Αστακος

A fishing village where the thermometer climbs to 42 degrees. The sun presses down heavily, making the stone walls radiate a quiet warmth that clings to the air. As soon as we dock, the bar across the way beckons with its shade, its hum of conversations merging with the rhythmic clinking of glasses.

At the next table, an exchange begins—curiosity pulling at the thread of language, weaving strangers into acquaintances. Pericles, a doctor who studied in Rome, shares stories of Thessaloniki, his current home. Beside him, his wife radiates elegance, her laughter soft as the breeze that finally stirs. Her father, a man whose roots stretch from Perugia to this sunlit shore, nods quietly, his gaze tracing the familiar lines of the sea.

I wander through the village, a basket in hand, collecting not just bread and fruit, but fragments of life. At the baker’s, an Italian customer recounts forty years of returns, his voice heavy with nostalgia and a sense of belonging. In the harbor, a small fishing boat nudges against the dock. Its arrival is a signal; the bar empties as if by instinct, the waiting crowd drawn to the fresh catch. There’s no rush, only an unspoken rhythm, the kind of order that feels accidental yet essential.

We set sail again, the direction clear—toward the Dragonerà islands. The water shifts in shades of sapphire and emerald, and the horizon seems to ripple like silk. Above me, gulls trace unseen lines in the sky, their cries sharp yet comforting, like reminders of something ancient.

As the village fades behind me, its stories linger: the quiet pride of its fishermen, the weight of its sun-soaked stones, and the fleeting connections formed in its shaded corners. Each detail, a thread in the vast tapestry of the Mediterranean, whispers of a timeless truth—life here is as fluid and boundless as the sea itself.

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Villaggio di pescatori dove il termometro arriva a 42 gradi. Appena attraccati andiamo al bar difronte e i vicini di tavolo in italiano si incuriosiscono e inizia un reciproco conoscersi e scambio di informazioni.

Pericles ha studiato medicina in Italia a Roma e ora lavora a Thessaloniki. Con sua moglie bellissima donna in vacanza con il padre che vive a Perugia con il resto della sua famiglia.

Faccio un po’ di spesa e passeggio per il villaggio. Dal panettiere il piacere del racconto di un cliente italiano che viene qui da 40 anni. I pescatori con una barchetta che portano il pesce al molo e le persone si alzano dal bar come fossero in attesa del suo arrivo, in attesa velata dal caso.

Salpiamo direzione isole Dragonerà.