One of the most popular tourist destinations in Greece and around the world, Santorini, offers ideal options to enjoy every moment of your vacation, including Santorini Tours. Thira (official name of the island), commonly known as Santorini, is located in western Greece, in the Aegean Sea and belongs to the group of islands, called Cyclades.
Thira consists of Santorini, Thirasia and the uninhabited islands, Old and New Kameni, Aspronisi and Christiana. The capital of the island is the beautiful Fira.
Name of the island
From ancient times until today, it has received 5 names (Thira, Santorini, Kallisti or Kallisto and Strongyli).
The current official name of the island comes from the Spartan commander Thira, who according to Herodotus, led the Spartan settlers to the island with the name Kallisti, which means the most beautiful (name of the island in ancient times).
In 1204, with the arrival of the Franks, the island will be named Santorini, in honor of a church of Agia Irini.
For many years the theory prevailed that the name Santorini came from the monastery of Agia Irini built by the Crusaders in Thirasia.
Today there are several indications that the name came from the early Christian church of Agia Irini, which was discovered by an excavation in 1992, in Mesa Vouno.
How Santorini was created
Thousands of years ago, Santorini was a volcanic cone called Strongyli, due to its circular shape. After the eruption of the volcano Riva, a large part of the island sinks, creating a caldera. During the Bronze Age, 1,600 BC would be one of the largest eruptions mankind has ever experienced. The so-called Minoan eruption sank the central part of the island, dividing it into three parts (Santorini, Thirasia, Aspronisi).
The explosion was so powerful that it destroyed the prehistoric civilization that inhabited the island. In 46 BC, magma emerges from the bowels of the earth, creating the foundations of today’s Palea Kameni. In 1570 the foundations of Nea Kameni will be created, which will triple in the last 150 years, taking its current form. Nea Kameni is a volcanic island in the center of the Caldera and is the most recently created section of land in the Mediterranean Sea.
Was Santorini in the past the lost Atlantis?
Excavations at Akrotiri have brought to light one of the most important prehistoric civilizations in the Aegean. Researchers believe that this ancient civilization could have been the lost Atlantis, as Plato’s descriptions speak of a circular island (Santorini before the eruption), which due to earthquakes and explosions, sank in the Sea and destroyed the Atlanteans. one day.
In Santorini you will find the museum lost Atlantis experience, the first museum of lost Atlantis in the world. It is located in Megalochori and is open from 9 in the morning until 9 in the evening. A unique experience that will convince you that Santorini was in fact the Lost Atlantis.
How to get to the volcano of Santorini?
Taking the cable car from Fira or going down the stairs to the old port. Then, with Santorini Tours you can take a trip to the volcano. Just the thought of being on an active volcano, raises the adrenaline to the heights.
Santorini belongs to the active volcanic arc of the Aegean together with Methana (Peloponnese), Sousaki (Peloponnese), Milos (Cyclades), Nisyros and Kos.
The volcanic complex of Santorini includes Nea Kameni, Palea Kameni, Columbus and the Christian islands. The complex has two active volcanic pores.
The one is located on the land of the island of Nea Kameni (last eruption in 1950) and the other, the underwater active volcanic resource Columbus (last eruption in 1650 AD) is located northeast of the homonymous cape.
Beaches of Santorini
Although Santorini is not famous for its turquoise beaches, it has some of the rarest volcanic beaches in the world. After the Minoan eruption, a layer of ash covered the east coast of Santorini. The coasts were extended by 2 km, resulting in a huge beach with black sand. This beach is divided into three smaller ones, Perissa, Kamari and Perivolos.
If you are looking for secluded beaches with impressive landscapes or family beaches with various sports activities, Santorini has the whole package. The island is famous for its romance but that does not mean that it does not have beaches with beach bars for frantic parties. The most famous beaches of Santorini are the red beach, the white beach, the monolith and Vlychada.
Varieties of Santorini wines
Santorini has one of the oldest vineyards in the world, which due to its unique, dry climate and the special composition of the soil, produces one of the most special and famous varieties of the Mediterranean, Assyrtiko. Santorini wines are characterized by strong aromas and intense flavors.
If you are a fan of sweet wine, we highly recommend Vinsanto. It is a sweet wine that is served as a liqueur and has stolen the impressions worldwide. Its vinification is made from sun-dried grapes.
Nychteri is a white dry wine whose fermentation process took place at night, which is why it got the appropriate name. If you are looking for a wine rich in alcohol, brusco seems to be the ideal one for you. Brusco is red wine produced from white and red grapes. The winery in Santorini has developed into one of the leading economic sectors of the island and Greece.
