Things To DO
Firá is the picturesque capital of the island; perched
high up on the edge of the Caldera, it looks like a marvellous
painting. Firá, together with Oia, Imerovígli and Firostefáni
located high above on a cliff, make up the so-called “Caldera’s
eyebrow”, the balcony of Santorini, which offers an amazing view
of the volcano. Other famous smaller villages are Akrotíri and Méssa
Vounó, with their famous archaeological sites, Pýrgos, Karterádes,
Emporió, Ammoúdi, Finikiá, Períssa, Perívolos, Megalohóri, Kamári,
Messariá and Monólithos: some of the villages are cosmopolitan some
more peaceful; they are surrounded by vast vineyards; whitewashed cliff-top
towns with castles affording amazing views out over the Aegean. Soaking up
the villages’ distinctive traditional atmosphere is a very rewarding experience.
About Santorini
Crescent-shaped Santorini (or Thíra), the precious gem of the
Aegean, is actually a group of islands consisting of Thíra,
Thirassiá, Asproníssi, Palea and Nea Kaméni in the southernmost
part of Cyclades.
Did you know that the whole complex of Santorini islands
is still an active volcano (the same as Méthana, Mílos and
Nísiros) and probably the only volcano in the world whose
crater is in the sea? The islands that form Santorini came
into existence as a result of intensive volcanic activity;
twelve huge eruptions occurred, one every 20,000 years approximately,
and each violent eruption caused the collapse of the volcano’s central
part creating a large crater (caldera). The volcano, however, managed
to recreate itself over and over again.
