The secret side of Turkey’s Aegean coast

CNN — Turkey’s Aegean coast is summer personified. Inhabited by a mostly Greek community under the Ottoman Empire before the creation of the Turkish republic in 1923, the historic towns and villages are gaining new life, attracting a new surge of visitors and defining a modern Aegean culture. Dishes are prepared with the region’s sun-drenched herbs and produce, olive oil from its many groves and seafood straight from the Aegean. Wines from local vineyards are uncorked and cocktails are reimagined with local ingredients.