Welcome to Edit #8 of ISLAND POST.
Thank you for reading and for those who just joined, nice to have you! This is a mental escape in the form of a newsletter, in which I want to share bits of what I love: the stories of people I meet around the world, unique places, and design(ers) I encounter, tales of my travels, food, music, films and more. Delivered to your inbox monthly.
This month, I am spending time in Greece. I love this country—I’ve been coming here for 20 years, and every once in a while, I dream of moving to Athens to open a restaurant or a little guest house by the beach on one of its many great, preferably Cycladic, islands. My newsletter joins a series of Hellenophile newsletters this month, such as the one from
about Hydra (check out her newsletter IHTFYW, it’s one of my favorites).In this Greek edit: Sailing away into the Aegean sea, a night with the gods, chickpeas in rainwater, Greek wine and buzzing Athens.
Francesca <3
SAIL THE CYCLADES WITH ARGO
Makes sailors’ hearts beat faster: Argo, a Solaris 60 boat from my friend Andreas. I just came back from an amazing week, sailing the Cycladic Islands on this boat that doesn’t lack anything. Andreas, a passionate sailor, custom-built this mini-maxi performance racer (that's all the boat lingo you're getting), i.e. a high-performance sailboat, that fulfills the need for comfortable cruising and stunning aesthetics. The boat is built with lots of love and care for details, there is everything in top top quality you could wish for (a dishwasher and washing machine - pure luxury in a boat) and more (a work desk set-up and a workout bench plus weights). The ultimate next-level workation. It can host up to 6 people very comfortably and up to 10 with decreasing comfort. You can charter the boat from Athens and sail the Cyclades, Saronic Gulf, and Ionian Sea.
DELOS FOR A NIGHT
Delos is a sacred island on which, according to Greek mythology, Zeus’ lover Leto, who was chased by Zeus jealous wife Hera, gave birth to Apollo and Artemis. Today, the island is uninhabited and an archeological site, actually the best preserved ancient city in Greece. You can visit Delos via day-tour boats or by private boat, as I did last week. Sailing along Delos, watching the ruins at sunset, wine in hand, completely alone - I am not going to lie, it was pretty impressive. We finally anchored in a beautiful bay on the opposite, also uninhabited, island of Rinia. Living the good life, indeed. Highly recommended.
CHICKPEAS IN RAINWATER
The ultimate deceleration dish: Revithada. A very simple chickpea stew from Sifnos Island where the trick lies in cooking it with rainwater. Maybe regular water works too, but rainwater is so much more romantic. I wonder where people in the Cyclades get so much rainwater from, as it’s one of the driest places I know. But practical questions aside, I’ve heard—though I’m not sure if it’s true—that every family has their own traditional clay pot. On Saturday night, they bring it to the local baker, preferably one with a wood-burning oven. The stew bakes all night, ready for families to pick up on their way home from church the next day.
Here’s what goes into the pot: chickpeas, sliced pinkish onions, a glass of olive oil, two dried bay leaves, rainwater, and salt. It needs to cook for at least 6 hours. When it's ready, add a bit of lemon. For those of you without a wood-fired oven and a traditional Greek pot, a regular heavy pot will do just fine. But try the rainwater thing!
ASPIRE TO BE A MEMBER AT HOUSE OF SHILA
SOHO who? Instead, aspire to become a member at House of Shila. Athens is happening. According to some recent articles it might even be ‘the new Berlin’. Athens is one of the most interesting, unfinished cities I know (plus it’s at the beach). It's constantly evolving and always buzzing. The city has attracted and nurtured a vibrant creative scene. One of these creative endeavors is House of Shila, a members club, event space, boutique hotel, and artist residency. Their two beautiful hotel locations, MONA and SHILA in Athens, host some very cool events: their CLUB MONAMOUR soirées, curated pop-up art exhibitions, international and local guest chef supper clubs, and live music sessions. They recently hosted Zuri Camille De Souza, a chef I mentioned in Edit #4 - An Idea of Space. House of Shila also has a sister location in New York City and will soon open another on the island of Skopelos. If you’re looking for more Athens recommendations, check out
great Big Black Book on Athens Part I and Part II.ISLAND WINE: HATZIDAKIS
Unfortunately, you can’t really go to Santorini anymore, as the crowds are unbearable, but you can and should drink the wine from Santorini. Santorini wine has always been great and starts to get even better with more natural and artisanal winemakers getting into the mix. One standout Assyrtiko, Greece's famous grape, comes from the Hatzidakis vineyard. The quantities of this wine are so limited that it’s challenging to import. It's mineral, salty, and delicious. Try.
HATZIDAKIS winery | Order Hatzidakis Santorini Familia Wine
DISCOVER MORE THAN SANTORINI WINES AT TANNIN MY LOVE
There is so much more great Greek wine beyond the renowned Santorini wines. When in Athens, try Tannin My Love. It is the only place you can try over 100 different Greek labels by the glass. They specialize in natural wines by independent Greek producers with ecological cultivation practices such as organic or biodynamic vineyards and minimum interventions during winemaking. Even though Greek wine is no Geheimtipp anymore, I am always surprised at how unfamiliar people are with it. Maybe it’s because I love Greece so much that I’ve also fallen in love with its wines so much. Who knows. For everyone who wants to nerd out on Greek wines, I found this good summary of the different grape varieties and regions.
I dream of moving to Athens too!