Floating around the ionian

PEOPLE FLOATING AROUND THE IONIAN

Words by Rachel Zammit Cutajar

A popular holiday destination, the Ionian islands - located on the western side of the mainland of Greece - are the perfect destination for adventure seekers, food lovers, culture vultures and beach bums alike. Famous for their gorgeous beaches and lush greenery, holidays on this side of Greece are guaranteed to help you press the reset button. Blankets of olive groves, postcard seascapes and rugged mountain vistas lend themselves to scenic walks, hikes and bike rides.

Occupied by the Venetians in Medieval times, the architecture of the capital towns Corfu, Zakynthos and Argostoli certainly echo and resemble the Venetian style. The more rural of the islands, Ithaca, Paxi, Kythira and Meganisi are ideal for calm and relaxing holidays. Renting a yacht and floating around the Ionian Sea is the best way to take in all that the islands have to offer.

Greece has more beaches per square kilometre than anywhere else in the world. One of the islands’ most beautiful beaches, Myrtos, had lent itself to the filmset of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Located on the island of Kefalonia, it is a serene strip of white pebbles with cobalt-blue waters, where silence and simplicity are the order of the day. Voutoumi Beach in Anitpaxi, Porto Katskiki in Lefkada and Navagio, the infamous sandy cove in Zakynthos, home to an iconic shipwreck, are some of the other beaches worth visiting.

Gerald Durrell’s Corfu, – recently featured in the Netflix series, The Durrells, is there for the taking. Wander the ancient streets of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, or rent a villa and be transported to the pages of My Family and Other Animals. Mountain bike tours, spa holidays, wine tours and extravagant museums make the Ionian’s largest island worth a visit.

As with many islands, seafood is the delicacy favoured by locals. Freshly caught fish in traditional dishes such as Bianco – fish in a white sauce – and Bourdeto – a piquant fish stew – is followed by a shot of mandatory Ouzo liquer, an anise seed liquer popular throughout Greece, but particularly on the islands. The rich olive groves on the islands make for great olive oil tasting tours, but be careful you don’t come home with a suitcase full of the golden elixir.

Of 6,000 islands that are sovereign to Greece, only 227 of them are inhabited, making a holiday in Greece the perfect destination to switch off and recharge.