Ithaca

Ithaca is reached the way most people reach it — by ferry, watching the grey-green slopes rise out of the sea. The boat threads through a channel between Kefalonia and Ithaca, and the last hour is best spent at the rail as the island grows, every mile of the crossing marking out a journey Odysseus himself made. Vathy, the capital, is a deep horseshoe bay so protected that Homer's sailors called it the harbour of the old man of the sea. White houses climb the hillside above a waterfront of cafés and fishing boats, and the whole town is wrapped in quiet. Days here are spent walking: up to the village of Stavros, where archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a Mycenaean palace some believe was Odysseus's own; along the coast to the village of Kioni, a picture-postcard port of pastel houses that could be a film set; and down to the Cave of the Nymphs at Marathias, where the hero is said to have hidden his treasure on his return. Ithaca is not a beach-island in the loud sense. Its beauty is inland and inward: olive terraces, cypress woods, stone villages, and the sense of walking through living myth. It is why the poet said that Ithaca gave you the journey — and why those who visit never quite stop talking about it.

Ithaca is one of the most legendary places on earth, identified since antiquity as the homeland of Odysseus, hero of Homer's Odyssey. The island was inhabited from the Neolithic, and excavations at the hill of Pilikata, near the village of Stavros, and at the nearby site of Agios Athanasios have uncovered Mycenaean-era walls and pottery dating to around 1200 BC — the very period in which the Trojan War is traditionally set. Some archaeologists believe these remains belong to a Mycenaean palace that may be the very palace of Odysseus described in the epic. In later antiquity, Ithaca was dominated by its larger neighbours: it was part of the Roman province, then passed through Byzantine, Frankish, and Venetian hands as part of the Heptanese. The island suffered raids by Barbary pirates, which drove the population inland and into fortified hilltop villages. After the fall of Venice it shared the fortunes of the other Ionian islands, passing briefly under French and Russian influence before British protection and finally union with Greece in 1864. In the nineteenth century, the discovery of the so-called tomb of Odysseus and the excavations that followed drew international attention. Today Ithaca is quiet and sparsely populated, its economy resting on olive oil, wine, fishing, and a gentle, cultured tourism that suits an island whose greatest export has always been a story.

The name is recorded by Stephanus of Byzantium in the sixth century AD. His Ethnica is not a book of stories but a dictionary of Greek place-names, and for this one it says: "It is named from Ithaca the hero, from whom Odysseus came". (Ethnica, s.v. Ἰθάκη).

That is the whole of what an ancient source has to say about how the place got its name. It is a shorter answer than the guidebooks give, and it is the only one with a source behind it.

Ithaca's beaches are small, sheltered, and unspoiled — the island has none of the long resort strips of its neighbours, and that is exactly its charm. On the east coast, Dexa Beach, a few minutes from Vathy, is the island's most popular, a pretty pebble cove with shallow turquoise water and a taverna above. Gidaki, accessible only on foot or by boat, is a wild, beautiful cove of white pebbles with superb snorkelling. On the north coast, Frikes and Kioni offer small pebble beaches right in the villages. The west coast is more rugged: Polis Bay, with its small harbour, and the beaches of Afales and Agios Ioannis, reached by gravel tracks, are gloriously quiet. For the classic Ithaca swim, take a boat trip around the island and stop at a different cove every hour — the water is clear, the cliffs are green, and the only sounds are the sea and the cicadas.

Ithaca's kitchen is simple, honest, and built on what the island produces: olive oil from its ancient groves, wine from hillside vineyards, honey, and whatever the fishermen bring in. In Vathy you will find excellent tavernas serving fresh grilled fish, octopus, and the classic Ionian dishes of sofrito and pastitsada. Try the island's own honey with yogurt or in a spoon sweet, and drink the local white wine, grown on terraces that have been cultivated for centuries. The pasteli, sesame and honey bars, and the local goat cheese are worth seeking out. A meal on Ithaca is best taken slowly, by the water, with the olive terraces glowing in the last light — the island's real cuisine is atmosphere, and it serves it in generous portions.

Late spring (May to June) and early autumn (September to October) are ideal for Ithaca: the walking weather is perfect, the sea is warm enough for swimming, and the island is at its greenest. July and August are warm and lively, with yachts filling the harbours and tavernas busy, but Ithaca is small enough that it never feels crowded. In the winter the island is very quiet — many tavernas close — but the empty trails and dramatic skies suit walkers and romantics. Whenever you come, come slowly: Ithaca rewards those who stay a few days rather than a few hours.

Ithaca has no airport and is reached by sea, by ferry from the mainland or from Sami in Kefalonia, with the crossing from Sami quick and scenic. The island is small, but the roads are steep and winding, so a scooter or small car is the easiest way to travel once off the boat.

Ithaca is small, but the roads are steep and winding — a scooter or a small car makes all the difference, and many visitors get by with a combination of walking and water taxis. The villages of Kioni and Frikes on the east coast are the most atmospheric places to stay; Vathy is the practical base with the most choice. Book accommodation in advance in July and August. Take at least one boat trip around the island — the best beaches are only reachable by water. Carry water on walks: the trails are beautiful but exposed. And be sure to visit the sites connected with Odysseus — whether or not they are genuinely his, the storytelling is the point of Ithaca.