3 Best Sights in Sigri, The Northern Aegean Islands

Conifer trees fossilized by volcanic ash up to 20 million years ago stand stark on a hillside above Sigri. If you're expecting a thick woods, you might be taken aback by this seemingly barren site that at first appears as a collection of stumps leaning every which way among shrubs and rock. But a walk along well-organized trails reveals delicate colors and a haunting, strange beauty. You can also study the specimens at Ipsilou, a large monastery on the highest peak in this wild, moonscape-like volcanic landscape, overlooking western Lesvos and Asia Minor across the Aegean.

Discover how trees in the nearby Petrified Forest became so in this museum whose exhibits are scrupulously labeled and clearly laid out. There are also unique fossils of animals like the Deinotherium, an early ancestor of the elephant, and vegetation preserved on volcanic rock that resembles delicate Zen art.