Hosoviotissa Monastery, Greece

Almost as if by magic, clinging 300 meters over the sea under the Profetas Elias ridge, the Hosoviotissa Monastery is a breathtaking sight.

To get there, you have to climb the 1000 steps from the Aghia Anna beach or the 300 steps from the monastery's parking lot where the local bus stops. Once at the top, the magnificent panorama and monks who welcome visitors with a glass of rakomelo (local honey liquor), fruit and sugar pastries, make the climb worthwhile. Before the monastery was built in the twelfth century where the miraculous icon of the "Virgin Mary" was found. The place was called Diavolotopos (devil's land), converted into a place of worship and pilgrimage by the orthodox monks. The icon is housed in the monastery along with a treasure chest of religious objects and manuscripts that the three resident monks proudly display to visitors. Visitors are requested to dress accordingly as sign of respect for the sacred monastery (women should cover shoulders and legs, long pants for men).