The Gaios channel and the Panagia islet

Gaios does not sit on a bay but on a channel: the island of Panagia lies a short way offshore and shelters the town completely, so the water in front of the quay is flat almost all year and reads deep green rather than blue. The waterfront is a run of Venetian and Ionian buildings in ochre, pink and cream, with balconies, shutters and awnings over the tables.

The strongest frames use the water as a mirror. Shoot from the southern end of the quay with the islet closing the background, or cross to the far side of the channel on the little ferry and shoot back at the town. Behind the front, the lanes climb to a small square with plane trees, a bell tower and enough shade for portraits at any hour.

The channel opens roughly north-east, so the town takes clean early light and slides into shade in the afternoon, when the quay is at its calmest anyway. The monastery on Panagia is only open on 15 August, but the islet itself can be reached by water taxi in five minutes and gives the town from the outside. Ferries arrive around midday and the quay is briefly chaotic — plan around the timetable.