This sense of a medieval quest was reinforced by the monasteries, which were the most substantial landmarks along the road. The biggest was the Leimonos Monastery, founded in 1523 by the metropolitan of Mithymna, St Ignatius. From a distance, the monastery looked grand and imposing, but on closer inspection there were signs of dereliction everywhere.

The main building was three storeys high, with wings of monastic cells enclosing a courtyard, but what was once a thriving centre had now largely been abandoned.

Some of the cells, including that of St Ignatius, were being restored, and the rubble and detritus around the site reinforced the sense of decay.

I asked a woman at a souvenir stall how many monks still lived in the monastery; five, she said, and two of them were very old.