New this year on the waterfront is the Haagen Dazs ice cream parlour. Even those who don’t go in for a calorie-laden chocolate chip cornet can be seen lurking cheekily outside in searing temperatures taking advantage of the icy water sprays they use to keep the place cool.

If a spot of light shopping beckons then head for Argostoli’s pedestrianised shopping street, which runs parallel with the seafront, where you can buy good clothes, Kefalonian honey and gold jewellery. Stop for a coffee outside the Bell Tower and afterwards pop in to the art gallery and studio of English artist Peter Hemming, who went to Cephalonia in 2001 and fell in love with the place. His vibrant canvases of island scenes and characters are very good indeed, not expensive, and his current exhibition runs until the end of October.

Further along Lithostroto, the bright young things head for the Metropolis Café for a cold glass of wine and a dish of nibbles, then if you’re still on the culture trail, the Kosmetatos Foundation, towards the main square, has a splendid collection of Edward Lear prints of Kefalonia during the British and French rule of the early 19th century.

Or pop into the Korgialenio Folklore museum where you can see traditional clothes and embroidery as well as many pre-earthquake photographs of the island.

From Argostoli, you could hop in the car for the pleasant drive south. Look out for the imposing St George’s Castle, to your left and if you’re in need of sustenance drive inland to the marvelous Il Kastro restaurant, run by a Englishwoman and her Greek husband. The views from the terrace are spectacular.

Then it’s down to Lourdas Beach where there are good water sports, boats for hire and an excellent hotel right on the beach, the Ionian Sun. If you want to head further south then aim for Skala, a pretty family resort with a good selection of smart villas (CV Travel again) and an excellent restaurant, The Blue Sea, where you can enjoy dinner while the kids play in the sand.

If it’s Cephalonia’s rich Venetian history you’re after (the kind of thing that bewitched Lord Byron and Edward Lear, who both spent a lot of time on Cephalonia), then hit the road north for the spectacular drive from Argostoli to Fiskardo. The road is good, but you’ll need to concentrate along the breathtaking series of hairpin bends, with high rocks and herds of goats to the right, a steep drop to turquoise waters on the left.

Break your journey at Myrtos beach, a glorious crescent of white sand, except when you get down there it’s actually stones which are murderous on the feet. Myrtos is one of the top ten beaches in the world but that means to look at. It’s also very dangerous for swimming because of a perilous undercurrent.

Every time we visit the red flag is flying, so save that swim for your next stop at the gorgeous little village of Assos, built on an isthmus to keep out invaders (those pirates again). Assos was heavily rebuilt after the earthquake by the residents of Paris (in a rare act of French generosity). The tiny harhour has several good restaurants and after lunch you can swim off the beach where the sea is clear and the snorkelling marvellous, but wear plastic shoes against the pebbles.

Then it’s a short hop to Fiskardo, a pretty horseshoe-shaped harbour edged with Venetian buildings in ice-cream colours. At the furthermost corner of the harbour is a beautiful but derelict Venetian house for sale. Must be a bargain surely? Er no. when I inquired two years ago they were asking a million pounds for it. Loads of restaurants again but Tasia’s, right on the front is popular because the lady who owns it has a cookery programme on Greek TV.

If you want to stay in Fiskardo and are feeling flush, try the relatively new Emelisse Art Hotel, a chic boutique hotel decorated in minimalist style and with amazing views of the Ionian. Worryingly, I couldn’t find a section entitled “tariff”.

Heavy winter rains make Cephalonia one of the greenest and lushest of islands despite the rocky landscape and the vineyards here produce some of the best wine in Greece. Tuck into a bottle of Robola at Tasia’s and sit quietly in Fiskardo for a couple of hours. You might even see Steven Spielberg’s yacht moored here, with Madonna sunbathing on the poop deck. They are regular visitors, and who can blame them?