The Villages of Santorini With Winery Visit

Overview

You will make your own way to your meeting point via cable car to meet your guide.

Your tour begins with a visit to Megalochori village, several miles outside of Fira. View the churches of Aghia Anargyri, Isodia tis Theotokou, and Aghios Nikolaos Marmaritis, named for the substance "Marmaro" or marble. The church kept its Doric style of the 4th century, even after it was converted to a Christian church.

Next, you are on to Mesa Gonia. This village suffered greatly during the 1956 earthquake, and many of its residents abandoned it to settle in the nearby village of Kamari. However, the village has made a comeback of late, and is certainly worth visiting for its traditional architecture.

Nearby is the village of Exo Gonia, where you'll visit the famous church of Panagia Episkopi, a Byzantine-style church dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The church was built at the end of the 11th century with all expenses paid by the Byzantine emperor Alexios Komninos.

Your tour then takes you to one of the island's most famous modern wineries. Viniculture is an ancient art in Santorini, and the fact that vines thrive at all is amazing considering the fact that the island has limited water resources. Fortunately, the volcanic soil is an excellent medium for producing grapes, especially the Assyrtiko grape--a rare, white variety.

The cable cars are busy, it's recommended you allow plenty of time to queue and take your tender boat back to your ship.