Santorini Greece Travel - Greek Islands, Aegean Cycladic islands

Greek Island of Santorini, Greece - Photo copyright Christine Collie

Many Minoan sites in the Greek Islands have been uncovered and documented, on Crete and the Cycladic islands of the Aegean but none is of greater significance or pure fascination than the buried Minoan city on the island of Santorini.

The settlement, near the modern town of Akrotiri on Santorini's south coast, has been undergoing continuous excavations since the 1960s, but work is painfully slow: to date only about two percent of the sprawling complex has been unearthed. "Unearthed" is perhaps the wrong word for this enormous undertaking: the ruins are buried under as much as 200 feet of volcanic ash and archaeologists are forced to work like miners, creating horizontal shafts and constructing a continuous roof over newly exposed streetscapes.

In 2005 a portion of this roof collapsed, killing a British tourist and injuring six others. This site was closed to the public and in summer 2007 had still not yet reopened.

But an excellent idea of what has been found, and hints of what may remain to be discovered, can be had at the fine new museum in Santorini's main city of Fira. Especially mesmerizing are the reconstructed frescoes from the buried city. These wall paintings have been found in virtually every room so far uncovered, and their grace and artistry are unsurpassed in any era of European art.

The island of Santorini itself has in recent decades provided increasingly convincing evidence of the link between the Atlantis legend and the Minoan civilization. Its very shape tells the story: a broken outer ring enclosing a very deep caldera where the sea has filled the void left when, in about 1600 BC, the entire central mass of Santorini island lifted violently into the air in what is thought to have been the biggest volcanic eruption of which we have any evidence. At least four times bigger than Krakatoa and far, far bigger than the event that buried Pompeii in southern Italy. The tsunamis it generated, hundreds of feet high, and the ash fallout, are thought to have so severely crippled Minoan civilization that it never recovered, perhaps falling prey in its weakened state to invading proto-Mycenaeans.

And so, one can visit Santorini, as most tourists nowadays do, for the fine beaches and inexpensive lodgings around Kamari and Perissa on the island's east coast. Or you can arrive on one of the gargantuan new cruise ships and spend a few hours trudging up and down the streets of the island's spectacular villages clinging to the rim of the caldera, 300 meters above the sea, admiring the amazing views before being summoned back aboard for supper.

But for the kind of experience that lifelong memories are made of, we suggest ignoring the beaches and eschewing cruise ships and, instead, finding lodging for as long as you can afford in one of the smaller villages - Oia or Imerovigli or perhaps Pyrgos - where accommodation is nowadays available to suit almost any budget.

And from there, spend your days walking, biking, driving or traveling by local bus to see as much of the island as you can. Don't miss the gorgeous Classical ruins at ancient Thera (Santorini was once a colony of Sparta) and the many interesting churches and monasteries that dot the island. And leave lots of time for the museums of archaeology and culture in Fira.

During our stay in Santorini, we chose the village of Imerovigli on the caldera's highest point for our headquarters, and can recommend two quite different hotels in Imerovigli, each with its own charms. Honeymoon Petra Villas offers studios, apartments, and a spectacular two-bedroom, two-bath suite, all with amazing 180 degree views of the caldera far below and all with private terraces: and La Maltese, a member of Relais and Chateaux.

Next: Where to stay in Santorini