Mílos

Like Santoríni, Mílos is a volcanic island, part of the Aegean arch that also includes Nísyros and Póros. But where Santoríni is a glamorous beauty associated with misty tales of Atlantis, Mílos is a sturdy fellow who has made his fiery origins work for a living (the last eruption occurred around 90,000 BC) although an increasingly large chunk of the economy comes from visitors attracted by its astonishing otherworldly looks.

Few places can boast such a catalogue of geological eccentricities: hot springs bubble in its low rolling hills, rocks startle with their Fauvist colours, landscapes are gashed with obsidian, sulphur, barium, manganese, alum and bensonite quarries, some of which were begun in the Neolithic era.

Yet in spite of all its strange and wonderful rocks, Mílos still mourns for the one it lost – the world famous Venus, now in the Louvre.