beach on the island, with shallow and clear waters that are ideal for children.
If you prefer a quieter swim in more isolated surroundings, head for Eikonismata, a small cove near the Monastery of Agion Angelon. From the port of Lakki, there’s a path running along the coast that will take you past Merikia Beach and on to the wonderful Kokkina, a beach with fine reddish pebbles and greenish waters. To the south, take a dip at Xirokambos, which is always protected from the strong Aegean winds. ΠΟΛΗ
Από
αριστερά, Burcu Fikretoglu και Gizem Naz Kudunoglu / From left, Burcu Fikretoglu και Gizem Naz Kudunoglu
Από αριστερά, Burcu Fikretoglu και Gizem Naz Kudunoglu / From left, Burcu Fikretoglu και Gizem Naz Kudunoglu
Gizem Naz Kudunoglu,
«All Things Become Islands Before My Senses»
William Kentridge, Goshka Macuga, Pawel Althamer, Cevdet Erek, Maryam Turkey, Lindsey Mendick,
Cansu Yildiran, Necla Ruzgar κ.ά.
«The Leros Project»,
THE WHOLE ISLAND BECOMES
A MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
The arts and culture platform Perasma, which is based in Istanbul and is curated by Burcu Fikretoglu and Gizem Naz Kudunoglu, has organised this year’s group exhibition “All Things Become Islands Before My Senses,” featuring site-specific installations by renowned international and Greek artists such as William Kentridge, Goshka Macuga, Pawel Althamer, Cevdet Erek, Maryam Turkey, Lindsey Mendick, Kostis Velonis, Cansu Yildiran, Necla Ruzgar and others. The exhibition is set against the rich architectural landscape of Leros, which is characterised by urban neoclassicism and early Italian modernism, and is spread across six historical Lerian landmarks. These include Lakki Primary School, an emblematic building of Italian rationalist architecture; the Muro d’Ascolto on top of Mount Patella, built to detect and locate enemy aircraft using soundwaves; Leros Nautical Club; and Perasma Space, an exhibition venue set up in the neoclassical Kandioglou Mansion in Agia Marina that dates back to 1886. This exhibition, which will run until August 18, is the second edition of The Leros Project, which started in 2023.
Tavernas and kafeneios
Like a picture postcard from another era, Sotos (Drymonas, tel. 2247024.546) is a fish taverna with tables laid out in a courtyard overlooking the water; it serves a selection of hard-to-find shellfish, which are kept in crates in the sea in front of the restaurant. The grouper souvlaki should not be missed. One of Leros’ most renowned restaurants, El Greco (tel. 22470-25.066) has embarked on a new chapter after moving from its original home in Pandeli, where it had been since 1989, to a new space on the Lakki waterfront. The menu is a successful balancing act, with seafood dishes, including the ray with a garlic sauce, the beautifully executed octopus and the fried Leros shrimp, complementing a few meat dishes, such as lamb in a lemon sauce. Just a few metres away, Bakaliko me Tsipouro (tel. 6941-523.999) is a deli-taverna run by Takis Filippidis, with a big courtyard overlooking Lakki’s harbour. It serves locally inspired delicacies like warm myzithra cheese with honey, meze such as the eggs
/ Kokkina Beach
Αγία Μαρίνα / Agia Marina
/ Vromolithos Beach
Ταβέρνες
with tangy pastourmas and classics that include stuffed cabbage rolls, chickpeas and tomato sauce cooked in a clay pot, and orzo with calamari.
Over in Xirokambos, we recommend the fish at Kyma (tel. 2247025.248), where the owners, the Diamantaras family, have their own fishing boat, and Trechantiri (tel. 22470-23.408) with its spacious cobbled courtyard. In Blefouti, Thea Artemis (tel. 22470-24.253) is renowned for its excellent calamari risotto and juicy octopus fritters. The cafémeze restaurant Stis Annas (tel. 6946-115.465) in Krithoni is also a good option. With tables laid out on the sand in the shade of the tamarisk trees, it’s a favourite among locals for its good meze (such as the one with boiled free-range eggs, Lerian myzithra, cucumber, tomato
η
του ναύσταθμου (1923), το στρατόπεδο
των πολέμου (1943 και 1945), το αναμορφωτήριο (1949-1964), το ψυχιατρείο (1957 έως σήμερα), το στρατόπεδο πολιτικών εξορίστων
THE BOOK
In “Leros: The Grammar of Confinement” (published by Nefeli, in Greek), the author Neni Panourgia, an anthropology professor at Columbia University in New York, presents the findings of research, based on public and private archives, interviews and personal testimonies covering a century of the island’s history, during which Leros was used as a place of confinement. Key events in this timeline include the creation of the naval base (1923), the prisoner-of-war camp (1943 and 1945), the reformatory (1949-1964), the psychiatric hospital (1957-present), the political exiles’ camp (1967-1970) and the refugee and migrant reception centre (2016-present). The writer and her partner Stathis Gourgouris, a literature professor at Columbia University, organise the “Leros Humanism Seminars,” a series of annual research and educational meetings bringing together researchers, artists, activists and scholars from Greece and abroad, as well as locals.
