SANTORINI - Paradise of the Aegean -

When someone mentions Santorini it is inevitable not to think about the beautiful colors of one of the most extreme islands of Greece. Any site I searched for more information about the place, they were super happy, super positive, and this put me in doubt, because it was not possible that everything was perfect, something negative had to have it.

Santorini is truly the paradise of the Aegean

Nothing to say, they were right. Yes you know, Santorini is the island of excellence for honeymoon and marriage proposals and there is no island and place more suitable for this, because it is an extremely romantic island.

In fact, most of the tourists were made up of couples, couples in love everywhere, I rarely happened to see groups of boys and girls, perhaps the most varied clientele comes from the cruise ships that stop on the island of Santorini.

It is also true what many say, that is, it is expensive , it is expensive , obviously being a purely tourist island, it is normal that the prices are higher than those of Athens or other tourist resorts, if you want to spend a nice holiday in Santorini. you have to put a nest egg aside.

Accommodation, restaurants, food at the supermarket, activities and services, have a higher price, it must be taken into account if your next destination says “destination Santorini” .

The island is volcanic , in fact the sand of the beaches is black like that of the “Black beach “or red, like that of”Red beach “, from the point of view of the beaches is different from most of the other Cycladic islands, and it is one of the reasons why it is fascinating, it is not the same as the others.

So don’t expect the classic beach with soft, white sand.

Santorini has undergone one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history, called: the Minoan eruption (sometimes called the Thera eruption) , which occurred about 3,600 years ago at the height of the Minoan civilization. The eruption left a large caldera surrounded by volcanic ash deposits hundreds of meters deep.

Santorini has erupted several times, with varying degrees of explosiveness. There are at least twelve of large explosive eruptions. One of the most famous was the Minoan eruption (mentioned earlier).

After all the various explosions in the area of Santorini, a group of islands created by volcanoes have formed, extending over Thera , Thirasia , Aspronisi, Palea and Nea Kameni .

Curiosities about the name of the island of Santorini

In ancient times the name of the island was Thera . According to tradition, the island was named after Theras , son of Autesion, who was the descendant of Polyneike. Although the island is named after Theras, the name Thera – without the final “s” – is a feminine name that is usual for most of the Hellenic islands.

The name Santorini is much more recent however, the name “Thera” is also used, it has a Latin root, it was given by the Venetians who, after the Fourth Crusade (1204), had dominion over the islands. The origin of the name comes from the Chapel of Santa Irini , therefore, Santa Irini – became – Santorini .

The history of the other islands that formed after the great volcanic eruption are just as interesting, but we’ll see that later.

Where to stay and how to get around

Continuing to talk about Santorini, it has different areas or neighborhoods , the most important are: Thira (also called Fira , only later did I understand that it was the same city, but they call it both ways); Imerovigli ; Oia; Akrotiri; Perissa; Kamari; Emporium. Book directly on Booking.com.

If you are undecided or undecided, in which neighborhood to stay, the choice is simple, consider that the whole island in length can be covered (by scooter or quad) in 45 minutes, therefore, you can without problems take accommodation in an area that is not very central , so you will avoid spending a fortune and save some money.

A tactical advice is to make sure that there is a vehicle rental near you, be it cars, quads, scooters, so you can rent what you want when you want in comfort.

Bike

There I do not recommend bicycle , I left full throttle, I necessarily wanted to rent a bicycle (the price is around 10/15 Euro per day) because in my opinion “I wanted to see better the landscape and what surrounded me” yes … excellent thought, if it weren’t for the fact that Santorini is all an uphill and downhill stretch, hairpin bends, and in many stretches of the road there is no lighting and driving around at night would not have been ideal.

Quad

In short, bad idea and moral of the story, after 10 minutes (counted) of sustained pedaling uphill, we go back panting to replace the bicycle with the rental of a Quad (the price is around 40/50 Euros per day, therefore 24 hours), they were very kind and agreed to our request for the exchange.

Never made a better choice , the quad is fun and practical, it goes everywhere, you can park easily, we made it all over the island without problems. If you are interested in the price of the Scooter they are around 20/25 Euros per day).

So the gist of the matter is; however it goes, if you have to rent a vehicle, if you are not staying in the capital or in the central areas do not worry. The areas with the greatest nightlife are: Fira, Imerovigli, Oia, Perissa , which both day and night are always colorful and lively.

In the event that it is not possible to rent a vehicle, it would be better to stay in one of the centers with the greatest nightlife why ; the taxis all over the island are alone 33 , and they are sooo very expensive, and they don’t arrive right away just because they are few or else you can move with i Transfers (private transport services) with an even higher cost.

As a last resort there is the island bus , with not very frequent schedules, and does not cover all day schedules. Traffic is difficult to find, there is a few minutes of hitch in the most popular areas, despite this, I have not heard the horn, I have not heard insults.

It is common to see several motorcyclists without helmets, it is possible to run around without a helmet with quads and scooters, even if it is not prudent in any case, in fact, at first I was amazed, then I saw and understood that actually, even if the road is no one runs free, no speed race, no one is in a hurry, everyone respects the limits, everyone respects each other and another issue to underline is that compared to Athens in Santorini there is less crime, of course, I would always give an eye to the bag , but it really feels like an atmosphere of peace and relaxation .

Santorini surprised me, not only for the beauty of the island itself, and for the non -disappointment that usually creates a very high expectation, but also for the multitude of activities that the island offers.

Not only on a historical level, interesting archaeological sites, history of ancient Thera, but you can learn how to cook traditional Greek food in their kitchen, taste their typical wines (Santorini has amazing vineyards), go around the islands on the boat that you prefer, crazy scuba diving, sunbathing on the most particular beaches, breathtaking scenery and unforgettable sunsets.