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Santorini also
known as Thira is a
famous island and the most
frequented islands in the Cyclades and even in Greece. It is world
famous for its volcano and its picturesque and spectacular white
painted villages with their cubic houses and chapels, perched on the
edge of impressive cliffs offering a panoramic view over the volcano.
The island also has impressive black sandy beaches.
View Of Santorini Poster Print
(Area 96 sq. km.
Distance from Piraeus 130 nautical miles).
Santorini, one of
the best-known of the Cyclades, differs from the other islands in the
group thanks to its geological morphology, the result of action by a
volcano now dormant. The landscape on the western side of the island,
where towering cliffs crowned by tiny and blindingly-white houses
plunge straight into the depths of the sea.
The steep coastline
of the west is countered by the vast beaches of the east side, some
of them sandy and others with pebbles.
From the
landing-place, Skala, we can climb up to Fira, the capital, on foot or
on donkey-back. There is a funicular railway for those who wish to
avoid the hundreds of steps. Fira is very attractive, with winding
narrow streets, arcades and a quarter where the Catholic nobility
once dwelt. There is a most important known as "Thera ware"), a few
Archaic and Classical pieces, and some Hellenistic and Roman
sculptures and portraits.
There is a superb
view out from Fira to the Kamenes, the two islets of black stone
created by the volcano. The islets can be visited by launch. Ancient
Thira is a site of great archaeological interest which was occupied
by Phoenicians, Dorians, Romans and Byzantines. Down the centre of
the city runs the Sacred Way. The buildings include groups of houses,
market-places, baths, theatres, sanctuaries, the residence of Ptolemy
Euergetes, tombs of the Archaic and Classical periods and Early
Christian remains. On the surrounding rocks the names of the god
Apollo and of men and boys are inscribed in the ancient alphabet of
Thira.
The site at
Akrotiri has yielded the remains of a Minoan city destroyed around
1500 BC by an eruption of the volcano on Thira. In effect, this is a
prehistoric version of Pompeii buried beneath volcanic ash, with two
and three-storeyed houses, with squares, shops, workshops and so on.
Among the finds from the houses were marvellous murals (on display in
the National Archaeological Museum, Athens), vases, and every-day
utensils. On the highest peak of Santorini is a monastery of the
Prophet Elijah (Profitis Ilias), where there is a picturesque
religious feast on 20 July each year.
The old-world
village of Ia, 11 km. to the north of Fira, is a place of
incomparable beauty. The unique appeal of Ia lies in its little
houses hewn out of the soft rock (some of them whitewashed, others
painted blue or ochre), its neo-classical mansions with their
courtyards, its narrow paved alleys. There is a superb view out to
sea. Among the best bathing beaches some of them with black sand and
others with pebbles - are Kamari or Armeni, Amoudi, Baxedes Perissa,
Monolithos and Kokini Paralia. The striking landscape, the
peculiarities of the natural environment, the unusual architecture and
the outstanding monuments of Santorini attract very large numbers of
visitors in the summer - so many, in fact, that the excellent tourist
amenities of the island can only just cope with them.
How to get there
By Ferry from
Piraeus
Information:
Piraeus Port Authority, tel.: 210 4593.000
By Air from Athens
Information:
Olympic Airways, Athens, tel.: 210 9666.666.
Useful telephone
numbers Automatic dialling code: 22860.
Police: 22860 22.649
Commune Offices: 22860 22.231
Archaeological Museum: 2286022.217
New Museum: 22860 23.217
Olympic Airways (information): 22860 31.525.
Things to buy
Embroideries,
Knitted Goods, Rugs, Handicrafts, Wine, Chick-peas.
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