The Dodecanese

The Dodecanese, whose name means "twelve islands" though there are many more, form the south-easternmost group in Greece, scattered along the coast of Asia Minor from Patmos in the north to Rhodes and Kastellorizo in the far south. Their frontier position has made them among the most fought-over and richly layered islands in the Aegean, passed between ancient Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, the crusading Knights of St John, the Ottomans and, in the 20th century, the Italians, before uniting with Greece only in 1948.

Every island wears that history differently. Rhodes guards the largest inhabited medieval town in Europe; Kos spreads Roman ruins and the sanctuary of Hippocrates beneath its palms; Patmos keeps the holy cave and fortified monastery of St John; and Italian Rationalist streets, ancient acropolises and Knights' castles turn up across the group. The landscapes are just as varied, from the wild mountains of Karpathos to the active volcanic caldera of Nisyros and the sponge-diving, rock-climbing crags of Kalymnos.

This is also a region of long, reliable sunshine and warm seas, with a season that stretches from April well into October. Travellers tend to use it in one of two ways: as a beach-and-history base on the big islands of Rhodes and Kos, both reachable by direct flights, or as an island-hopping chain, threading the smaller islands — Symi, Tilos, Nisyros, Leros, Patmos and beyond — by the frequent local ferries and fast boats that stitch the group together.

Spring and autumn are the sweet spots, when the light is soft, the sea still swims and the crowds are thinner; high summer is hot and lively, especially on the larger islands. Whichever islands you choose, the Dodecanese reward slow travel and a willingness to hop between them.