Santorini: sailing into the caldera

The town of Ia (Oia in Greek) at the northern tip of the island of Santorini.


Santorini is the easternmost and largest island of an archipelago created during the Bronze Age by an enormous volcanic explosion, which tore apart a much larger island; its dramatic western coastline is the 300 metre high edge of the caldera (400 metres deep) generated by the explosion.

In the centre of the archipelago is an uninhabited island on which volcanic activity continues: thus the water in the whole archipelago is heated by the volcanic activity. The island is prey to earthquakes - the last major one was in 1956.


Noah, Gilgamesh, Atlantis ..... and the beginning of the end for Minoan civilisation.

The volcanic explosion took place in about 1600BC, producing effects in the entire Eastern Mediterranean. Ancient works of literature - both the book of Genesis and the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh - mention a catastrophic flood. Classical antiquity was fascinated by the supposed city of Atlantis, lost beneath the sea.

Santorini is 140 kms north of Crete, and was located at the very centre of the Minoan empire, which had developed since 3500BC. The north coast of Crete, including the imperial town of Knossos, was exposed to the full force of the tidal wave generated by the explosion. Within a century, the Mycenaean Greeks had taken over the island.


White and blue: the Greek Flag, the Colonels and the House of Wittelsbach

The Greek flag has nine horizontal stripes, five blue and four white. This reputedly mirrors the nine syllables of the Greek partisans' war cry "elevtheria i thanatos" - freedom or death - which was adopted in the 1820s during the War of Independence against the Turks.

This coupling of white and blue is also found in the state flag of Bavaria, given to it by the ruling House of Wittelsbach: the House which also provided the first monarch of the newly liberated Greece. A coincidence? Perhaps so, but a striking one to anyone who knows Bavaria.

Santorini is part of the Cyclades, a substantial group of southerly Greek islands. With very few exceptions, their buildings sport the "trademark" colours of (you have guessed it) blue and white. This seems today to be clever branding.

Fifty years ago, most buildings in Santorini were painted in white, but there were also many in a variety of strong colours. It was under the dictatorship of the Colonels (1967-1974) that all buildings were required to be repainted white; just the blue domes of the churches were excepted. The requirement still applies today.

I have added a PS with a few more words about the Colonels at the very bottom of this page.


The island today

A fabulous photo opportunity. The contorted volcanic rock of the cliffs towers high over the sea, and the white and blue towns seemingly balanced on the cliff sides provide an extra "wow!" factor.

Of course, plenty of shops lining the narrow streets of these towns, their owners eager to entice you in.

But there is another Santorini. Inland villages, where agriculture is gradually being abandoned in favour of the tourist industry. Other villages, such as Mesa Gounia, shattered by the 1956 earthquake and virtually abandoned, its ruined houses left to disintgegrate.

There are also Minoan remains. Santorini played an important element in the trade routes of the Bronze Age. Archeological investigations of the village of Akrotiri at the southern end of the island have revealed stunning Bronze Age artefacts and buildings.

Having experienced Santorini for a day - an experience long dreamed of - I feel little urge to return. (I would however make a special trip to see Akrotiri if and when it becomes open to the public.)



PS: the Colonels

I holidayed in mainland Greece in 1970, during the rule of the Colonels. Large propaganda posters were everywhere, with portraits of the junta members. Some music was banned: that of Mikos Theodorakis, for example. So the guide accompanying our group around the country made a point of playing Theodorakis on board the coach. All the time. Wonderful.

The fall of the hated Colonels was precipitated by their inability to counter the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974.