Mount Athos is the only state in the world which women are not allowed to enter.

Don’t worry though women – we are able to take in views of the magnificent monasteries in their clifftop settings from a boat.

That’s as long as the boat is at least 500m from the sacred shore.

To be fair, it’s a pretty lengthy process for a man to acquire a permit and most people have to be content with the four-hour coastal boat trip which runs from Ouranoupolis.

Just remember your binoculars or a camera with good zooming abilities.

It doesn’t matter though because the region boasts 300km of coastline, 100 sandy beaches and a diet of vegetables and fish – and the boat does have a bar as well as offering some breathtaking views.

The Mount Athos region, which is the birthplace of philosopher Aristotle, is a peaceful, idyllic paradise and once you get there you don’t want to leave.

When you’re there you forget that Greece is a country in crisis.

The self-governed monastic state is inhabited by more than 2,000 monks and has about 20 monasteries of Byzantine architecture, twelve cloisters and eight hundred cells.

The leading pilgrimage destination gets an estimated million visitors a year.

Situated in the shadow of Mount Athos is the tiny island of Ammouliani. It is located 120 km from Thessaloniki and is connected by frequent ferry trips.

Despite the fact you’ve got to travel on nearly every mode of transport to get there from the UK, Ammouliani is a unique destination and the only inhabited island in the Halkidiki region.

If you like seafood, feta cheese and traditional Greek cooking then you’d probably consider a trip to the Mount Athos region as a real treat.

Our visit to a cheese and honey factory in Arnea confirmed that they do indeed make feta cheese by the bucket load- and it’s the best I’ve ever had.

And you can use it in more ways than you’d think.

Greek celebrity chef Dina Nikolaou gave us a cooking lesson on different ways to use feta, including soaking balls of it in olive oil and herbs, rolling it in spices and stuffing it inside vegetables.

Greeks are the highest consumers of cheese, with feta making up more than half of the nation’s consumption. Another common use of feta in the Greek diet is in savoury pies.

Tradition and gender roles stand firm in the region and there was nothing more refreshing than the close knit community atmosphere on Ammouliani.

It has the largest fishing fleet in central Macedonia and fish served in the island’s restaurants is always caught the same day.

Our visited coincided with the annual fishing festival. The local people gathered to honour the gifts offered by the sea and earth in evenings of dancing, cooking and wine drinking.

The island’s housewives put their baking skills to the test in a special lesson and contest in pie-making.

The lesson was of love for the culinary heritage and finest products from the earth and sea.

The island’s women sang songs during the festival in honour of their husbands who spent their lives fishing at sea.

They even took to the time to teach us how to make traditional Ammouliani marzipan flowers. We were told that four of the women had recently been to London to cook with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. A real highlight was ‘the feast of the Mount Athos sea’ which we got to enjoy thanks to chef Dina Nikolaou.

It combined fresh ingredients and traditional culinary techniques, inspired by the smell of the sea, the view of Mount Athos and the sandy islands.

Another treat was a seafood lunch at the Megali Ammos fish restaurant.

The dishes included risotto with mussels, octopus, prawns and a whole host of seafood, Greek homemade desserts and locally made tsipouro.

Food aside, the best part of the Mount Athos region are the sandy, isolated beaches.

It is a leading pilgrimage destination but I wouldn’t let that put you off booking a holiday. There is a lot more to offer and it’s a real treat for the tastebuds.

It’s a place where Greeks and foreign visitors can find respite from the relentless pressures of modern life.

Getaway

  • Flights from Stansted to Thessaloniki with Ryanair, see ryanair.com
  • Hotel Ammouliani – hotelammouliani.gr
  • The price of a standard twin room, two people sharing, is 45 euros in June and 65 euros in July.
  • Email info@islandammouliani.gr