The “Steno” is small, but it holds the whole summer inside it

If you stay on Sifnos for even two nights, keep one of them for Apollonia. Not to do anything specific. To walk through it.

The Steno, Apollonia’s pedestrian lane, is one of those places that do not need a plan. You set out for a drink, stop at a shop window, run into someone you saw in the morning at the beach, look at courtyards, steps, lights, flowerpots, children passing up and down, couples looking for a table, groups of friends in no hurry at all. And somehow, that is how time goes by.

Don’t think of it as “nightlife” in the sense of intensity and partying. Apollonia is lively, yes, but it is still a village. That is its beauty. Within a few metres you have bars, food, dessert, coffee and shops, but if you take two steps further, you are back in a narrow lane with whitewashed walls and the homes of permanent residents.

Go without rushing. Do not look for “the best” place to go. The best spot is the one that speaks to you, the place where you stop without having planned it.