This is one of the most spectacular islands in Greece. Especially if you arrive by sea, you won’t confuse Santorini with any of the other Cyclades. What will confuse you is that the island is also known as Thira.
Santorini’s port is Athinios but many small ships arrive in Skala, a spectacular harbor that’s part of the enormous caldera formed when a volcano blew out the island’s center sometime between 1600 and 1500 B.C. To this day, some scholars speculate that this destruction gave birth to the myth of the lost continent of Atlantis.
The real wonder is that Santorini exceeds all glossy picture-postcard expectations. Like an enormous crescent moon, Santorini encloses the pure blue waters of its caldera, the core of an ancient volcano.This volcano of Santorini and another volcano, the Koloumpou volcano, which lies underwater , 8 kilometres next to Santorini, Nisyros, Milos and Methana are the active volcanoes of Aegean Sea.
Its two principal towns, Fira and Oia, perch at the summit of the caldera, as you approach by ship, bending back as far as possible to look as far up the cliffs as possible, whitewashed houses look like a dusting of new snow on the mountaintop.
Unspoilt Thirasia with a population of about 250 inhabitants, was separated from Santorini by an eruption in 236 BC.It is situated on the northernwest side of Santorini .It’s an attractive place, noticeably more relaxed and reflective than Fira could ever be. The unpopulated islets of Palia Kameni and Nea Kameni are still volcanically active and they are both worth while visiting.
As for the beaches of Santorini is concerned, they all are so different from any other beach in the Aegean Sea. The island’s volcanic nature is the reason for those black and red beaches and they are so wild beautιful you can’t resist. Those lunar landscapes gives a total original view you either worship for its prototype or doesn’t suit you at all.
Santorini is located south of the islands Ios, Sikinos and Folegandros and the exact geographical coordinates of the island are 36°25’00.0″N 25°26’00.0″E in the Aegean Sea.
