Where is Santorini?

Santorini is the remains of a volcano whose huge Minoan eruption, around 1600 BC, was one of the largest volcanic events in human history. The blast collapsed the centre of the island into a flooded caldera, leaving the crescent-shaped main island with cliffs about 300 metres high. Villages such as Oia and Fira perch on the cliff edge, famous for white-washed houses and blue-domed churches. Ash from the eruption buried the Bronze Age town of Akrotiri, preserving buildings and wall paintings like a Greek Pompeii. The volcano is still active, and a swarm of earthquakes in early 2025 led many residents and visitors to leave temporarily.