/ Velanidia Beach
κ.
and small rusks), handmade dips, and vegetarian options ranging from chickpeas with aubergine to falafel. Α very good selection of meze is served at the kafeneio Bobi (open only for lunch) is in Lakki, behind the grocery store Korakia. In its kitchen, Georgia Harinou cooks as though she’s feeding family, with dishes such as parrotfish in tomato sauce, fried cod with garlic sauce, and squid stew. In Pandeli, look for the kafeneio Tzoumas for a cold beer or a glass of ouzo on the sand. Α new arrival is the kafeneio Stou Machala (tel. 6946-798.496) in Platanos, featuring traditional style decor, good meze (fried meatballs, chickpea salad, etc.), and a variety of Greek spirits.
Cocktails with a view
One of the six windmills in Pandeli serves as home to Harris, a sophisticated cocktail bar with magical views of the bay, a beautiful garden with olive trees, cacti, herbs and succulents, and an elegant terrace – ideal for sunset views – decorated in natural tones, with lots of wood and bamboo. Another great place for a drink is Mylos Terrace Βar (Agia Marina). Located on the rooftop terrace of the famed restaurant, it has stunning views over the bay, an eclectic selection of music (from jazz and ethnic to indie) playing over the speakers, and knock-out cocktails (try the aged Negroni). At the start of Merikia Beach, Lime offers loungers and thatched umbrellas on a terrace, with steps leading down to the water.
A MODEL SOCIAL COOPERATIVE
The Social Cooperative of Leros (Koipse) is a mental health initiative aimed at helping individuals with psycho-social problems integrate into society. Around for 21 years, it currently has 13 employees engaged in activities such as growing and naturally drying herbs (including chamomile, marjoram, lemon beebrush, and St John’s wort); pastry-making, and the standardising of Artemis honey (the first standardised social entrepreneurship product in Greece). The cooperative runs the Caserma of Herbs farm in Koulouki, which is open to visitors. There, it has more than 6,000 plants with uses ranging from medicine to cooking, as well as hives containing an indigenous species of bee. The estate, a former Italian military garrison, is open to the public for two-and-a-half-hour tours of its different areas; these tours include information on the cooperative and Leros’ history and come complete with treats such as herbal tea, biscuits, and rusks with cheese.
At the fish tavern Sotos in Drymonas
Στο
/ At the sweet Paradosiako in Agia Marina
/ At the sweet shop Paradosiako in Agia Marina
The main bar is on the top floor and features very nice views (especially at sunset), pleasant music and good cocktails. A historic watering hole, Savana has the ambiance of classic island bars and serves well-made cocktails and great music (often in DJ sets featuring vinyl) in a cool courtyard on the edge of Pandeli. Another summer classic, Zephyros in Dyo Liskaria serves classic cocktails to a rock and reggae soundtrack on a balcony overlooking the beach.
The sweet shops
Made by hand by the talented Anna Karpathaki, who uses fresh milk, the galaktoboureko (semolina custard pie) of Sweet Leros in Pandeli is probably the best on the island. Housed in a building dating from 1897, the pastry shop has seating outside on the beach as well, under a big tamarisk tree. Another must is Paradosiako in Agia Marina, particularly for its homemade ice cream and the “patsavouropita” (a baked filo sweet with lots of syrup and yoghurt); the same family in charge of that enterprise runs also the ice-cream shop Sorbet in Pandeli.
What to buy
Gefseis Lerou (tel. 6936-926.057) are local products – such as excellent sun-dried tomatoes with juicy flesh and a herby aftertaste – made by the Varnas family, without preservatives, according to traditional recipes and using ingredients from their farm. Scour the island’s grocery stores for their delicacies, including the exotic guava, a preserve made of guava grown on Leros, and wonderfully fragrant marmalades made
CYCLING HEAVEN
Leros was the first Greek island to be awarded the Bike Friendly Destination seal. This success is, in a large part, due to the efforts of Fanouris Kontogiorgakis, the 2022 Greek mountain bike champion. He founded the Leros Bike & Fun Academy in 2021 and, as of this year, also operates the Leros Bikes store (Lakki, tel. 6942-928.276), offering rentals of top-quality conventional and electric bicycles and accessories, as well as servicing. He has created, together with a guide – the well-known island historian Nikos Fokas – a network of cycling trails that visit Italian WWII monuments (such as the Parabolic Acoustic Mirror, the Italian garrisons, and the Italian radio tower). They also offer off-road excursions in the mountains as well as a round-the-island tour of Leros.
