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MEGALOCHORI
Megalohori is a
rock village (dug into the bed of torrent) in the interior of the island
that is known to have existed since at least of the 17th century. A small
place (its name means "big village" but that appears to be more
eupphemism), but a lively community with a fairly large permanent
population.
Megalohori attracts a fair number of tourist, who choose it
as a handy base for exploring theisland: it is not to far from Fira (9
km), and within easy distance of both Akrotiri and the beaches of the
Southeastern coast.
EMBORIO
Emborio is
built on a plane, and for many years was (as the name indicates) the
island's commercial centre , the marketplace, for all its local produce.
Today it is one of the island biggest villages, with the largest permanent
population (many of seasonal businesses in Perisa are run by people from
Emborio), several shops, a medical centre, a newagent's and a school.
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MESSARIA
Messaria has two faces
: on the one hand , there is the busy cross-roads with the hotels, the
main petrol station and the constant bustle, and on the other there is the
traditional rock village, with noble mansions lining the main square and
the abandoned Markezinis knitting-mill, a memorial to the time
when Messaria was the industrial center of the island. Today it is lively
village, with a fairly large permanent population. The newer section,
built on on the edge of "the old town" is the bussines and commercial
area: printer's, craft industries, hair dreser's, beauty parlour, shops,
hotels, tavernas. Messaria is prefered by those who like to stay in
central location, whether they choose the comfort and of an ordinary hotel
with none of special features of Caldera or simply a rental room. Fira is
not far away and as for the beaches...all roads lead from Messaria:
Monolithos, Akrotiri, Perissa, and Kamari all lie at its feet.
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PYRGOS
In Pyrgos you come face to
face with medieval Santorini. The village still preserves the structure
and characteristics of the fortified Venetian town, surmounted by its
castle. Pyrgos was one of five fortified towns built by the Venetians in
th 15th century.
Climbing from the square up to the castle walls (cars
are not allowed within the village), the stone houses crowd more densely
together and the labyrinth of narrow vaulted lanes becomes more tortuos.
But once you come out to the top, the fabulous panoramic view of the
island will take your brath away.
And if you happen to be there in the
late afternoon, be sure to stay to watch the sun go down - you''ll never
see anything like it again.
IMEROVIGLI
A unique atmosphere: verandes hanging over the
caldera, luxurios semi under ground apartments, swimming pools on the edge
of cliffs. Imerovigli is an ideal "balcony " to the Caldera, and that
explain the fact that it has developed into a "hotel-village" of postcard
beauty.
Couples in love actually create this village's profile.
Romance, view and peace. Fira is only five minutes away by car and 20
minutes on foot using the path along Caldera that passes trough
Firostefani.
Anyway, the evening hours are the best for walk up to
Skaros, the lonely rock that rises up from the sea right in front of
Imerovigli. It is here that the Venetians had built their most important
fortified settlement.
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