The official name of the island is Thera, but the name Santorini has
prevailed. The visitor of the island lives a rare experience when the
ship, sailing slowly, passes and leaves Aspronisi behind, and enters the
deep blue waters of the caldera. Tall reddish-back cliffs and granite
rocks, of imposing appearance, frighten and cause awe as they rise
vertically from the surface of the sea. Barely seen is the road
which, like a snake, unfolds on the cliff and joins the town with the
harbour. The deep blue colour of the sea, the reddish-black of the
cliffs, and the smoke that is seen in the background from the crater of
Nea Kameni, compose a unique picture of wild beauty. On the edge of the
cliff, literally hanging over the sea, a long white ribbon is
discernible. It is the town of Fira, the capital of the island and the
district of the same name. As the ship approaches, the beaches of black
sand begim to be discernible, the red-black stones of the coasts, the
cable railway, and the road which leads from the coast to the top of the
cliff, where the white town spreads. Narrow streets which seem to be
-but are not- cul-de-sacs, bring the visitor to some beautiful
crossroads on a roof, which is not only a roof but the courtyard of the
house above, or even a road, or bring you in front of the door of some
picturesque Santorinian house.
If you happen to be in Oia, the other big village of the island, one
of these streets may bring you, where it ends, to the edge of the cliff.
If you are lucky and evening approaches, and the sun is getting ready
to dive into the vastness of the sea, don’t turn back, do not commit the
crime of turning your back to it. Stay, even if you are not a romantic.
If you leave, it will be your loss; so stay and enjoy one of the most
beautiful sunsets that your eyes may ever see. The beaches of Santorini,
if we compare them with the beaches of the other Cyclades, have their
own beauty, that makes them special. The black sand, the black gravel,
and the pumice-stone give the beaches of the island their own colour.
In the south and east, in contrast to the awesome landscape of the
west part of the island, lie shores many kilometers long, with wide
sandy beaches, some organized and some free, which offer the visitor the
joys of sun and sea. The means of transportation in the interior of the
island are extremely good. A dense road network joins the villages, the
archaeological sites, and the beaches of the island with the town of
Fira. Buses leave Fira on a regular time-table, about every half-hour,
for the villages and archaeological sites. There are taxis not only in
Fira but in all large villages of the island. Moreover, there are boats
for hire, either speedboats or rowboats.
The possibilities for recreation are not limited. There is great
choice in the kind of entertainment offered on the island, from discos
to local folk music and dances. You still may, if you like, attend the
local fairs, which honor the memory of various Saints. Some take place
in the summer, as, for example, the fair of Aghios Ioannis on 24/7 at
Monolithos, or the Stavros fair, or the Profitis Ilias fair on 20/7, or
the Panaghia fair on August 15, etc.
The possibilities of one occupying himself with sports other than
swimming or fishing, with a boat you own or rent, are limited. Only in
Kamari you may find places which rent surfboards. There is only one
tennis-court on the whole island, in the Karterados area.
If you want to buy the famous Santorinian fava, be careful and don’t
buy it from a store; there is great possibility of it being imported.
You should buy it directly from a producer. Also, if you buy wine,
prefer bottled wine, or, again, buy it from a producer. For any
emergency that may occur, the visitor should refer to the Police in
Fira, or to the Port Authority, also in Fira. In the summer season,
before one arrives on the island, he should have made certain he has a
place to stay. Otherwise, it is very probable that he will not be able
to find shelter. In such cases, he should ask the Police or the Port
Autority for help.
In cases of sickness or accident, there is a Health Station in Fira,
as well as country doctors in Oia, Emporio, Pyrgos and Therasia. There
is a Post Office, an office of O.T.E. (Greek telephone and telegraph
company), and an office of E.O.T. (National Tourist Organization of
Greece) at Fira. Oia also has offices of E.O.T. and O.T.E. A bank is
also located at Fira. The great number of churches is impressive. The
churches and chapels reach the amazing number of 352.
