Visit authentic Greek vineyards and discover where wine comes from. The three must-visit wine productions on the island are Hatziemmanouil, Petra Marinou and Triantafyllopoulos.

In the Céramique district, you still feel the industrial past, even though you’re standing in the newest and most modern part of the city. It’s the kind of place where you look up and keep looking, to take in the impressive architecture, even as the ground around you buzzes with culture and activity. Céramique arose in the early 1990s on the site of ‘Société Céramique,’ a ceramics factory that operated from 1850 to 1985, best known for its tableware. When the factory was offered for sale to the municipality in the late 1980s, the idea to redevelop the area as a quality residential and commercial district quickly emerged, and Government Architect Jo Coenen was engaged to develop a master plan. One of his fundamental premises was to bring something of a Mediterranean feel to this part of the city. To achieve this, he brought in luminary architects from southern Europe for the design of the various residential and business complexes. The result is a total package of architectural high point after high point, like Mario Botta’s ‘La Fortezza,’ Alvaro Siza’s ‘Tower of Siza,’ and perhaps the crowning glory, Aldo Rossi’s Bonnefanten Museum. But despite all the forward-looking architecture, the connection to the past remains, in the street names, remnants of older buildings and tableware that turn up unexpectedly, and the exhibitions in the Bonnefanten Museum and Centre Céramique. Each and every one is a golden thread of history interwoven into the fabric of today.

Venetian rule in Santorini extended from 1207 to 1580, and the last vestiges of this historical period live in the castles that dot the entire island. Five fortresses can be found in Santorini in Oia, Pyrgos, Emporio, Akrotiri, and Skaros, which have been partly demolished by the earthquakes that shook the island in the 15th and 16th centuries. Skaros is probably the most important and well-preserved among the five castles, built on the peak of the namesake rock to protect the village from pirate attacks. The ruins of the once magnificent fortress can be reached on foot from Agios Georgios church in Imerovigli, connected to Skaros by a 0,5 km walking trail and a long stairway.

Magnificent Roman ruins are found at The Western Excavation. Amidst the 4th Century B.C monuments, you will find the important remains of the ancient gymnastic ground called Xystos and the western public baths. The Roman Odeon amphitheatre is also close to this place.