Ikaria

Ikaria is a long, mountainous island in the north-eastern Aegean, lying west of Samos and named in myth for Icarus, who is said to have fallen into the sea nearby. It has become world-famous as one of the planet's Blue Zones, a handful of places where people routinely live into their nineties and beyond. The reasons are much debated, but the island's unhurried pace, strong community bonds, garden-grown diet and daily walking on steep terrain are all part of the story, and visitors quickly sense the difference in tempo.

The spine of the island is a high granite ridge, and its two ports sit on opposite coasts: the capital Agios Kirykos in the south, and Evdilos on the greener north side. Between and beyond them, roads twist through slate-roofed villages, chestnut forests and boulder-strewn slopes. In the west, Armenistis is the closest thing to a resort, a fishing village near the island's best beaches, while inland the villages of the Raches are known for shops that open late and a nightlife that runs by its own clock.

Ikaria is celebrated for its panigiria, the summer saints'-day festivals where whole villages gather to eat goat, drink local wine and dance to live music until dawn. Held from June to September, they are communal fundraisers as much as parties and are the truest expression of island life. The island is equally known for its hot springs: the radon-rich thermal waters around Therma and Lefkada have drawn cure-seekers since antiquity, some bubbling up right at the sea's edge.

Beaches range from the celebrated sands of Nas, set beside a river mouth and an ancient temple site, to Seychelles and Livadi near Armenistis. Walkers can follow old stone paths through the interior, past the round tower-houses that islanders once built against pirates.

Come to Ikaria for slowness, for genuine hospitality and for the festivals rather than for polish or luxury. High summer brings the panigiria and warm seas; late spring and early autumn are quieter and just as rewarding for walking and swimming.