Leros

"than a sunset visit to Agios Isidoros, a red-domed chapel that seems to float in the sea. Shafts of sunlight ricocheted across the flaking blue walls as Ilit a candle in memory of the soldiers who lost their lives in the 50-day Battle of Leros, which led to the German conquest of the Dodecanese in 1943. Driving back for supper by the sea, I asked my taxi driver whether the rumours of tanks abandoned in the highlands were true. Moments later, we had veered off course and were heading up a bumpy track towards Mount Mar-kellos. For miles, there was nothing but a few scattered farms and skittish goats — until suddenly we came upon them: two tanks from the second world war camouflaged in a field of daisies. At the summit, a flock of sheep was sheltering in a stone building with 360-degree vistas of the archipelago. Designed to protect Leros from air and sea raids, this observation post once doubled as a firing range; the remains of a circular artillery battery looked like an art installation. Leros is replete with offbeat wonders that you won't find on any other Greek island. There's the art deco town of Lakki, built in the 1930s to house 30,000 of Mussolini's troops. (The Italians nom Designed to protect Leros from air and sea raids, this observation post once doubled as a firing range; the remains of a circular artillery battery looked like an art installation. Leros is replete with offbeat wonders that you won't find on any other Greek island. There's the art deco town of Lakki, built in the 1930s to house 30,000 of Mussolini's troops. (The Italians occupied Leros from 1912 to 1943, which explains all the Vespas and excellent spaghetti.) There are underground bunkers and tunnels, and shipwrecked warplanes and submarines. There are two converted windmills where you can taste the best ouzo sour and calamari carbonara in the Aegean: the Harris Bar and Mylos By the Sea (mylosbythe-sea.com), a restaurant whose setting is as sensational as the seafood. Mylos attracts Turkish gourmands on gulets and occasional gin palaces from Patmos. Although the beaches are mid-dling, the boating on Leros is divine -Instead, you can stay in 19th-century mansions converted into charming guesthouses, such as Villa Clara (villa-clara.fr) and Archontiko Angelou (hotel-angelou-leros.com), respectively decked out with contemporary art and antique heirlooms. Many of their guests end up buying houses on Leros, such is the usual choice as a favourite island. Wild and rocky, with meagre pastures supporting hardy little sheep, it appears otherworldly and almost prehistoric."