Santorini is a gorgeous island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km southeast of the Greece mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera. It forms the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands.
Fira is the capital of Santorini. A traditional settlement,”Firá” derives its name from an alternative pronunciation of “Thíra”, the ancient name of the island itself.
Most of these pictures were taken in Oia. This city typifies the white-painted houses of the Cyclades.
We visited this island in October 2015.
Now some pictures of Fira.
You can either used the cable-car, the donkeys or walk-up. We did the cable-car. We were lucky. There was only one cruise ship that day so there were no line-ups.
Oia is a small village and former community in the South Aegean on the islands of Thira (Santorini) and Therasia, in the Cyclades.
Oia reached the peak of prosperity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its economic prosperity was based on its merchant fleet, which plied trade in the Eastern Mediterranean, especially from Alexandria to Russia. The two-story captains’ houses built on the highest part of the village are a reminder of the village’s former affluence. Part of the town was destroyed by the 1956 earthquake
Ancient Akrotiri
In 1967, excavations began at the site of Akrotiri. What they uncovered was phenomenal: an ancient Minoan city buried deep beneath volcanic ash from the catastrophic eruption of 1613 BC. Today, the site retains a strong sense of place. Housed within a cool, protective structure, wooden walkways allow you to pass through various parts of the city.
We visited this site in August 2015. A model of the excavation site
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