Santorini: Day 2

SATURDAY 4 JUNE 2022

On our second day in Santorini we explored the picturesque village of Oia, at the northwestern tip of Santorini. Situated above an impressive cliff, this sun-kissed little town is straight out of a postcard. We climbed to the ruins of the Venetian castle to take in the dramatic views of the caldera and volcano below.

From here we drove through the fertile plains on the back side of the island, where grape vines grow unstaked and low to the ground. Experienced vinedressers weave the vines into a basket shape that helps protect the grapes from the fierce winds and heat of the island. We lunched in Firastephani, then continued our tour of the island. At the southern end of Santorini’s peninsula stands Akrotiri Lighthouse, where we could look back towards Oia, cape to cape, where we had started the day.

That afternoon we relaxed in the rooftop garden of Ftelos Brewery. We were impressed not just with their beer, but their sustainable approach to brewing too. The byproducts of the beer making process are turned into high-value carbon materials. Since Santorini has no sources of natural drinking water, at Ftelos they purify water by reverse osmosis. And their large bioclimatic garden thrives with native Mediterranean flora, including an ecosystem of old and rare trees.

In the evening we soaked up the Santorini sunset from the capital, Fira. A trip to the island wouldn’t be complete without it! High above the semi-circular bay, in the middle of the curved island, we lined the alleys with other tourists to watch the sun dip down into the Aegean Sea below us.