Tourist season in Athens isn’t far away, and with it come crowds on the Acropolis, crowds on every street of the Plaka, crowded restaurants, crowded shops. I’ll admit that the hustle and bustle lends Athens a certain vibrancy, and I wouldn’t wish the tourists away, especially since surrounding that central throng are oases of tranquility—the quietly upscale Kolonaki to the east, the quietly low-key Koukaki to the south.

But if you long for calm in the very thick of touristy Athens, it’s there, tucked beneath the northeast side of the Acropolis: Anafiotika. This hidden neighborhood, more of an enclave, really, is built, unlike the rest of Athens, in the style of the Cycladic Islands, with the same small whitewashed houses one sees in pictures of Santorini. The streets—most of which are actually staircases—are only just wide enough for a pedestrian with large camera; they wind haphazardly over doorsteps, past panoramas of the city, through postage-stamp-sized gardens, and into the bedrock of the Acropolis itself. There are few “attractions” aside from a few picturesque churches, one of which dates from the 14th century; Anafiotika is a place to simply wander, smell the flowers that twine everywhere, and take a break from the frenetic sight-seeing.

The story of Anafiotika is this. Traditionally, the very best stonemasons and craftsmen of Greece came, not from the mainland, but from the islands. So, in the 19th century, after Greek independence, stonemasons were brought to take part in the public works projects in Athens from Anafi, a tiny island in the Cyclades. When they arrived in Athens, they built a community for themselves in the style of their former home.

To get there, all you need to do is climb. (Easier said than done at the height of the Athenian summer: bring water!) Leave behind the bouzouki bands and ticket touts and head towards the Acropolis, up Mnesikleos Street, perhaps, up until the crowds begin to disappear, the streets begin to narrow, and you almost imagine that you smell the sea.