GIRESUN

The ruins of a Byzantine fortress offer a wonderful panorama of Giresun. It was from this city, ancient Cerasos, that the Roman general Lucullus exported the first cherry trees to Europe. An 18th-century church (now a museum) makes a short visit worthwhile. Outside of town, Giresun Adasi (Giresun Island) is said to have once belonged to the Amazons. A ruined temple supports this theory. The Aksu Art and Culture Festival is a yearly event in May. To get off the beaten track, take an excursion to the high mountain yaylas of Bektas or Kümbet. Between Giresun and Trabzon, are the quaint coastal towns of Kesap, Tirebolti, Görele, Vakfikebir and Akcaabat squeezed between wooded mountains and the Black Sea waters. Stop at Görele for delicious, submarine-shaped meat and cheese ‘pitas’, at Vakfikebir for the best butter and at Akcaabat to sample the best köfte (meat rolls).