Volissos

Homer's birthplace is thought to be here at Volissos, though Smyrna, Colophon, Salamis, Rhodes, Argos, and Athens also claim this honor. Once a bustling market town, this pretty village is today half empty, with only a few hundred inhabitants. There are few services for tourists, save a casual restaurant here and there in the village and on the beach. Solid stone houses march up the mountainside to the Genoese fort, where Byzantine nobles were once exiled. At the top of the hill is an idyllic spot for sunset lovers.