Satellite image of Santorini. Clockwise from center: Nea Kameni; Palea Kameni; Aspronisi; Therasia; Thera (NASA)

Santorini, one of the Aegean’s most magically beautiful islands, is an active volcano with an impressive activity spanning two million years.  Santorini has experienced no less than a dozen huge explosions, known as Plinian eruptions, with the most violent one known as the Minoan eruption which took place sometime between 1660 and 1613 BC, and the most recent one taking place in 1956.

The volcano continues to emit sulphur vapours and keep the waters of surrounding springs lukewarm.  If the past is any indication, a Plinian eruption is not imminent since they seem to happen in 10,000 to 30,000-year intervals.  Further, as volcanoes go, this is a benevolent one because before an eruption it shakes and rattles and changes the colour of the surrounding sea—sending signals to get on the next plane or boat to safer grounds!  So, visit the island with its Caldera, the volcano’s crater (the largest one in the world) which is totally immersed in sea water; take in the sulphur vapours, practice walking on incredibly hardened black lava rocks and sunbathe on black pebbles as if this is the most natural of experiences…..But, if visiting an active volcano’s crater is not exactly your cup of tea, visit Santorini anyway, knowing fully that the volcano has left its mark on the island’s geography and history, has contributed to the Atlantis legend, might have been responsible for the destruction of the Minoan civilization and may have had something to do with Moses’ parting of the sea and the plagues that followed it!

Santorini’s original name was Strongyle, the Round One, or Kallisti, the Most Beautiful One, or Thera, the name preferred by Greeks and Santorini—a name given to the island by its Venetian conquerors in the thirteenth century and much preferred by tourists.  Separating fact from fiction is not easy when it comes to Santorini—volvanologists, archeologists, seismologists and a slew of other “–gists” seem to continually argue on exact dates for events and the importance or lack thereof of these same events!  What we know for sure is that sometime between 1660 and 1613 BC a huge eruption (one of the largest ever) took place that blew out the round island’s center, creating the Caldera and sending ash plumes, lava, and tsunami waves as far east as Anatolia and as far south as Crete.  This eruption is referred to as the Minoan eruption even though there is disagreement if it was the one that destroyed Minoan culture.  But there is no disagreement as to the Minoan presence on Santorini as it has been unearthed at the Akrotiri site, Santorini’s spectacular Pompeii-like ruins, preserved so well by the volcano’s ash for over 4,000 years.

Akrotiri’s society was advanced, wealthy, and cosmopolitan, facts that led Greece’s eminent archeologist Dr. Marinatos to speculate that it was none other than the famed Atlantis that was swallowed by the sea.  This is also disputed despite the fact that one can find many similarities in Akrotiri with Plato’s description of the lost city of Atlantis in his Kritias and Timaios works.  Others see in the Minoan eruption the basis for the Biblical stories of the parting of the sea and the plagues that followed.  Maybe that eruption was pivotal or not to the Minoan culture’s demise, but it was pivotal to the wider eastern Mediterranean civilizations and hence to early European history.

What no one seems to argue is how pivotal it was to what has become present-day Santorini.  Geography—the original round island has been cut up in a series of eruptions into a mini-archipelago consisting of the islands of Thera, the Palea and Nea Kameni, the Old and New Burnt Islands, Therasia and Aspronisi, or the White Island, so-called because it has not been covered by any lava.  Geology—it has the most spectacular vistas from the top of the Caldera and the magical cities/villages of Fira, Oia, Imerovigli, with their memorable sunsets.  Architecture—it is ringed with cave homes dug into its cliffs, and arched roof tops.  Its wines—grown from indigenous grapes that thrive with little water on ashy soil and windy slopes, with exotic names like Aidáni, Assýrtiko, Athíri are beckoning the discriminating visitor to take a sip and thank the volcano for its early warning system and the rich soil that produces miracles….