Akrotiri Excavations, Santorini Island

A truly amazing archeological site, currently undergoing major renovations (the tourist/viewing facilities) and still very much under excavation. This is an entire village that was discovered in the mid-19th century. It had been covered in volcanic ash, much like Italy's Pompeii, and appears to be undisturbed after being buried for so long. It appears that the residents had warning of the impending danger and were able to flee, but they left much of their daily life behind. The program is well-funded and ongoing -- I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

Akrotiri is about 12 km from Fira.
It is built on the most irrelevant part of the island, at the southwestern tip on the most remote part of the island known for the famous ruins from the Minoan period.

The excavations in that area brought up the city of Acropolis, a fortified Venetian castle during the medieval years, which after the occupation of Santorini by the Turks was torn down. The remains of the castle are easily visible. There are two old churches in the village, Aghia Triada and Ipapandi tou Sotiros. As you are taking the road to Akrotiri, on your right, you will stay amazed from the fascinating view of the Caldera. The picturesque atmosphere by the view towards Fira and Oia will rivet you.

The excavations in the area brought to light the settlement known as the City of Akrotiri.
The Archaeological site of Akrotiri should not be missed!

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The volcanic eruption that wiped out the Minoan culture left some trace of it behind. Archeologists on the island are in the long, slow process of excavating the ancient town known as Akrotiri. Like Pompeii, it offers a look at a period of history that has been preserved. Unlike Pompeii, however, it has no human remains. This indicates that the inhabitants had a chance to escape with their lives.

It's eerie to walk down at 3,500-year-old street, and think about the Bronze Age people who lived here once. This is a special experience. Please be careful not to disturb anything; the work is still in progress.

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A taste of ancient Greek history.
I suggest to visit the Akrotiri site with a guide, in order to better understand the history of this site and what they found.

You can find guides all over the island of Santorini, offering guided tours and packages.

Truthfully, I never made it into the Akrotiri excavation site as it was a Monday and the site was (irritatingly) closed to the public.

In the end, I decided to make my way to The Red Beach behind the excavation site. Just follow the signs put up along the pebble way right up to the restaurant from the bus stop. From there, a staircase will lead you to a road, and all you need to do is just to follow the road all the way to the end.

The Red Beach is so named, because unlike many of the blackened volcanic sand beaches on Santorini, the sand here is reddish as the beach was carved out from sheer red-coloured cliffs.

The place was packed to the brim, hardly the secluded beach some guidebooks claim it to be. Come on, really, if every guidebook is saying that it is secluded, very unlikely it won't be that for long! It was like being marooned in a sea of beach-goers!

There are 2 or 3 eateries on the beach itself and there is a boat service bringing folks (for a fee of course) from the pier near the bus stop to the beach itself.

This is not a nude beach, by the way. Perish the thought to be hanging loose!

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I must see, it was closed on my last trip but I'll see it again next year I hope. The people that lived here 3,500 years ago had a very advanced satandard of living. I would list more on this but you'll get better info if you google it.

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A great trip is to the archealogical excavations at Acrotiri. It is an amazing site and there is still more to be uncovered. This is not just a pile of rubble, you can see houses and streets and get a feeling for the town. After your visit go down the road instead of back the way you came and have a drink or meal at one of the seafront Tavernas. The one with the cave inside is fascinating.

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ancient akrotiri
if coming to santorini you have to visit ancient akrotiri the Minoan town discovered in 1967 under the volcanic ash from the eruption of the volcano that wipe out the Minoan civilisation in 1600BC
the ash as perfectly perserved the 2/3 storey house showing us how the Minoans lived ,beautiful paintings can be seen on the walls of the houses, up to 30000 people lived in the town only 5% has been excavated no skeletons have found may be the Minoans were prewarned by the earth tremors and left before the volcano erupted