Santorini Towns

Around Santorini

The spaces that once separated Fira from the villages of Firostefani and Imerovigli to the north, have been filled in, though the crowds tend to thin out here, and there are rooms with caldera views. The medieval Venetian capital of Thira, called Skaros, consisting of a castle built on a rock, can be viewed from the traditional Catholic village of Imerovigli`. A little white chapel sits higher up where there was a second castle, called Rocca, destroyed along with the town in the volcanic explosion of 1650. One of Greece’s largest convents was in the town of Imerovigli, but was relocated to Aghios Nikolaos.There’s a fine new church in the town with a carved wooden iconostasis—the only survivor from the old church which was destroyed in the 1956 earthquake. It’s possible to walk along a cliffside path to Oia/Ia from Imerovigli.

Oia / Ia

The loveliest and most expensive village on the island, Ia also has cliffside houses up over the caldera, and a Venetian castle up over the sea which has long been a favorite spot to watch the sunset. The population of the town is around 500, down from 9000 in 1900, when it was a major fishing port. Restoration of damaged houses after the 1956 earthquake earned the town international prizes for restoration. The Naval Museum, created by a ship’s captain, is housed in an old mansion, with figureheads, ship models, and the like. Most of the rooms, including three hotels, are in old restored houses, and there’s a youth hostel with a shady courtyard, breakfast, and bar. Reasonably-priced food is best found in the newer part of town. 200 steps lead down from Oia/Ia to the fishing harbor below; Armeni is the other dock there, used for excursion boats. Fishing tavernas are found at both harbors.