To Skaros Rock at sunset

In front of Imerovigli, the highest village on the island of Santorini, Skaros Rock juts out on a narrow peninsula into the wide sweep of the caldera cliffs. As a result, it offers unique views back towards the rocky coastline with the villages of Fira, Firostefani and Oia high above the sea, as well as the islands of Nea Kameni and Thirasia.

I walked down the steps from the panoramic path on the crater rim to a narrow saddle. Just before it, the Chapel of Saint John the Beheaded already offers a striking composition of white Cycladic architecture and the fiery earth tones of volcanic rock under an ethereal blue sky. Far below me, a cruise ship nestled into the protective lee of the coast on this windy autumn day.

From the Middle Ages, this saddle was the entrance to a fortress that stretched across to the vertically rising rock plateau. Founded during the Byzantine Empire in the early 13th century, Skaros was even the capital of the island of Santorini under Venetian rule. With the declining importance of fortified settlements and ultimately due to damage from volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, the site was completely abandoned in the 18th century.

At the tip of the peninsula stands the Holy Church of Panagia Theoskepasti against the panorama of the former volcanic crater. At the north-western end of the crescent, I could see Oia, next to it the island of Thirasia, and in the south-west the other end of Santorini with the Akrotiri lighthouse behind the volcanic island of Nea Kameni.

On the climb back to Imerovigli, I watched a local photographer at a shoot by the chapel, who, like me, was making the most of the fantastic evening atmosphere. Many couples in love come to Santorini specifically for portraits with this unique panorama. Meanwhile, the setting sun flooded the white facades with golden light.

In the evening after this trip, I looked back from the terrace of our accommodation in Firostefani at the destination of today’s excursion: walking along the panoramic coastal path up to Imerovigli and then across to Skaros Rock, which now rose as a dark, massive silhouette against the twilight of dusk.