Thirassia Island - Santorini

Thirassia, the little island lying opposite la, is one of the fragments that survived the great eruption of circa 1600 BC that blew ancient Strongyli to bits, and it has never been "joined" the mainland again in any sense. The people of Thirassia live in a wholly different world from "them from across". Nothing seems to have changed since the days when everyone worked for Nomikos' ships, and people closed their shutters across the windows the moment they spotted a "foreigner".

Thirassia is pure Aegean village. From the moment you dock at Riva and the "taxi" arrives to take you up the hill, you'd swear the clock had rolled back thirty years. Long before the Caldera is lost to view, the landscape has become wild - burning sun, cactus, shrubs, tomato plants -and total wilderness. The air is filled with the scent of the wild herbs that grow in profusion everywhere. Before long, you catch sight of Potamos, the smaller of the island's two villages. Tinted bell towers and brightly houses: yellow, blue, turquoise, pink and green - you might almost think you were in Sicily.