Şirince is a beautiful hill town only 8 km (5 miles) east of Selçuk, near Ephesus, in the Aegean hinterland south of İzmir (map). It's famous for its olive oil, fruit wines, other natural products, and its atmospheric boutique hotels.

A dozen small restaurants cater to day-trippers, hotel guests, and locals alike.

Here are the sounds of Şirince: birds chirp, donkeys bray, goats baa, mourning doves coo, dogs bark, cockerels crow, children play. A tractor passes.

The call to prayer from the village's single minaret is a scratchy recording.

Tourism has arrived, however, and on any pleasant weekend in the warm months, so will thousands of local and foreign visitors.

Weekdays are not so crowded, but in any case, Şirince becomes a village again in early morning and evening, when the day-trippers are gone