A Hauntingly Unfamiliar Fall Drive Around Mystical Greek Island Tinos, Plus Three More

Summer is over but airports are still crowded, as anybody who has been to one recently can attest. Air travel figures keep going up and more Americans are taking short trips, including to Europe. Fall is a fine time for exploring some scenic spots that tend to get crowded in summertime months — one of these is Tinos.This Cycladic island close to Athens (just two hours by ferry) is often not only too busy for comfort in summer but also too windy. From late September until around the middle of November though, it’s another story. Or a storybook. It starts, for many, with the Church of Panagia Evangelistria. Also known as Our Lady of Tinos, it is the preeminent shrine to the Virgin Mary in Greece and a major pilgrimage site for Greek Orthodox Christians. Every August 15 the faithful come in droves, some even crawling from the port up to the Renaissance wedding-cake style church. This time of year, visitors can have it pretty much to themselves.Centuries ago Tinos was called Ophiousa on account of its many snakes, but today there are plenty of cats, who presumably had some role in trimming the local serpent population. Gorgeous little churches abound, mostly in the hill villages and usually hacked out of an abundant local supply of marble. It is also a place with unique gastronomic traditions.There is a church at almost every bend of the road in Tinos. Anthony Grant/The New York SunTinos was the last of the Aegean islands to fall to the Ottoman Turks, partly because of the robust Venetian military presence which held firm until 1715. A deep sense of history pervades this place, and a drive along its roads takes you through villages with evocative names like Xinara, Falatados, and Kechros. Cliche as it may sound, these really do seem untouched by time. The most spectacular route is the one that zigzags from the port up to the hills of Volax, where enormous round boulders and intricately carved dovecotes vie for the driver’s attention. There’s a soupçon of southern Arizona in them thar hills. From there it is easy to loop counterclockwise up to the high and pretty villages of Kardiani and Isternia, worthy stops for strolling and a hot Greek coffee (if you’re looking for a Starbucks in these parts, better head to nearby Mykonos).Among many magnificent views, two truly stood out . From my hotel balcony one night, the ghostly floodlit peak of Exomvourgo, once the site of a Venetian fortress, emerged from a cool island fog. This was as imposing a sight as the Empire State Building after an October rainstorm, but much eerier. The dreamy village of Pyrgos on the Greek Island of Tinos. Anthony Grant/The New York SunThe scene-stealer, though, was the view across the Aegean to the island of Syros. In late September after a twilight to Pyrgos, a village high in the Tinian in the hinterlands famed for its marble architecture, I had to stop the car and take it all in. An orange marmalade moon was hanging so large and low over the twinkling lights of Ermoupoli, the main burg on Syros, that for a moment I thought the people there should be warned to brace for impact. Such extraordinary sights are commonplace on and from Tinos, and other coastal locales too, especially in autumn.Côte de Granite Rose, FranceThe corniche roads of the French Riviera have appeared in too many movies to mention and not without reason, but connoisseurs of the eternal puzzle that is France know that few spots can be surpassed for their sheer beauté than Brittany. It’s where Marine Le Pen goes every summer to take a seaside break. But fall is the time for savory crepes and the world’s best apple cider. One of the most spectacular Breton drives is on the northern fringe along the aptly named Pink Granite Coast. This stretch of the Côtes-d’Armor coast around Perros-Guirec has got lots of Instagrammable pink boulders and other distractions that invite lingering, including towns like Roscoff and sublime Île de Bréhat. There is Italy and there is Sicily. As alluring as the Amalfi drive is — especially off season, when airfares dip and the tour bus traffic starts to thin out — postcard-perfect spots like Positano are just the start. Making a choice between the boot of Italy and Sicily, however, doesn’t have to mean choosing between Scylla and Charybdis, however — just find your way to Palermo and rent a car. The Sicilian capital is beguiling enough to make you want to stay put, but resist and head east. Obligatory stops are Bagheria and Cefalù, but keep your eye on the prize: Taormina. Ancient ruins, elegant flower-strewn lanes, gracious beaches: the resort city is a classic stunner. In the distance looms Mount Etna — especially fun to observe when it blows its top.Italy’s iconic Amalfi Drive, seen from a plane ride above. Anthony Grant/The New York SunOf course, a coastal ramble in Southern California is the only reminder one needs that the Pacific is where Poseidon truly goes to town. Lest there be any doubt about that, consider that Malibu is still the default coastal destination of choice for celebrities like Beyoncé. The elongated town is the best place to begin a day trip through some of the world’s most coveted real estate.While all Malibu beaches are open to the public, some of the best bits are effectively hidden by sprawling estates. However, thanks in part to the assiduous efforts of the California Coastal Commission, there are easements that permit access to celebrity enclaves like Broad Beach. Finding a place to park is another story.The best place to begin a sashay up the Pacific Coast Highway is at the Getty Villa. Then it’s up to you whether to take a break at Carbon Beach, Paradise Cove, or any other fabled stretch of sand before cruising past Point Mugu to Highway 101 and the enchanting coastal domains of Montecito and Santa Barbara. There you can have a nice dose of Mediterranean-style landscapes, lush and green well into November, without the jetlag.

A Hauntingly Unfamiliar Fall Drive Around Mystical Greek Island Tinos, Plus Three More

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