The island of Leros is one of the Dodecanese islands between Samos and Kalymnos off the coast of Turkey. Ruled between the 16th and 19th centuries by the Ottoman empire, the Italian fascists in the 1920’s through 1947, it is now a Greek island with beatiful beaches, winding roads climbing upwards towards Pandeli castle; which is located on top of Apitiki hill, where driving in small, fuel efficient cars or beat up motorcycles adds a degree of danger to your tranquil island escapade. If you are looking for pills, thrills and bellyaches then this is not the island for you. It is more like a retiree conmunity where people read by the clear waters with little or no music playing on the background. There are no private beach clubs as you might expect in trendier summer resorts such as Cannes or say Bodrum. All beaches are public and serve great tasting Greek salad, local delicacies such as the ‘Buyurdi’ a cheesy, tomato and peppery affair served in a hot bowl with bread. Leros is a stop-over for yachters travelling between the southern islands such as Rodos and the mainland Greece or western Europe.

As far as I can tell the locals are devout Christians, you can find small religious signs by the road similar to the Italian countryside. There are a number of churches, one interesting church is found on a rock near the end of land called St. Isidoros, in the Drymonas village. The port of Lakki is where the occupying Italian forces built a town named Porto Lago complete with military barracks, a cinema and administrative offices. The port was built in the rationalismo style combining art deco, bauhaus and Byzantine influences. It never was popular with the locals and now stands empty as if it’s some sort of film set. You can even see the Mussolini insignia on some of the buildings in the harbor called Agia Marina, where ships from other islands moor. The island also has a small airport for domestic flights to and from Athens, a 45 minute ride. It is possible to visit the archeological museum in Agia Marina which houses a small but interesting collection. Leros is an hour away from Bodrum by ferry.

