Santorini, the Blue Domes and the Aegean Sea
Santorini is a Greek archipelago is characterized by its white buildings with roofs painted and decorated in shades of blue. The island is one of the major summer destinations of Europe, a popular destination for its beaches.
Santorini is located in the Aegean Sea, hundreds of miles from the main islands of Greece. Santorini was formed in the explosion of a volcano. In the center of the islands has formed a lagoon surrounded by numerous beaches of sand, stones or rocks. After the lava formed at the different parts of the island, Santorini is now several beaches formed by rocks or sand of different colors. Therefore, tourists can visit beaches as varied as Red Beach, Playa Blanca and Playa Negra.
In the center of the island is a large central lagoon, about 12 by 7 miles. For three of its four sides, the huge oval of water is surrounded by cliffs that can reach 300 meters. The harbor waters are so deep that ships cannot anchor, but will have to attach the floating buoy floats.
Cities and towns are known on the island Fira, the capital, and Oia, a traditional village. Oia is located in the Maritime Museum, with a large collection of nautical objects and models of ancient vessels, also noteworthy Emporio, Kamari and Perissa, among others.
Highlights one of the archeological sites of the island, the region of Akrotiri, where most of the remains found date from the Minoan era. Apparently, the city was covered by a layer of lava after the explosion of the volcano, but unlike Pompeii, the city population managed to escape. Today, the ruins have revealed houses full of murals, grandiose buildings and an amazing level of wealth at the time. Most findings are in the museums of Santorini.
Fira is the heart of Santorini and is located 260 meters above sea level. To reach the city, visitors can ride a mule or take the cable car, although some prefer to walk up to watch the beauty of the island. Here you will find many hotels, bars, clubs and restaurants. Orthodox Metropolitan Church Fira, a nineteenth century building spotless and the Catholic Church of San Juan Bautista. Here you also find the Museum of Prehistoric Thera, full of objects of everyday life of people who inhabited the archipelago for centuries. Many of the artifacts come from the city that was covered by lava, Akrotiri. The Conference Center of Petros M Nomikos also hosts a multitude of interesting exhibitions. It also highlights the Archaeological Museum in Fira, which is famous for its large collection of statues.
The small town of Immerovigli is just 2 kilometers from Fira. For here is a kind of huge stone or hill known as Scar, where for over 600 years was an old castle, which now only ruins remain. Also nearby is the village of Firostofani, where there is an ancient Byzantine monastery. The monastery is dedicated to St. Nicholas and other saints, and XVII century.
The landscape of the island is full of cultivated fields, where they grow delicious cherry tomatoes and Katsouini, a kind of local cucumber. The islands also have created their own small wine industry. The wine of the region uses three varieties of grapes, Assyrtiko, Athiri and Aidani. Most vineyards are very old, but they survive thanks to the volcanic soil porosity.
From the magnificent beaches of the island are open views to the Aegean Sea. From Fira Skala can go up, the old port. Visitors will have to go up and down more than 550 steps to reach the goal. In addition, from places like Fira you can see some of the smaller volcanic islands, such as Nea Kameni.
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Europe, Greece | Author | June 24, 2010
archeological, archipelago, Beaches, city, Europe, islands, museum, Santorini, sea, village, volcanic, volcano, wine
