Zia village at sunset

Zia clings to the pine-covered slope of Mount Dikeos, high enough that the whole western half of Kos lies below it: fields, the coastal plain, the airport, then the sea and, on a clear evening, the Turkish coast and the island of Kalymnos beyond. The village is a single stepped lane of stone houses, taverna terraces and craft shops running up the hill under plane trees.

Photographically it is a view and a foreground in the same place. The terraces at the top of the lane give an unobstructed western horizon for wide frames, while the lane itself supplies flowers, vine canopies, stone walls and shade for closer work. The plane trees are the practical gift: after a day on Kos's flat, treeless coast, this is somewhere with real dappled light.

The hour before sunset is the whole point. The sun goes down over open sea beyond the plain, the slope behind the village turns gold, and the haze that sits over the lowland all day thins as it cools. Stay for the twenty minutes afterwards, when the taverna lamps come on along the lane and the sky over the sea stays orange.

Practical: everyone knows this, and coaches bring sunset groups up in season — they arrive about an hour before and cluster on the highest terraces. Come earlier, work the lane while they are eating, and take the viewpoint back when they leave. Parking is at the bottom of the village and the lane is a real climb on uneven stone, so flat shoes; it is noticeably cooler up here than at the coast, which is a mercy in August and worth a layer in spring and autumn.