سامي، كيفالونيا، اليونان

On the eastern shore of Cephalonia—the largest of Greece’s Ionian Islands—the port town of Sami faces the narrow strait separating it from Ithaca, the legendary homeland of Odysseus. This geographic intimacy with Homeric mythology is fitting, for Cephalonia itself was part of Odysseus’s kingdom, and some scholars argue that Sami, not Ithaca, was the actual seat of the ancient king. The town, rebuilt after the devastating 1953 earthquake that leveled most of the island’s Venetian architecture, is a pleasant waterfront settlement that serves as a gateway to Cephalonia’s extraordinary natural beauty.

Sami’s immediate surroundings harbor two of Greece’s most remarkable underground wonders. Melissani Cave, a collapsed cavern partially open to the sky, contains an underground lake of such crystalline blue-violet water that boats appear to float in midair. When the midday sun penetrates the cave’s opening, the water ignites with an otherworldly luminescence that has made Melissani one of the most photographed natural sites in the Mediterranean. Nearby Drogarati Cave, discovered over 300 years ago, reveals a cathedral-like chamber of stalactites and stalagmites with acoustics so remarkable that concerts are held within its depths.

Cephalonia’s landscape ranges from the 1,628-meter summit of Mount Ainos—capped with a unique species of Greek fir found nowhere else on Earth—to beaches that regularly appear on best-in-Europe lists. Myrtos Beach, a crescent of blinding white pebbles framed by towering limestone cliffs and lapped by water that transitions from turquoise to deep cobalt, is routinely voted among the world’s most beautiful beaches. Antisamos, just north of Sami (and the filming location for Captain Corelli’s Mandolin), offers a more intimate alternative with its pine-backed shores and swimming waters of remarkable clarity.

The island’s cuisine reflects its Ionian identity—more influenced by Venice and the Adriatic than by mainland Greece. Cephalonian meat pie (kreatopita) combines slow-cooked lamb or goat with rice in a pastry crust seasoned with cinnamon and cloves. Robola wine, produced from grapes grown on the limestone slopes of Mount Ainos, is the island’s signature pour—a crisp, mineral white that pairs naturally with grilled fish and the local graviera cheese. Honey from the island’s thyme-rich hillsides, olive oil pressed from ancient groves, and wild herbs gathered from mountain trails round out a larder that is authentically Ionian.

Uniworld River Cruises includes Sami in its Greek island itineraries, tendering guests into the harbor that Odysseus may have known. The port’s position makes it ideal for exploring both Cephalonia’s caves and beaches and, by ferry, Ithaca itself—where the quest to identify Odysseus’s palace continues to this day. May through October offers warm, dry weather with the clearest swimming conditions, while September and October add the mellowness of post-season tranquility and the grape harvest that fills village streets with the scent of fermenting Robola.