The scent of wild mint hangs in the air as we pass dusky ravines where baboons swing from the fig trees, swerving past brilliant white bones stripped of flesh by vultures.

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But don't miss a hike with botanist Stephane Rogliano through the maquis, the hypnotically fragrant cover of shrubs and wild herbs (mint, thyme, laurel, rosemary) that spreads over much of the island.

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Above the terracotta roofs of the commune of Domaso, terraces have been cut into the steep slope amid clumps of wild asparagus, trails of ivy and fresh-scented mint bushes.

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