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Santorini
is one of the few sites of Greece
with wild beauty created by the
explosion of a volcano
which is in the middle of the gulf of
the island.
Santorini
consists of three islands: Thira,
Thirasia and the Aspronisi.
Your trip in this island, the southeast
island of Cyclades,
will be unforgettable.
You'll admire the scenery,
you'll enjoy the walk through the narrow
paths, you will visit ancient
Thira and you'll swim in the crystal
clear sea.
Santorini
is different from the rest of the Cyclades
group by virtue of its interesting
geological structure, the result of the
eruptions of a now inactive
volcano.
The landscape is
extremely imposing on the
western side of the island,
where little white houses
perch on top of gigantic, steep
rocks that plunge abruptly
into the sea.
In contrast to the
sheer cliffs on the west,
the coast on the eastern
side of the island has endless
stretches of beach with sand or
shingle.
Beaches
In the east coast
there are Monolithos, Kamari and
Perissa. In the south coast there are
Perivolos, Ai Giorgis, Eksomitis and
Blihada. Beaches close to Ia are
Armenis, Ammoudi and Mpaksedes.
Night
Life
Everything you could
ask, you'll find it here. In Fira you
can find buzukia, discos bars, pubs and
a cinema. In Ia, Kamari and Perissa you
can find bars, pubs and discos. At
Imerovigli, Emporio and Pirgo Kallistis
you can find buzukia.
History
of Santorini
The island was
inhabited at around 3200 B.C. when Cretes
showed up.
The influence of the
Minoan culture on the
island was obvious when excavations
started on Akrotiri
and found a whole village with houses
decorated with wallpaintings similar to
those found in the Minoan
palace in Crete.
Before the volcano
started its destructive work the island
was called Stroggili,
from its shape. But in 1500 B.C.
happened something that completely
changed the story of the ancient world.
It was the
explosion of the volcano which
was in the center of the island and the
greater part sunk.
The tidal wave which
was caused by the explosion , estimated
at around 100m high, destroyed
the palace of Knossos and did
a lot of damage at the north coast of Crete.
The site of Ancient
Thira, through which Phoenicians,
Dorians, Romans and Byzantines
all passed, is of particular interest.
The city is divided
down the middle by the Sacred
Way.
Apart from the
clusters of buildings dating from
various different eras, there are the
agoras, public baths, theatres, a
number of sanctuaries, the House
of Ptolemy Euergetes, tombs
from the Archaic and Classical
periods, Early Christian relies,
etc.
Graffiti etched out
of the nearby rocks record in the ancient
Thiran alphabet appellations
to the god Apollo and
the names of men and youths who danced
at the gods festival. At Akrotiri
ruins of a Minoan city
destroyed by an eruption of the
island's volcano
around 1500 B.C.
Museums
and Excursions
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 Museum, with
prehistoric finds
(mostly pottery), a large collection of
vases dating from the 7th and 6th
centuries BC (including the pieces
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.
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,
1 1 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. 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.
Places
to Visit
The singular allure
of the landscape, the
unusual natural environment, together
with the island's impressive
architecture and fine
monuments attract large numbers of
visitors, particularly during the
summer months, and the excellent tourist
facilities are only just
sufficient to meet the needs of the
many visitors.
Besides the
interesting architecture of the houses
in Fira, it is worth
visiting the two cathedrals
(the Orthodox and the Catholic), the Monastery
of the Dominican nuns, the
Catholic monastery of Panayia
of Rodari built in the area of
Skaros where the medieval capital of
the island used to lie surrounded by a
strong fortress on the edge of a steep
hill and the Venetian building Gizi.
Here one can see an
exhibition of paintings, scripts, maps
and other findings about Cyclades and
especially Santorini.
From the gulf of
Fira boats can take you to Nea
Kammeni. There you can see the
volcano's crater where a hot air and
sulphuric steams still rise.
The land is warm and
you should wear athletic shoes and have
plenty of water. Hot springs exist at
the nearby Palia Kammeni
where the sea is sulphur-blue.
The wine distillery
of the Buttari firm , open from
8:00 a.m. until late the evening, is
also worth visiting.
A tour of the
premises, a visit to the theatre
where one can watch the show "Spondi
to Santorini (Offer to
Santorini)", a slide projection of
the island's history, local music and
of course wine tasting are some of the
features provided.
The Minoan city
at Akrotiri was first inhabited at
3.000 B.C. and the ruins of the volcanic
explosion were discovered in
the excavations that begun in 1967 by Prof.
Marinatos.
From Perissa
you can climb on the Mesa Voyno
where the ruins of the ancient
city of Thira lie.It is 40
minutes walk to the establishment and
it will take another 30 minutes to
climb down to Kamari.
In the ancient
city one can see the
remains of the old market, the
temple of Apollo of Karnos, the theatre
and the gymnasium, the royal tunnel and
other Hellenistic and Roman buildings.
How
to Get There
From Athens &
Piraeus
By ferry from Piraeus
Information: Piraeus Port Authority, tel.:
01/4226000
By air from Athens
Telephone
numbers
Automatic dialing code: 0286
Santorini Police tel. 22649
Community Offices tel. 22231
Archaeological Museum tel. 22217
Olympic Airways tel. 22493
Airport tel. 22218
Port Authority tel. 22239
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