When artist Greg Haji Joannides decided to buy the ruin of an old house in the village of Emporeios, his plan was to turn it into his own holiday house. Years later, the two-storey stone monolithic edifice is Sterna Residence, and crowns the village as its medieval castle used to do before it was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1933. Haji Joannides asked architect Giorgos Tsironis to rebuilt the house as close to its original form as possible; using photographs and findings from their excavations at the site, the team managed to reconstruct this amazing old house using only authentic materials and traditional building techniques.

Minimally furnished and decorated, yet providing all the necessary amenities for contemporary living, Sterna Residence consists of a large room on the ground floor that combines the kitchen, living room and working area, and two bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms on the top floor that can accommodate up to 4 people. The outdoor terrace boasts breathtaking views of the volcano's caldera on the one hand and the sea on the other, since the house is literally built at the point between earth and the sky. Imagine waking up to a 360-degree view of the island and the Aegean, before setting out to explore Nisyros' beauties, like the nearby town of Mandraki or the abandoned village of Avlaki to the south. Sterna Residence is also part of Haji Joannides' Sterna Art Project, where local and international artists are invited every summer to visit, get inspired by and create new work on Nisyros, so make sure you visit this year's exhibition while you're there.