Iconic view of the blue and white buildings honoring colors of Greek flag.

Sitting at the marble square in front of Greek church.

Donkeys returning from taking tourists down the mountain to the old port.

Returning donkeys from about a 15 minute ride down the mountain.

The Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Church of Santorini, built in 1827, sits in the town of Fira.

The Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

Santorini, Greece

June 22, 2024 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

Santorini Island (in the Aegean Sea), known as the Island of Peace, is the site of one of the biggest volcanic eruptions in recorded history!: Minoan eruption (sometimes called Thera eruption), which occurred around 3,600 years ago at the height of Minoan civilization. The eruption left a huge caldera surrounded by volcanic ash deposits and may have led to the collapse of the Minoan civilization on Crete, 70 miles to the south, via a gigantic tsunami. Another theory holds that Thera eruption is the source of the Atlantis legend. Jacob, our tour guide, has degrees in archaeology, theology and philosophy. We learned that pumice stone from Santorini was shipped to Egypt for the building of the Suez Canal but then stopped before it could ruin the island topography. Another fact: Greek Orthodox and Catholics celebrate their religious holidays together. The Assyrtico white wine from the area was particularly good. Returned to the tender port by cable car.Read more