//
The barren "New Burnt Island", only 2 km in diameter, is the summit of the current volcano in the centre of the caldera. The island is the result of volcanic eruptions during historic times; the oldest rock still at the surface is from about 1570. The volcano is dormant today, but eruptions have occurred as recently as 1950, when the newest lava dome was extruded. Volcanologists from the Institute for the Study and Monitoring of the Santorini Volcano continuously monitor the activity levels. It is only a 10 minute boat journey from Fira Old Port; there are daily boat tours from numerous tour agencies. A 1 km hiking trail over uneven gravel leads to active sulpher vents and the 130 m summit. There are no supplies, shade, or toilets on the island so come well prepared; bring loads of water! Proper hiking shoes are a necessity.
Nea Kameni is a small, uninhabited Greek island of volcanic origin located in the Aegean Sea, within the flooded Santorini caldera. Nea Kameni and the neighbouring small island Palea Kameni have formed over the past two millennia through repeated eruptions of dacite lava and ash. The Roman historian Cassius Dio records in the year 47 CE "This year a small islet, hitherto unknown, made an appearance close to the island of Thera." Cassius' report may refer to Palaia Kameni. Pliny the Elder reported the emergence of a new island on July 8, in the year of the consulship of M. Junius Silanus and L. Balbus, thus 19 CE.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Cathedral built in 1827, traditionally styled with an outside courtyard space and nicely decorated interior. It was heavily damaged by the 1956 earthquake but subsequently restored to its former glory.
It houses artefacts from Proto-Cycladic culture of the 3rd millennium BC, and continues on to the Classical period.
Exhibition of work by French artist J.R. Tourte, who moved to Greece before the outbreak of the Second World War and toured the Cyclades until his death in 1972. His work consists of watercoloured scenes of all the major Cycladic Islands along with maps drawn by the artist. Most of the scenes show the authentic islands before they became tourist attractions. The exposition area is in tunnels underground, and are pleasantly cool during hot summer days.
Theatre famous for its play The Greek Wedding, a comedy set in 1940s Greece.
Καθεδρικός ναός του Αγίου Ιωάννη του Βαπτιστή
Parish of the Roman Catholic Church in Fira, serving as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santorini founded in 1204. The baroque church building in blue-gray and cream colours was built in 1823 and restored in 1970 after the earthquake of 1956.
Founded in 1595, it is the oldest Catholic nunnery in Greece, but the current building dates from 1864. The church was consecrated in 1825 as the Church of the Virgin of the Rosary, but was severely damaged during the 1956 earthquake and subsequently repaired. The sanctuary behind the altar in the church is the icon of Our Lady of the Rosary with St. Dominic and St. Catherine flanked by statues of St. Joseph.