Greece’s appeal as a tourist and second home destination should see a welcome hike in coming weeks when celebrity Joanna Lumley presents an ITV series outlining the country’s cultural and historical highlights.

During her travelogue, Joanna makes trips to important sites of the ancient Greek empire but also discovers just how varied and rich the culture of modern Greece is. She also visits Crete and Corfu, two islands popular with British homeowners, and the unspoilt Mani Peninsula in the Peloponnese, known for its traditional rural way of life.

Joanna Lumley’s Greek Odyssey, shown on Thursday evenings, comes shortly after Easyjet’s announcement that it is to start flights to Kefalonia from Gatwick next summer. The three times a week service to the Ionian island will run from April 28 to October 2012, with fares starting at £35.99 one way and going on sale on October 20.

Kefalonia was thrust into the spotlight ten years ago when the blockbuster film Captain Corelli’s Mandolin was filmed there, resulting in a surge in visitors and property-buyers on the island. To see a range of properties in the Greek Islands and on mainland Greece, visit the Greece property listings on Rightmove Overseas.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in Greece, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘Greece Property Buying Guide’