FIRA
The town of Fira stands out like a white eagles’-nest, hanging
between sea and sky. The climb from the bay to the town can be made on
foot for those who want to try their strength, climbing the 600 steps of
the road, or with the cable railroad. There also are good-natured
donkeys, who offer their backs to those who want to enjoy the experience
of donkey-riding. Their pack-saddles are decorated with blankets of
many colours, “kilimia”, and the coloured beads on their harnesses give a
unique and joyful colour, which is still maintained on an island which
is fighting to keep its local colour and its folk personality.
The capital of the island was moved to Fira from Pyrgos Kal- listis
in the beginning of the 19th century. Now Fira is a growing town with a
population of about 1500 people, which lives in the present but tries to
retain the local traditions of the past.
In the summer, a loud and good-natured crowd of people strolls,
carefree, on the roads which are parallel to the cliff and the small
streets that cross them.
The central part of the town, the market, is here. Numerous shops
offer a great variety of merchandice, satisfying even the most demanding
customers. Also, the offered merchandice, from the cheapest (cotton
shirts and blouses) to the most expensive (furs and jewelry) give it a
particular accent which is quite interesting to the visitor. The visit
to the picturesque market of Fira is a pleasant walk. Small houses, dug
in the land, one -or two- storied, have a view of either the sea or the
land. Lit and crowded against each other, as they are, on the top of the
cliff, they seem to be wanting to support each other, so they can reach
outward, over the abyss. Terraces of houses which are not terraces but
balconies or passages, vaults and archways, and small, white, decorated
facades. Straight lines are unknown, everything is in curves, giving a
unique architectural characteristic to the houses of Fira which are sunk
inside the earth. “Skafta” (dug) as the locals call them, they are
built from stone and the earth of the island.
Do not wonder if, when passing through the door of a building which
is, at first glance, one-storied, you walk many steps down and yet do
not end in some dank and dark basement, but, when you open your window,
you see the sea reflecting the sun, although you have descended two or
three storeys inside the earth. At Fira, buildings do not have height,
they have depth.
The ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM of the town of Fira features collections
from the excavations of Mesa Vouno, where Ancient Thera and the Sellada
cemetery are, from Akrotiri, and various utensils from other areas.
Amphoras, pottery, earthen casks, marble Kouroi, female statuettes,
coins, etc. are sheltered in the halls of the museum. These collections
cover a long period, which starts in the third millenium B.C. and ends
in the Roman years.
CHURCHES
Fira is the seat for both an Orthodox and a Catholic bishop. The
Metropolitan church of Ypapanti was built 01 1827 by Marko Belonias, and
tha is why it is called “Panaghia o Belonia”. The original building was
destroyed by the earthqua kes of 1956 (July 9). In its place s new
church, Metamorphosis, was built. There also are the Catholic church and
the Convent of the Dominican Order.
The visit to the old mansions and houses of the town is interesting.
Among the mansions, Gyzi’s, an authentic building of the Venetian years,
stands out. Today it belongs to the Catholic church of the island. It
has been restored and is used for various cultural meetings. The
building houses an impressive collection of antiques, furniture,
engravings, and other art objects from centuries past.
FIROSTEFANI
It’s a small, elongated village, very near Fira, which seems more
like a neighborhood of Fira than a separate village. Among the sights of
the village are the churches of Aghios Minas and Aghios Georgios. The
view of the volcano and the caldera are panoramic. The most picturesque
part of the village is its rebuilt part, which is next to the edge of
the cliff. The Catholic church is also interesting. The Catholic’s area,
the “Frangika”, is located between Fira and Firostefani. The convents
of the Dominicans and the Sisters of Mercy are there. Also, the
Lazarists founded there the Greco-French school of St. Joseph.
