This is the iconic photo that every visitor to Santorini wants to capture, the blue domes and whitewashed houses in the village of Oia, Santorini. While I found the scenery visually captivating, I was more curious about the history of the cave architecture of Santorini – how it came about and why it evolved in … Read more
Throughout its history, Santorini island in Greece has been shaped by volcanism. The island first appeared about two-million years ago when volcanic craters emerged from the Aegean Sea. Initially, the craters united into a small round island with a caldera in the center. Herodotus tells us that the island’s first name, Strongili (meaning “the round … Read more
The cute neighborhood known as Little Venice in Mykonos Town is named for its unique houses, cafes, and shops, many of which jut out over the Aegean Sea. In centuries past, when seafaring was a major industry in the area, sea captains built grand mansions along this shoreline. Later, it was a favorite haunt of … Read more
I was more than a little puzzled when I first saw the Windmills of Kato Mili on the Greek island of Mykonos. This tiny speck of granite in the far eastern Mediterranean seemed an unlikely place to find windmills. Eager to know more, I climbed the low hill from the neighborhood of Little Venice to … Read more
Today the Temple of Zeus stands in ruins, its 34 massive columns toppled and scattered in pieces around the Sanctuary of Ancient Olympia. But in 457 B.C., it was one the ancient world’s great structures. Built to honor the Greek god Zeus, the temple stood 68 feet high and was crowned with sculpted front and … Read more
