Visually, Santorini is the most spectacular of the isles in the Cyclades. With its brilliant flooded caldera, high cliffs and charming villages, it is the Greek Isle of everyone’s dreams. Our tour will take us to Santorini’s highest peak, crowned by the Mount Profitis Ilias Monastery. At 883 feet, Mt. Profitis Ilias rugged landscape is largely composed of volcanic rocks as a result of hundreds of eruptions during the last two million years, some of them being large caldera-forming events. Here, in this remote spot, we’ll have an ideal photo opportunity to capture the beauty of this ancient island. We’ll discover the village of Pyrgos, which was the capital of Santorini until 1800. Here we’ll be able to admire the beautiful old houses and the Venetian Fortress crowned by several churches. Our half-day tour then takes us to one of the island’s most famous traditional 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. But the volcanic soil is an excellent medium for producing grapes, especially the Assyrtiko grape – a rare, white variety. After our visit, we’ll drive through the countryside to visit Oia. This traditional Greek village of whitewashed cubes is perched impossibly high on cliffs at the north west tip of the island. Here, take in the stunning views of the island from one of the charming cafés or stroll above the rooftops of the homes carved into the cliffs and gaze into the deep blue waters of the caldera far below. From Oia village, we’ll return to the cliff top town of Fira. Our tour ends here.

Ce village grec traditionnel, composé de cubes blanchis à la chaux, est perché à une hauteur incroyable sur les falaises de la pointe nord-ouest de l'île. Admirez la vue imprenable sur l'île depuis l'un des charmants cafés ou promenez-vous sur les toits des maisons creusées dans les falaises et contemplez les eaux d'un bleu profond de la caldeira, tout en bas.

Pyrgos est le plus grand village préservé de Santorin et l'ancienne capitale de l'île. Stratégiquement construit au cœur de l'arrière-pays pré-volcanique et au pied du mont Profitis Ilias, Pyrgos offre une vue panoramique. Le château vénitien, l'un des cinq de l'île, date du XIIIe siècle. Ce village fortifié, construit en amphithéâtre sur la colline, offre une vue superbe sur les deux côtés de l'île. Le village compte de nombreuses églises : l'église de Theotokaki avec ses magnifiques fresques et ses icônes anciennes, Agia Triada, l'église d'Agia Theodosia, l'église de l'Archange Michel et bien d'autres.

Notre excursion nous mènera au plus haut sommet de Santorin, couronné par le monastère du mont Profitis Ilias. Culminant à 270 mètres, le paysage accidenté du mont Profitis Ilias est en grande partie composé de roches volcaniques résultant de centaines d'éruptions survenues au cours des deux derniers millions d'années, dont certaines ont donné naissance à de grandes caldeiras. Ce lieu isolé nous offrira une occasion idéale de prendre des photos pour immortaliser la beauté de cette île millénaire.

Venetsanos winery or Santo winery, located on the cliffs, overlooking the magnificent caldera of Santorini. The Venetsanos family has a very long tradition in producing wine. Originally was produced for the island and subsequently it was exported extensively, and particularly to countries such as Russia. It was built in 1947 by Venetsanos family and became the first industrial winery on the island. Its most distinguished feature is the structural design, which essentially used gravity, facilitating energy efficiency, at a time when access to electricity and other energy sources was very limited. The winery was built in an unconventional manner constructed from above and moving downwards.