Imerovigli, Greece
The seven-mile hike from Fira to Oia on Santorini is
considered a top activity on the island and one of the visually most unique
hikes in the world. I have to agree that it’s hard to find a similar type of
scenery with the harmonious juxtaposition of natural beauty and manmade
additions. Some might say Santorini’s white villages are an eyesore on the beauty
of the natural landscape, but I find the interaction of traditional human-built
structures with the natural world to be fascinating and visually appealing. The
truth, of course, is that most of what is on Santorini is modern, but as in
Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, the-modern structures are designed to mimic
the appearance of traditional buildings.
There are not high rise hotels on the island.
Despite being one of the supposed top activities on
Santorini, one of the best things about the hike to Oia is that you can escape
the crowds for most of its distance. The first two miles or so of paved trail through
the resort villages of Firostefani and Imerovigli, essentially northern
extensions of Fira, are quite crowded with the hordes from the cruise ships,
but beyond there the trail is rather empty.
One of the highlights was a short detour to Skaros Rock, a
monolith that juts out into the sky below the caldera rim near Imerovigli. The detour probably added about an hour to
our hike, but was a fun descent and then ascent most of the way up to the top
of the rock. I know my limits, though,
and the scrambling to the top of Skaros was a bit beyond my comfort zone, so I
can’t claim to have conquered it.
As the resorts along the route thin out and spread out north
of Fira, they only seem to get more luxurious, several designed as caves and
many with each room hiving its own private pool. Or course, these private room pools aren’t
much bigger than a jacuzzi, but it’s probably the kind of romantic retreat rich
couples seek. Santorini is apparently a popular honeymoon destination for the
super affluent…and super spendthrift. Passing
one of the poshest-looking resorts, I noticed a woman with covered face and
broad brimmed hat with mucho luggage getting out of a taxi. A room with a
private pool at an isolated resort on Santorini is probably an ideal place to
come for those who want to get out of the New York of Los Angeles limelight
while recovering from plastic surgery.
At many points along the route Santorini’s full topography
came into view, the gentler slopes on the east side, the island’s high point at
Profits Elias, and the crescent shape as well as the walls of the caldera rim
and the three small adjacent islands. We
took a rest on some rocks beside a small chapel to contemplate the views before
the long scenic late afternoon descent into Oia.
2025-05-23