Santorini Airfares

Santorini Overview

By Roz Andrews

In 1450 BC, a huge volcanic eruption devastated the Greek island of Santorini, forming a caldera and creating the island’s crescent shape. Legend has it that the lost city of Atlantis disappeared into the sea here at the time of the eruption.

Buried under volcanic ash for around 3,500 years, the city of Akrotiri was excavated in the twentieth century. The frescoes of Akrotiri, now in the New Archaeological Museum in Firá, were remarkably preserved by the lava, retaining their original colors.

The ruins of Ancient Thira date back to the third and fourth centuries BC and include the remains of houses with mosaics, a market, a theater overlooking the sea, and the Terrace of Celebrations covered in ancient graffiti, written as far back as 800 BC. Go!