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SANTORINI
Santorini is an other worldly place with a wild beauty, unique in Greece. It came into being after the explosion of a volcano which lies in the middle of the island's bay. The semicircle around it, resembling a crescent moon, is what remained from the island that was submerged. Santorini consists of three islands Thira, Thirasia and the deserted Aspronisi. They form an oval-shaped basin at the center of which are two islets, Palea (Old) Kammeni and Nea (New) Kammeni. In Santorini, one can feel intensely the presence of man. He ignored the volcano and bravely, even provocatively, settled on the island. A visit to Santorini, the southernmost island of the Cyclades, is an unforgettable experience. The visitor can walk in the narrow cobblestone streets, visit Oia above the red rocks or the volcano by boat, see ancient Thira and the city with its Minoan influences which has been dug out of the ashes, enjoy the rich night-life of the island, or swim in the crystal-clear water in one of the many beaches.
HISTORY
The first inhabitants of Santorini were the Prehellenes, who arrived around 3000 B.C. Later, it was influenced by the Minoan civilization of Crete, a fact confirmed by excavations at Akrotiri. When that settlement was built, the island was called Kallisti or Strongyli (round) from the shape of the island which had not yet been destroyed by the volcano. The volcano exploded in 1550 B.C., followed by submersion of the greater part of the island. The tidal wave struck the northern coast of Crete. The disaster was completed by devastating earthquakes and the ashes which were hurled across great distances. What remained of Strongyli is the crescent that can be seen to this day with its vertical rock (above 300 m.) on the western side, and the level beach in the east. Lesser explosions occurred in the 3rd century B.C. and detached Thirasia from the island, in the 2nd century B.C. when there appeared the volcanic islets in the bay (Palea Karnmeni). In 1956, a big earthquake leveled most of the houses on the island. Some researchers believe that the island that was submerged was Atlantis. [ Source: Greek National Tourism Organisation]
Santorini is a "must visit" place in one's lifetime. It is widely known for its natural beauty and its wines. The west side of the island is very steep. The collapse of
the land between the island and the old volcano has left the east side that steep; it looks like it has been vertically cut by knife. Because of this, Fira (the capital town) as well as Firostefani, have some of the best
sunsets. On the edge of the land there are numerous cafes,
beautiful restaurants, and bars that are magnificent during the sunsets. Because of the steepness of the ground, houses are built in such a way that one house roof is the next one's balcony. Through these houses there
are narrow streets laid with tiles, that offer the nicest walks especially during the evenings. On these streets are numerous tourist shops many of which sell beautiful ceramics made by Greek artists and other artifacts
mostly of artistic nature. Oia, on the northern tip of the island is much the same way, except it is more secluded. For some reason it has become an almost ritualistic tradition for visitors to go to Oia and experience its
sunsets. The ruins at the tip of the village of Oia become packed with people who get there just for the sunset. On the southern part of the island there is the Red Beach and the Akrotiri where there have been
excavations. The excavations have unearthed fine specimens of ancient Cycladic civilization. The east side of the island has smooth and long beaches that are magnificent. The main ones are those of Kamari and
Perissa. There is a rocky mountain that separates those two, so when there is wind on one the other is very calm. Perissa is famous among younger tourists mainly because of the Perissa Camping that is built right on the
Perissa beach, and has made a name for itself worldwide. Santorini is one place that is sure to impress and mystify the visitor, and surely one to be missed upon leaving. Words cannot describe the magic of this island, one
has got to experience it to know why it is so much spoken about. It is no coincidence that more than half of the pictures one sees of Greece are shot on this island.
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