Lemnos

Lemnos (also written Limnos) is a large island in the northern Aegean, set between Lesvos and the mainland at the mouth of the sea route to the Dardanelles. Unlike the craggy islands to its south, it is broad and gently rolling, its volcanic origins visible in dark rock, hot springs and rich soil rather than dramatic peaks. In myth it was the island of Hephaistos, the smith-god cast down from Olympus, and its fiery associations run deep. Today it is a fertile, agricultural place of wheat fields, vineyards and grazing sheep, far quieter than its size might suggest.

The capital and main port, Myrina, is one of the most attractive island towns in the north Aegean, its stone houses gathered beneath a huge Byzantine and Venetian castle that divides two sandy bays. The waterfront and its fish tavernas make an easy base. Elsewhere the coastline unfolds into long, shallow beaches such as Thanos and Platy in the south, while in the north-east lies one of the island's oddities: the Ammothines, or Pachies Ammoudies, a stretch of genuine shifting sand dunes near Gomati that feels transplanted from a desert.

Lemnos has an outsized place in prehistory. At Poliochni on the east coast lie the remains of what is often called one of the oldest organised towns in Europe, older than Troy across the water, with streets, a council chamber and defensive walls dating back some five thousand years. Nearby are the ruins of Hephaistia and the mysterious Kabeirio, sanctuary of an ancient mystery cult.

The island is also serious wine country. Its PDO wines, from the honeyed Muscat of Alexandria to the red Limnio, one of Greece's oldest named grapes, are widely respected, and local cheeses and thyme honey round out an excellent table.

Go to Lemnos for space, for empty beaches and for a slow, authentic island that has escaped mass tourism. Summer brings reliable sun and calm bays; late spring and early autumn add wildflowers, harvest and comfortable touring weather.