Panagia Evangelistria (Tinos, Cyclades): The most revered religious shrine in Greece.

Patmos (Dodecanese): For 2 millennia, this small island of more than 300 churches has been hallowed ground, a place of pilgrimage. The Monastery of St. John the Divine and the Cave of the Apocalypse, where St. John is said to have dictated the Book of Revelation, are among the most revered and wondrous Byzantine treasures in the world.

The Monasteries of the Meteora (Central Greece): Even from a distance, the monasteries perched atop the weird rock formations and minimountains of the Meteora are one of the most awesome sights in Greece. Inside, the monasteries are equally impressive, with fine collections of manuscripts, frescoed chapels, shy monks, and chatty nuns.

Aslan Pasha Mosque & Cami at Ioannina (Western Greece): Little of Greece's Turkish-Muslim phase has survived beyond the odd minaret, but here on the promontory of the walled quarter of Ioannina are the still-solid, fine old mosque (now a museum), minaret, and school. Picturesque from afar, they speak up close of Ioannina's -- and Greece's -- diverse past.

Mount Athos (Northern Greece): Only men can visit the Holy Mountain, where monks still live in isolation in some of the most isolated -- and beautiful -- monasteries in all Greece. If you can't go to Athos itself, take heart: The boats from Ouranopolis that cruise around the peninsula offer excellent views of the rugged, pine-clad promontory and some of the monasteries.