There is another Greece high in the mountains. In Zagori, stone villages sit among the forested peaks of the Pindus, linked by old paths and graceful arched bridges. Walk into the Vikos Gorge or alongside the clear waters of the Voïdomatis River and the landscape quickly takes over: mountains rise around you, forests fill the slopes and the sound of water follows you through the valley.

At Meteora, the sense of scale becomes almost surreal. Great sandstone pillars rise from the Thessalian plain, with centuries-old monasteries perched impossibly high on their summits. Built as places of retreat, prayer and contemplation, they still carry a powerful sense of separation from the world below.

Spend your days on mountain trails, through forests and along rivers, or simply breathing cooler air somewhere high above the everyday. Stone-walled mountain retreats offer warmth and rest at the end of the day, but much of the feeling comes from the landscape itself. After a while, attention settles on simpler things: the path ahead, water running over stone, the view from a mountain ridge and just how little else you need to hear.