Just a couple of hours from the tourist-packed streets of Mykonos and Santorini, where queues grow like dominoes for the top restaurants, one laid-back island feels a world away.

Here, visitors can eat fresh seafood on the beach while the waves lap at their feet after a day exploring Italian-inspired streets, lush green hills or secluded bays. Hitting a glorious 20C in April, this Dodecanese island is a tranquil escape for some spring sunshine, and you'll be rewarded tenfold for the slightly longer journey to get there, located closer to Turkey than the mainland.

Often likened to Italy rather than Greece, a quick glance at the darker history books explains its modern beauty. Leros was occupied by Italy between the First and Second World Wars, from 1912 to 1943, during Mussolini's rule, owing to its strategic location in the eastern Mediterranean.

Italy fortified the island, used it as its main naval base, and created a new town called Lakki. "[It] is one of the most unusual towns in Greece," explains travel site getGreece. "It feels like a mix of an Italian movie set and a Mediterranean version of Bauhaus architecture."

Unlike the typical narrow Greek alleys, you'll find wide boulevards, plazas and Art Deco buildings throughout Lakki. But Italy is not only seen in the architecture; it left a mark on the local palate too.

Pastas collide with fresh seafood on local menus, like linguine with sea urchin, shrimp pasta or ravioli with sea bass. In one of the most laid-back destinations, Panteli, you could taste local fare with your feet in the sand at one of the many tavernas located right on the beach.

The traditional fishing village has a slightly slower pace than Alinda, the most developed tourist resort with a sprawling beach, plenty of hotels, and waterfront tavernas.

Agia Marina is another beautiful spot, with a beach that has been described as one of the most picturesque in the Greek islands. The path was washed away a few years ago in a landslide, so the best way to get there is to catch a boat from nearby Dios Liskaria.

Unsurprisingly, this little-known island has no international airport, so it takes slightly longer to reach, but you'll be rewarded with fewer crowds when you get there.

You can catch a ferry from nearby Rhodes, the largest of Greece's Dodecanese islands, or Kos. A ferry from Athens runs about four times a week, and takes around eight hours.