Santorini Island
Fantastic, fabulous Santorini deserves all the superlatives. Even the most jaded traveller succumbs to the awesome drama of this surreal landscape, relic of what was probably the biggest eruption in recorded history. That you share the experience with hordes of other visitors is inevitable. Embrace it all.
Santorini is part of the Cyclades group, famous for its spectacular sunsets and it is considered to be one of the most romantic places in Greece. Fira is the picturesque capital of the island. Perched high up on the edge of the Caldera, it looks like a marvelous painting. Fira, together with Oia, Imerovígli and Firostefani 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. The village of Oia on the northern tip of the island is a hugely popular sunset viewing site because there is an uninterrupted view of the sun as it finally sinks below the horizon. From farther south down the caldera edge, the last of the setting sun can be obscured by the islands of Nea Kameni and Thirasia. Other famous smaller villages are Akrotíri and Méssa Vounó, with their famous archaeological sites, Pyrgos, Karterades, Emporio, Ammoudi, Finikia, Períssa, Perívolos, Megalohori, Kamari, Messaria and Monolithos: some of the villages are cosmopolitan some more peaceful.
Taste some of the traditional products like cherry tomatoes, white egg plants, fava, caper and “hloró tyrí”, a special kind of fresh goat cheese found on the island, or why not try some of the exceptional wines produced from grapes grown in the volcanic soil of the island! Assyrtiko, Athyri, Aidani, Mantilaria and Mavrotragano are just some of the distinctive varieties that you can taste at the island’s famous wineries.