DESTINATIONS HALKIDIKI | GREECE & CYPRUS


CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Dancers in Palaiochori village; Agiou Pavlou monastery, Mount Athos; statue of Aristotle in Stageira, the philosopher’s birthplace; a beach in the Mount Athos region PICTURES: Shutterstock/Panos Karas, Dmitri Ometsinsky; Alice Barnes-Brown


A six-minute drive away from Eagles Palace is the town of Ouranoupoli, aka ‘sky city’. As well as being the site of a fascinating Byzantine tower with a varied history, Ouranoupoli is the base for cruises up and down the western coastline of Mount Athos, giving visitors a valuable opportunity to admire ornate monasteries, jaw-dropping cliffs and deserted beaches they will probably never set foot on. This day cruise with Athos Sea Cruises is the only way to peek past the rigid boundaries of Mount Athos. A small number of religious pilgrims can apply for permits to visit, provided they are male, while women are banned altogether; and there’s even a 500-metre exclusion zone from the shore that our ship, the Captain Fotis, must adhere to. Even the seagulls seem to respect the rules – they circled the vessel as we left the turquoise harbour at Ouranoupoli but dissipated as we journeyed down the holy mountain. Among the peninsula’s mysterious thickets of


chestnut trees and steep slopes are 20 monasteries, inhabited by 1,400 monks. The beating heart of Greek Orthodoxy for the past 1,000 years, these monasteries are spellbinding to look at, even from afar. The first we came to, Xenophondos, was built in AD998 and is painted in blue, cream and terracotta pastels. The last, castle-like Agiou Pavlou, contains 12,500 books. As we sailed back to Ouranoupoli, a small dinghy


berthed alongside our ship, and three monks embarked. Without a word, one lay his cross-embroidered satchel on a table, and a crowd gathered to touch


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The Kouzina festival, which highlights the bountiful produce of eastern Halkidiki, runs


from May 15 to June 15 this year. Events will take place across the region, from wine


tastings and cookery


classes to dance lessons and special menus. en.mountathosarea.org


and kiss the relics the monks unfurled. They also sell olive oil soaps and herbal blends, should visitors wish to take back some homemade souvenirs.


FORAGING AND FEASTING The monks of Athos are also renowned for producing their own wine. This is offered on the menu of Ouranoupoli’s Lemoniadis Restaurant, together with some Athos specialities, such as cuttlefish stew and citrussy white fish. Mussels also feature prominently, as this region has some of the cleanest seawater in Greece, and local mussel farms supply restaurants across the world. For foodie clients, Lemoniadis is the epitome of the Greek taverna, with generous portions and even a three-legged cat patrolling the vine-shaded seafront terrace, looking for leftovers. For another meal, I dined at Bakatsianos restaurant, set in an oak grove just outside the village of Arnaia. It was cool and calm that night, so owner Dimitris Polyzos lit a fire and joined us for a wine pairing. “Arnaia has many things cooked in honey – we’re famous for it,” said Dimitris as he presented a plate of feta baked in honey and thyme. “I like to highlight local products and home cooking.” Abundant Halkidiki produce, from wild mushrooms to juicy black olives, means Dimitris can be creative with his menu. He worked in Michelin-starred restaurants across Europe in the 1990s but found the lifestyle unsustainable. “It’s not my thing. I wanted to have a life. Maybe one day I’ll be a famous chef, but who cares?” he


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