Panagiria

Panagiria are held throughout Greece, but those on Ikaria are legendary. Everyday life seems to pause as people gather to celebrate and dance through the night. We were lucky enough to join the celebrations in Monokampi in both 2025 and 2026. If these photographs feel joyous and a little chaotic, that’s exactly how it should be. Ikaria is known for the longevity of its people. Perhaps joy, and a little chaos, have something to do with that.

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Just south of the little-visited island of Ikaria lie the even less visited Fourni islands. Once the home of Aegean piracy, the main island is now renowned for fishing and for its lobsters, especially in combination with spaghetti. The main street is lined with mulberry trees and ends in a lovely platia shaded by a plane tree. It all feels surprisingly sophisticated. The islands are rugged and possess a remote desolation that reminds me of the Hebrides. The people are amongst the friendliest on the planet. Go there and become one of a privileged few. All photographs taken with the Ricoh GR IV Monochrome.

Petrokopio beach on Fourni is blessedly tranquil and perhaps our favourite Greek beach of all. Petrokopio translates as ‘stone cutting’. What makes it unforgettable is the 2,500-year-old quarry immediately above the beach, which supplied stone for Ephesus, a relatively short boat trip away. Beautifully hewn blocks still lie on the beach as if awaiting despatch. And there is no better place to model Javanese batik.

The thermal waters at Therma, on the island of Ikaria, have been easing aches and pains since the days of Icarus. There’s a faded seaside grandeur to the place that I love, along with a delightful town beach and a cluster of remarkably good and friendly cafes and restaurants. The views south towards the holy island of Patmos and the wild, beautiful Fourni islands are mesmerising.

A trip from Patmos to Leros, with an evening spent taking photographs in the extraordinary port of Lakki. Built by the Italians in the 1930s as an experimental art deco town, Lakki is both stunning and unusual. The cinema still operates, and the adjoining Hotel Leros, where I stayed for 150 drachmas a night in the 1980s, is being redeveloped as a cultural centre. All photographs taken with the Ricoh GR IV Monochrome, with plenty of red filter.

There is very little about Greek ferries that I don't love, from the bars near every port, growing ever busier as the boat approaches, to the drama as it docks and an island briefly reconnects with the rest of the archipelago. All photographs taken with the Ricoh GR IV Monochrome.

I studied at the college of St John the Evangelist, but knew little of St John’s connection with Patmos until I visited the island on my first trip to Greece. All photographs taken with the Ricoh GR IV Monochrome.

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