Driving around winding coastal bends, you get a sense of the wild energy of the island. Rugged mountains jut into romantic wisps of cloud at their peak, and crashing waves powered by the Aegean’s famous northern wind, the meltemi, lap at white sand beaches. Pine-surrounded villages like Raches thrive with activity. Locals play backgammon with gusto for hours under the dappled shade. In verdant valleys, shepherds herd goats, and workers gather the purple bounty of vineyards. Icaria is an island very much alive, in spite of its reputation for its islanders’ laid-back way of life. By night, wild local festivals (panygiria) see traditional stone villages pulse with the thrum of a drum, the heart-whipping sounds of the violin, and dancing. Endless dancing.

Yes, a healthy diet does help the heart clock another year but the clink of a wine glass, dinners with loved ones, a round of backgammon with a friend – Icarians insist it is these most vital elements of the human experience that keep them going. Conviviality is what the Icaria lifestyle is all about. At a kafeneion in Vrakades, friends drift in and out over the course of a day, nursing a silty Greek coffee for hours. After feeding the goats, before preparing lunch, they get together. Meeting up with friends here is not a date or an entry in a diary. Like everything else in Icaria, it is something to be savoured, appreciated, valued. They take time simply for the sake of taking time, and life simply goes on.