Harris Bar
/ The view from Harris Bar
Στο beach bar Lime / At the beach bar Lime
Gefseis Lerou
/ Gefseis Lerou products are made according to traditional recipes.
A DESTINATION RESTAURANT
Mylos By the Sea (Agia Marina, tel. 22470-24.894), a former ouzeri, was opened by the Koutsounaris family in 1999 in a building right on the seafront, looking out towards a windmill on a small pier. It is now run by the younger generation, brothers Giorgos and Marios Koutsounaris, who elevated its culinary standards and turned it into one of the best seafood restaurants in Greece. As one of the country’s few true destination restaurants, it attracts diners from nearby islands and even from Turkey who come to Leros just for this gastronomic experience. The decor in the covered dining area is a marriage of classic Greek taverna and neo-rustic elements. What steals the show, however, is the incredible seafood brought in by more than 20 independent fishermen, along with the dry ager inside the restaurant. It is used to treat tuna, grouper, scorpion fish, octopus, common dentex and other local treasures caught and slaughtered according to the Japanese ikejime method before they’re turned into all sorts of cold cuts: from tuna belly and bresaola with sweet Fokiano wine to tuna louza and swordfish pastrami. On the menu, you’ll find dishes such as the parrotfish marinated with kumquat and coriander, the delightfully delicious aged octopus, and the red shrimp with strawberry, basil and mandarin crumble. You can also opt for the head-to-tail experience, which consists of a fish presented in seven or eight different preparations: from a sashimi with an incredibly buttery texture and flaky meat to a fillet fricasseed with fresh herbs and homemade green curry. What we recommend, however, is that you put yourself in the hands of the team, omakase style. Mylos By the Sea also boasts one of the most interesting wine lists in the Aegean, with numerous labels it imports itself and several naturals.
with local mandarins. You’ll also find great traditional salted or pickled seafood (like the marinated mackerel or salted chub mackerel eggs) at the store Lalas in Lakki. For beautiful ceramics inspired by traditional Dodecanese motifs and made using the coloured clay technique, look for the workshop and saleroom of Marianna Xylina in Agios Nikolaos (tel. 6937-573.122). She’s also done several murals in neoclassical homes and other residences on the island. Giorgos Sifounios makes wonderful pottery, too, which he sells at Keramika Lerou in Agia Marina.
An exotic archipelago
The area around Leros is dotted with dozens of islands and islets that
Mylos By the Sea / The restaurant Mylos By the Sea
can be reached by private boat or on day cruises organised by “Aiolos” (tel. 6955-590.139) in Agia Marina. The first stop on the cruises is Archangelos, located off Leros’ northern shore, opposite the village of Partheni. The island is uninhabited and has three small sandy beaches with turquoise waters and a taverna, Stigma Archangelos (tel. 6933409.648), on a slope overlooking the strait and its anchored boats. You’ll find fresh fish, wild goat and tomato sauce stew, and a few other home-style classics, served daily (11:00-20:00). They can also offer boat transportation for their customers if arrangement is made the previous day. The next stop is at Makronisi, with its beautiful natural bathing pool and its amazing geological formations. Then it’s the Aspronisia cluster with their exotic turquoise waters, followed by Marathi. Apart from its pretty beach, the last spot is also home to the restaurant Pandelis (tel. 22470-32.609), known for its lobster pasta and its creative takes on Greek classics: must-tries include the tarama (fish roe paste) with chive oil, and the pulled goat with small hylopites (local pasta) and local dry anthotyro cheese. The island also has one bar, which stands not far from the restaurant at a lovely vantage point. For classic fare, try Stavragos (tel. 22470-32.900), where Theologos Kavouras and his mother Katerina prepare dishes such as local goat, either in a tomato sauce or in the oven, and excellent vegetable stews.
Last but not least, the island of Arkioi has just 40 permanent residents who live mainly at the harbour or in the viallage of Pano Horio.
The small, well-sheltered harbour is usually full of boats and yachts; it’s known for the kafenio-taverna Trypa (tel. 22470-32.230), which was opened by the present owner’s father in 1956. The boho vibe is accentuated by rag rugs, ceramic pots on the walls and music that ranges from classic blues and rock to Tom Waits. Order the kontosousi (lightly cooked local saddle bream dressed only with olive oil and lemon), the local cheeses, the goat and tomato sauce stew or the oven-baked chickpeas.
A well-kept secret, Apolafsi (tel. 6978-695.871) in the cove at Steno is a great taverna for classic Greek fare, including excellent goat. Make sure to visit the north of the island and Tiganakia Beach, with its amazing turquoise waters.
The natural pool at Makronisi
of Avaptisto
/ Tiganakia Beach on the island of Arkioi
