Andros, Cyclades. 405 kilometers of crystalline shale, rivulets, vineyards, olive and citrus groves, monasteries and sparse villages. Leading us here is a story that begins in the Adriatic, in Pescara, where Allegra was born and raised, surrounded by the flavors of ancient Abruzzo recipes and the scents of local herbs with which her grandfather Amedeo, at the beginning of the last century, created Aurum, a liqueur that became famous. Thanks to her father, Allegra crossed the threshold of the kitchens of great chefs and attended cooking classes with him. This was followed by studies in photography at Central Saint Martins and advertising graphics in Brussels, and a career as a gastronome-photographer. He happened upon Andros almost by chance and fell in love with it and elected it as his life project, building a landing on the southern side of the island. Mèlisses takes its name from the industrious bees buzzing in the bushes on the archipelago’s shores.

From our room to the sea a path separates us. A short journey in which we pass the garden, skirt the fence where a family of baby goats prance and stop to stare at us. Then down to a descent into paradise, where we stop not to catch our breath, but to miss no corner of that beauty. Each day, after enjoying the delicious feast that is breakfast according to Allegra, we take a towel, a fruit, a book and sit on a rock, stocking up on warmth and blue for the winter.

Word and pictures Meraviglia Paper.