Panormitis monastery

The monastery of the Archangel Michael at Panormitis stands at the end of a deep bay on the south of the island, with almost nothing else around it. Its courtyard is paved in hochlakia — the black-and-white pebble mosaic of the Dodecanese, laid in geometric bands — and closed on all sides by white arcaded buildings, with a tall stone bell tower over the gate.

The courtyard is the frame: bright white walls that bounce light into faces, strong graphic paving underfoot and clean arches for repeated shapes. Outside the gate, the quay and the water give a second, softer set-up with the bell tower rising behind.

This is an active monastery and one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the Dodecanese, so treat it as a church. Shoulders and knees covered, no shooting inside the katholikon, and check with the monastery before anything larger than a couple with a photographer. Excursion boats and coaches arrive through the middle of the day; early morning and late afternoon are calm.