Diaseli Traditional Cheesery & Museum

"Any food lovers who are also curious about the history of Ios should head to Diaseli Cheese Museum. The museum was opened in 2020 by Dimitris Haros, a cheesemaker whose family has been making cheese on Ios for generations, and his wife Helen, who leads tours through the museum’s model rooms depicting 18th-century rural home life in Ios and demonstrating the ancient methods of cheesemaking. Centuries-old agricultural tools and ceramics are displayed, and you’ll likely see some goats wandering the property. After the short tour, visitors can partake in a cheese tasting at the outdoor tables that includes seven to 10 types of local goat milk cheeses made by the Haros family, accompanied by figs, grapes, tomatoes, honey, and plump pickled capers, all produced on the family farm, plus a jug of their traditional unfiltered wine. Before you leave, buy some fragrant dried thyme and oregano, also grown on the farm, to bring back home."