Hydra, the island that banned cars
You hear Hydra before you see it: water against the hull, gulls, and nothing else. Cars and scooters are banned on the island, so everything, from luggage to building materials, moves by boat, by donkey, or on foot. We arrived on a commission and left convinced that half of what we call "island charm" elsewhere is just the absence of engines.
The harbor is the whole stage
The town is an amphitheatre of stone houses around one small port, and daily life plays out on its rim: fishermen, gallery owners, sailors, cats with tenure. Sit with a coffee and the harbor does the programming.
Swim off the rocks
Beaches are scarce and nobody misses them. Ladders and flat rocks ring the coast just outside town, and loungers appear where the stone allows. The water is clear enough to read the bottom at ten metres.
Walk one lane past the postcard
Two minutes uphill from the port, the lanes go quiet: whitewash, shutters, bougainvillea, and the sound of your own steps. The island has protected this stillness for decades, which is why painters and filmmakers keep coming back to it.
Planning a space, a launch, or a shoot?