Paxos

For those who don't know it, Paxos is a tiny island (about 20 sq km) just a few hours' travel from Italy... my travel companions and I decided to spend our whole holiday there, even though someone had suggested staying only a few days, which they considered more than enough. I think, instead, that you need to visit it and get to know it calmly and without haste... and savour, rather, that tranquillity... the beaches are a delight, despite the pebbles... with clear, very cold water, and luckily only two or three are equipped; the others are still quite secluded... some have olive trees (because the island is entirely covered with them) that almost mirror themselves in the water, and in whose shade it's lovely to enjoy nature, silence and maybe a good book. In short, that's how I experienced it, and I fled the noisier spots...

Gaios is one of those; it's the main centre, full of tourists, bars, restaurants and yachts, and it's fairly lively all day long. South of the island and just a few minutes away there's another islet, Antipaxos, where it isn't possible to stay overnight but where there are white-sand beaches, real lagoons with intensely blue water... the only drawback: the boats come far too close! We also took walks inland, among olive trees, little churches and old cisterns... we followed paths that led to cliffs with a breathtaking view... we watched a performance of traditional dances at Lakka (the most picturesque village on the island, to my mind)... we visited an old monastery accessible only on 15 August, set on an islet opposite the port of Gaios... we ate excellent fresh fish... on that note, if you want a tip, stop at the taverna on Levrekiò beach, near Longos; the owner is called Spyros...

you won't be disappointed. Every trip is a discovery, an adventure...