The Kastro lanes

The Kastro is the oldest part of Chora, laid out in the thirteenth century under Venetian rule as a rectangle of houses whose backs form the outer wall — a village that is also a fortification. Inside, the lanes are barely two metres across, roofed in places, with wooden balconies overhead, outside staircases climbing to first-floor doors and flowerpots on every step.

It is the most intimate part of the island to photograph. The narrowness means soft, bounced light for most of the day, the staircases give levels to place people on, and the repeated geometry of doors and balconies frames a couple without any effort. Aim for morning, when the lanes are quiet and residents have not yet set out chairs.

Everything here is somebody's front door, and people still live in the Kastro year-round. Keep the group to a couple plus the photographer, do not sit on steps or lean on balconies, and move on rather than blocking a lane. The paving is uneven and the steps are steep, so flat shoes.