Caldera view from Fira as the sun sets

Back to basics in some Greek paradise

11.02.2014
Explore Destination
The architecture the Dodecanese, and Simi in particular, is a story in itself. I cannot resist the cheese selection in Naxos – the one I love is Arsenico with local fig marmalade on top– or the cherry tomatoes of Santorini and the local white wine.
READING TIME
As long as it takes to eat a slice of watermelon
Dorotea Mercuri
AUTHOR
Dorotea Mercuri
Actress, Model

My Greece

I have been to many places in Greece but I have not seen it all yet. I hope I will have the time to do that one day. Among the places I love are the islands – all of them are special. Some have things and foods and traditions that others don’t have. You don’t find the same blue everywhere: the blue of Naxos is different from the blue of Paros.

Dorotea mercuri You can’t taste the sardines of Lesvos anywhere but there. The architecture the Dodecanese, and Simi in particular, is a story in itself. I cannot resist the cheese selection in Naxos – the one I love is Arsenico with local fig marmalade on top– or the cherry tomatoes of Santorini and the local white wine. The sunsets are a dream everywhere, but the one that takes my breath away is in Santorini. On the mainland, I really love the Peloponnese and especially Mani. My favorite town in the area is Limeni. A must is the ancient theater of Epidaurus and the ancient town of Mycenae.

Dorotea mercuri

I will never forget

I treasure the times with my kids and the freedom they can have, the feeling of losing all sense of time you get when you are on holiday in Greece.

When I close my eyes

I think of the big white monasteries carved and built in high mountain rocks with the view of the deep blue sea. I am still amazed at the Temple of Poseidon in Sounion and the sunset there. It is a place where there is always silence even if it’s crowded with tourists. The arrival by boat in Santorini, I cannot describe. I hope you all go at least once in your life.

Dorotea mercuri

Favourite taste

The raw sardines from Lesvos, called sardelles Kalonis, truly make the best Greek sushi I have ever had.

My souvenir

I bought hand-embroidered curtains from the village Chalkion in Naxos and the most beautiful Greek handmade pottery from the village Mandamados in Lesvos. And if I can, I bring back some local olive oil; it is very different from place to place.

Dorotea mercuri

My next destination

I want to go to Karpathos island, where I have not been yet, and revisit Naxos. I will try to discover the inland villages of Epirus and the undiscovered niches there. Apparently there are a lot of surprises there for us.

* Photos by Dorotea Mercuri

 

Dorotea Mercuri
Dorotea Mercuri
Actress, Model

I can stay on the beach all day eating grapes and drinking water. I am happy with nothing when I can still find that in both my native lands – Greece and Italy. After all I am from the Mediterranean and, wherever I have lived, that fact has helped me survive any kind of hardship. All I knew was that at some point I could get back to basics in some Grecian paradise. Life is hard and I don’t think I have a positive motto of the kind you might know, but life is still made of flashes of magic moments that someone has to be wise enough to be able to catch. I try to be ready for that catch.

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