Mykonos: windmills and white alleys

Facing the sea, the Windmills from the 16th century, symbols of the island, once harnessed the constant Aegean winds to grind grain.

Just steps away, the neighborhood of Little Venice aligns colorful houses literally built on the water, with wooden balconies opening directly onto the waves.

Wandering through the white alleys of the Chora, the island's capital, you walk in a maze designed centuries ago to disorient raiders arriving from the sea, today full of boutiques and galleries.

Towards evening, the small Church of Panagia Paraportiani, formed by the union of five different chapels, closes the day as one of the island's most photographed subjects.

The windmills ceased operation in mid-twentieth century but are maintained for their symbolic value, becoming the island's most recognizable image.

The homes of Little Venice, built by eighteenth-century merchant captains right at the water's edge, still experience wave spray from high tides during storms.