Scenic Route editor Elena Clavarino’s family has been traveling to Patmos since the 1980s, when rainwater was still collected in cisterns and donkeys were the primary means of getting around. Each summer, before settling on the island, Clavarino spends a week island-hopping aboard the Dodekanisos Seaways ferry with her husband, a small duffel bag, and plenty of cigarettes to weather the journey.
The Dodecanese, a group of 15 Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, have a multifaceted history. From 1912 to 1945, for example, the islands were under Italian administration, following the Italo-Turkish War. This is probably why Italian visitors have long been drawn to them—and, lucky for me, it means I’ve had years to explore one of the most beautiful corners of the world.
