Santorini from Oia Playing Cards

Santorini Greece in the Cyclades, Aegean, has one of the most spectacular landscapes in Greece and in the world. The traditional villages of the island, built on tall cliffs, offer a breathtaking view over the submerged volcano. Every year, thousands of tourists visit Santorini to discover the famous submerged caldera, the volcano’s crater, which is situated today in the middle of a 32 square miles basin of water. Around the basin, hanging on cliffs of 150m to 300m height, one can admire some of the most beautiful traditional villages of the Cyclades. The lively colours of the white Cycladic houses and blue painted windows contrast stunningly against the black volcanic rocks rising from sea. This scenery keeps inspiring artists and visitors…These villages are named Fira, Firostefani, Immerovigli and Oia. The island name comes from ‘Santa Irini’ and it is officially called Thera. Santorini is located in the south of the Cycladic islands, just between Ios and Anafi, 130 nautical miles from Piraeus and 70 nautical miles from Crete. During the ancient times, the shape of Santorini was circular and that was the reason it was also called Strongili, which means circular in Greek. The volcano’s eruption destroyed the centre of the island, causing it to sink and to create today’s caldera. The first eruption of the Volcano took place around 1500 BC, and is said to be responsible for the destruction of the great Minoan civilisation of Crete. The last eruption took place in 1956 but the volcano remains active until today. Some believe that the destruction of Santorini could be related to that of the mythical Atlantis.