Leaving Zakynthos

We never got to see the city properly. Our ferry was leaving early in the morning, and the two days before had been packed beyond measure. Still, the city kept drawing my attention, and the moment our ferry pulled away from the dock, I reached for my camera.

Zakynthos — the city and the island — bears the name of one of the oldest settlements in the Ionian Sea. According to Greek mythology, the island was named after Zacynthus, son of the legendary Arcadian chieftain Dardanus. Other sources trace the name to the Dorian tribe of the Zakynthians, who colonized the island in the eleventh century BCE. Even Homer mentions the island as Ζάκυνθος in both the Iliad and the Odyssey, a testament to the deep antiquity of its name.

Over the centuries, the island passed from hand to hand: first the Romans, then the Byzantines, Venetians, French, Russians, and British — each leaving a mark on its architecture. Like other Ionian islands, Zakynthos lies in Europe’s most seismically active zone. The earthquake of 1953 became a turning point in its history: a series of powerful shocks nearly erased the old Venetian town. Naturally, the capital was rebuilt using modern anti-seismic techniques but in the stylistic spirit of the lost Venetian architecture. This choice gave Zakynthos its present-day appearance: slightly paradoxical, and unlike any other Greek city.

This is how I saw Zakynthos from the deck of a departing ferry. I rarely use filters when processing my images, but here it felt right to try and evoke the look of an older time.

Thank you for reading!

Zakynthos, Greece.
September, 2015.
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