Near to the bakery in Akrotiri village, typical Santorini church bells lie below the Venetian Castle. Not far away is the archaeological site of Akrotiri where extensive ruins of a Bronze Age settlement have been enclosed within a substantial structure. Walkways enable us to walk among the excavated section of the Minoan port town, covered in volcanic ash in the 16th century.

The 13th-century castle above the church was constructed during the Venetian occupation of the island as a defensive fortress in place of an old Byzantine watchtower.

Beaches in the Akrotiri area are named after the colour of the cliffs that rise above them - we walk to get views of Red Beach and White Beach

Located on the southwestern tip of Santorini,

the Akrotiri lighthouse is one of a number of sights worth viewing in the area

Tuesday, September 26th: we visit the village of Fira, the capital of Santorini. Here is the Museum of Prehistoric Thira that displays items from the destroyed Bronze Age settlement of Akrotiri that we visited yesterday, including wall paintings and ceramics, but we find that it is closed today. Fira’s clifftop location affords views of Nea Kameni, the still-active volcanic island that we visited on our cruise, and the caldera