Santorini, worth knowing.

Fun facts about Santorini

1. 1Santorini's vines aren't trained up posts. Growers weave them into low baskets on the ground, called kouloura, and the grapes grow tucked inside, sheltered from the island's strong winds.Source: Santo Wines; Volcanic Agriculture of Europe
2. 2Santorini's vines still grow on their own roots. Phylloxera, the vine pest, never took hold in the island's volcanic soil, and the vineyard has a history of about 3,500 years.Source: Santo Wines; Wikipedia
3. 3Many of Santorini's cliffside homes started out as caves dug into the volcanic rock. The pumice around them keeps them cool in summer and warm in winter.Source: Rick Steves; Santorini View
4. 4Santorini's little cherry tomatoes are never watered. They get by on the moisture held in the volcanic soil and the island's dew.Source: Greek News Agenda; Wikipedia
5. 5Santorini fava, a little yellow pea, was found in jars in the ruins of Akrotiri, about 3,500 years old. Today you order it as a warm golden puree with onion and olive oil.Source: Visit Greece; Wikipedia

Things to do in Santorini

• ◦At Akrotiri you walk the streets of a Bronze Age town buried in volcanic ash, past houses several storeys high. Archaeologists poured plaster into hollows in the ash to recover the shapes of wooden beds.Source: Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades; Ancient-Greece.org
• ◦From Oia, about 300 steps lead down to Ammoudi Bay, a tiny harbour where fishing boats bob below reddish volcanic rocks.Source: Visit Greece; Visit-Greece.info
• ◦In Emporio's Kasteli, houses were built so close together that their outer walls formed the castle wall, as protection against pirates. Inside it's a maze of narrow alleys, tunnels, stairways and arches.Source: All Over Greece; Santorini Secrets
• ◦Imerovigli is nicknamed the 'balcony' of Santorini for its caldera views. Take the detour out to Skaros Rock, a headland below the village where a medieval fortress once stood.Source: Visit Greece; Day Trips From Santorini
• ◦Take a boat to Palea Kameni and swim into a little bay where warm springs turn the water rusty orange. Wear an old swimsuit, because the iron-rich water can stain.Source: Visit Greece; DL Santorini guide
• ◦At the Tomato Industrial Museum, an old tomato factory in Vlychada, you can taste tomato paste and seal your own souvenir can.Source: Tomato Industrial Museum D. Nomikos; Santorini Dave

Questions to bring to Santorini

From Sojourn's journeys. Ask one over a long dinner or on a slow walk, and let the place do some of the work.

Going together

• When do you feel most like yourself?
• What does rest actually look like for you?
• What is one thing you wish we did more of?

Going solo

• What is the first thing this place is showing you that you didn't expect?
• What does this version of you know that the home version tends to forget?

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