The main square and Elkomenos Christos

The square is the one open space in a town otherwise made of lanes. On it stand the church of Elkomenos Christos with its detached bell tower, a domed white chapel behind, and the former mosque that now holds the archaeological museum — and directly above all of it, filling the top third of any frame, the red-brown cliff of the rock itself.

That cliff is what makes the square work photographically: it gives scale and a warm backdrop that no other Greek town square has, and it holds colour long after the sun has left the pavement. The buildings are honey-coloured stone, so late light on them is very warm; earlier in the day the square is in open shade, which is kind to faces and even easier to work in.

It is also the busiest point in the town, sitting where the main lane widens: mid-morning to early evening there are people crossing it constantly. Sessions here run early. Cars never enter — everything comes in through the gate on foot or by handcart — so the only thing to time around is other visitors.