IMEROVIGLI OR MEROVIGLI, as the locals call it, is very near, about
1km. N.W. of the village of Firostefani. Its location near the edge of
the cliff, its name, of the day-Vigla, as well as the time when it was
built, show that during the years of the pirates’ attacks it had been a
daily observatory. The Viglator -guard- watched the sea, and, if pirates
appeared, apprised the population of the approaching danger. Most old
buildings are ruined. The church of Panaghia Malteza is interesting. It
is called Malteza (Maltese) because the icon of the Virgin was found on
the port of Malta by a Santorinian captain and carried to Imerovigli,
where the captain built a church for it.
THE CONVENT OF ST. NICHOLAS is the oldest convent of the island. It
was built in its present position on 1815-20. Originally, the convent
had been built in inaccesible Skaros, but the nuns moved it from the
ruined castle of Skaros to its present position. The Gyzis family had a
private temple in impassable Skaros, dedicated to the memory of St.
Nicholas. On 1651, the family got permission from the Bishop to convert
the small church to a convent. The girls of the Gyzis family became the
first nuns. The convent became property of the Greek state on 1849.
In the center of the convent’s courtyard, there is the handsome
triune church of St. Nicholas. The 32 cells of the nuns are in the
buildings around the church. The attention of the visitor is drawn to
the temple screen and the old icons.
SKAROS
Majestic Skaros rises perpendicularly to the coast, on the most
northern end of the area. The medieval capital of Santorini was built in
an inaccesible and unapproachable area. The castle was built by a Roman
noble named Scaurus, who was governor of the island when it was
possessed by the Romans. The castle, built on top of a steep, dark, and
dreadful crag, was one of the five medieval castles of the island, seat
of the Venetian Archons and of the Catholic bishops. The remains of the
castle and the ruins of the Venetian buildings are discernible. Ancient
ruins and graves have been found in the area.
The church of Theoskepasti (“God-covered”) is interesting. The church
was built by a seaman who believed that he was saved from a great storm
with the Virgin’s help.
Most of the 352 churches of Santorini have been built by seamen whose
patron Saint saved them from storms or other great dangers.
VOURVOULOS
The village Vourvoulos, the village of the mule-guides of Santorini,
is located east of Imerovigli. Most Santorinian mule-guides are
descended from this village. In the area Kato Vourvoulos we find the
wonderful church of St. Panteleimon.
FOINIKIA
Lies about 9km. from Fira. Good roads and regular transportation
connect this village with the capital of the island. Foinikia, Oia, and
Tholos, with its few houses, are the villages of north Santorini, the
Upper Side, as the locals call it. Foinikia is a representative
traditional Santorinian village. Houses built with the traditional ways,
harmoniously attached to each other, present a wonderful totality of
traditional architecture. A black stone wall rises like a fence near the
entrance of the village. In the Gonia region there is an archaeological
site.
OIA
The distance that separates Oia from Fira is not over 10km. of paved
road. The small houses, carved into the rock, the mansions with their
stairways and their neoclassical architecture, with white and ochra as
their dominant colours, the walls decorated with small stones, the roads
paved with flagstones, and the flowers, form a harmonious total of the
impressive picture of the village. The village square is a balcony
looking at the caldera. The view of the volcano and the infinity of the
sea take a different dimension when seen from here. The wealth of the
villagers of the last century is exhibited in the Nautical museum of
Oia. Oia’s inhabitants were sailors, and became rich in the last century
by working in the sea. They decorated their village with neoclassical
buildings which today bear witness to an age that has passed. The church
of Aghiou Sozonto (Saviour) was built before 1680. The sunset will be
not forgotten by those who enjoy it.
There are two beaches in the Oia area. The access is difficult
though, as they cannot be reached by car. One can only go on foot. If
someone wants to go to the “Armeni” beach, where the harbour is, he
should descend about 300 steps. The road to “Ammoudi” beach has about
200 steps. A good road is the one that goes to the huge beach of the
“Baxedes” area. This area is about 3km. away from Oia. Near the back
side of the village is “Katharos” beach. There is a country infirmary in
Oia.
