Fira - The capitol of Santorini

The town of Fira stands out like a white eagles' nest, hanging between sea and sky. The climb from the bay to the Fira can be made by foot for those who want to try their strength, climbing 600 steps of the road, or with cable railroad.

The capitol of the island was moved to Fira from Pyrgos Kalistis in the begging of the 19th century. Now Fira is growing town with a population of about 2000 people, which lives in the present but tries to retain the local traditions of the past.

In the summer, a loud and good natured crowd of people strolls, carefree, on the roads which are parallel to the cliff and the small streets that cross them. The central part of the Fira, the market , is here. Numerous shops offer a great variety of merchandise, satisfying even the most demanding customers. Also, the offered , from the cheapest (cotton shirts and blouses) to the most expensive (furs and jewelry) give it particular accent which is quite interesting to the visitors. The visit to the picturesque market of Fira is a pleasant walk. Small houses dug in the land, one or two storied, have a view of either the sea or the land. Lit and crowded against each other , as they are, on the top of the cliff, they seem to be wanting to support each other, so they can reach outward, over the abyss.

Terraces of houses which are not terraces but balconies or passages, vaults and archways, and small, white, decorated facades. Straight lines are unknown, everything is in curves, giving a unique architectural characteristics to the houses of Fira which are sunk inside the earth. "Skafta" (dug) as the locals call them, they are built from stone and earth fro island.

Do not wonder if, when passing trough the door or a building which is, at first glance, one storied, you walk many steps down and yet do not end in some dank and dark basement, but, when you open your window, you see the sea reflecting the sun, although you have descended two or three stories inside the earth.

At Fira, buildings do not have height, they have depth.