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| Streets, houses and steep steps of Oia - Santorini Guide to Santorini Island, Cyclades, Aegean, Greece. |
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| The old village of Oia is located at the northern tip of Santorini, high on a cliff-top. Oia boasts come of the most magnificent views on Santorini and a picturesque aspect, with cliffs on one side and the sea on the other. The square overlooks the sea and visitors are able to observe fantastic sunsets, many visitors specifically make the trip to Oia just to watch the sun sink into the Aegean. Directly below Oia is the beach of Ammoudi, to the South you can see Fira and across the bay are the Burnt Volcanic islands. The small harbour and beach at Ammoudi is only accessible on foot or Donkey back!, the harbour is 214 steps below, and Armeni beach is a total of 286 steps! The architecture of Oia is typical Santorini - with houses dug deep into volcanic foundations, whitewashed walls and blue domes which sparkle in the sunlight. In 1900 Oia had a population of almost 9,000. The inhabitants owned 164 seafaring boats and supported seven shipyards. In the area there were 79 churches. After the devastating 1956 earthquake and less than 50 years later Oia had just 500 permanent residents! In 1951 Captain Antonis Dakoronias had established a Maritime Museum. The Museum was destroyed in the 1956 earthquake, but reopened in 1979 and is still functioning today. Oia today also has a cultural center, central art gallery and many popular Greek art galleries. Many shops sell handicrafts, souvenirs, jewellery and other items to help you remember your visit. If you are looking peace and quiet in spectacular surroundings on Santorini, Oia is a the perfect spot to enjoy a holiday surrounded by Oia's unique natural beauty. Santorini is a small, circular group of volcanic islands located in the Aegean Sea, about 200 km south-east from the mainland of Greece. Santorini is also known by the name of the largest island in the archipelago, Thira or Thera. It is the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately 73 km2 (28 sq mi), and in 2001 had an estimated population of 13,600. The inhabitants are citizens of Greece and speak Greek. It is the most active volcanic centre in the Aegean Arc, though what remains today is largely a caldera. The name Santorini was given to it by the Venetians in the 13th century and is a reference to Saint Irene. The island was the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the last several thousand years when it erupted cataclysmically about 3,500 years ago. The eruption left a large caldera surrounded by ash deposits hundreds of feet deep, and its effects may have indirectly led to the collapse of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, 70 km to the south. Santorini was annexed to Greece in 1912. Major settlements in Santorini include Fira (Phira), Oia, Emporio, Kamari, Imerovigli, Pyrgos and Therasia. Akrotiri is a major archaeological site with ruins from the Minoan era. The island has no rivers and water is scarce. Until the early nineties locals used to fill water tanks from the rain that fell on their roofs and courts, from small springs as well as by importing it from other areas of Greece. Nowadays, there is a desalination plant that provides running, yet nonpotable, water to most houses. The primary industry of Santorini is tourism. The pumice quarries have been closed since 1986 in order to preserve the caldera of Santorini. Photography, Text and Graphics © Red Door VR Limited All rights reserved. |
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