Why Santorini is special
The setting of this Greek Isle is so spectacularly picturesque and geologically unique that you should visit Santorini at least once in your lifetime, despite the swarms of tourists that crowd the island’s main community.
Over the centuries the Greeks erected white-washed villages perched on Santorini’s high steep volcano rims. These seductive communities - along with their breathtaking views of the sheer cliffs and deep-blue bay – give Santorini its captivating visual appeal.

How the island was shaped
Santorini as we know it today was formed 3500 years ago by a monstrous volcanic eruption that blew away most of the island. Some people conjecture that Thera (as the island was then known) was the fabled Lost City of Atlantis.
The explosion left a humungous hole in the middle of the island. It quickly became a bay when the waters of the Aegean Sea rushed in.

What leading travel books say about Santorini
When the Santorini volcano blew about 1470 BC, it made the loudest bang ever heard on Earth in historical times.
Greek Islands Guide
Open Road

Santorini is that rare thing, a place where legend is matched with reality.
Greece
Frommer's