Rome and Mediteranean

Santorini what a magnificent place. Another perfect day of blue skies, blue seas, and white buildings which sit precariously along the rim of the remains of the volcano. Santorini Island has a number of villages that cling to the top of the volcano rim overlooking the Caldera or crater of a volcano that erupted 3,600 years ago. I was surprised that most of the housing and buildings cling to the cliff tops and only a small number of houses use the lower side of the volcano.
We visited Oia, one of the villages, in the morning and meandered through the streets to find the iconic blue domed buildings for our photos. We then spent the rest of the afternoon in the capital, Fira wandering through the streets. We enjoyed a traditional chicken Gyros at lunch very similar to our doner kebab but much tastier. To get from the port of Fira to the top of the cliffs you can either walk the 600 steps or take the cable car up the steep slope or if you must, ride the donkey.
The climate is very dry and the Island receives no rainfall for five months of the year, this makes good growing for a unique grape which produces a sweet wine called Vinsanto. The grape vine grows close to the ground with the vine wrapping around to form a basket which protects the grapes that nestle inside.Läs mer