JUST OFF TUNISIA’S southeastern coast sits a spot with a long history of intriguing names, from the Odyssean Land of the Lotus-Eaters to the Flaubertian Island of Golden Sand. But a decidedly modern moniker turned out to be the one I couldn’t resist: Djerbahood. It’s a new handle for an ancient village on the island of Djerba, where street art has transformed the weather-beaten walls into a sprawling open-air gallery. I’d long been meaning to visit, drawn to the singular coexistence between Djerba’s ancient Jewish and Muslim communities—and tempted by the occasional sand-and-sea postcard from a Parisian friend (one of the legions of Europeans and North Africans who retreat regularly to the island’s beach resorts). When I started seeing news of a fresh wave of art installations this year, I finally booked my trip.

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