Incentives

Firpostefani Area

Once a separate village, but now a neighbourhood of Fira, Firostefani offers a magnificent view of the volcano and therefore brings together some of the most popular and luxurious accommodation on the island.

The settlement owes its name, "crown of Fira", to its location, around Fira and with a difference in altitude, it offers the best view of perhaps the most famous landscape in the world.

Santorini came under western rule in 1207 as part of the Duchy of the Αrchipelago. The first governor of the island was appointed Baron James I Barozzi. Already in Byzantine times, piracy was the greatest danger for the inhabitants of the Aegean. Christian and Muslim pirates ravaged the islands, terrorizing the inhabitants. In Santorini, the inhabitants would seek protection by taking refuge behind the walls of the fortified settlements of the island, which were the centres of the regions. Firostefani, along with Imerovigli, Vourvoulo, Kontochori, Karderado, and Messaria were part of the district of the fortress of Skaros where the majority of the island's Catholic inhabitants were concentrated and was the capital of Santorini for the period of Venetian rule. Gradually Skaros was abandoned due to seismic activity and in the 18th century Fira became the capital of Santorini.

Like most of the Aegean islands, where the life of the inhabitants was for centuries connected with the dangers of the sea, Santorini has many churches, smaller and larger ones and monasteries. Perhaps the most famous church on the island is the Catholic church of Panagia of Agioi Theodoroi, located in Firostefani. The unique name of the church is due to the merger in 1757 of two underground churches that existed at the site.

The church of St George Sfoungatas , built in 1777, has a similarly unusual name. According to legend, a child had given the saint a "sfoungaton" (a pie with eggs, cheese and zucchini) to thank him. However, sailors who arrived at the church to venerate the saint ate the pie only to find that the exit door remained closed. They were forced to pay the Saint so that they could leave, but the temple was given the nickname "Sfoungatas".

Residents, workers and visitors of the island move through its winding, traditional alleys. The traditional architecture with the predominance of white and blue, the energy of the caldera, the sun, the sea and the volcano make up the energy that has made Santorini famous. In the centre of the village is the square of Firostefani where the unique open-air sculpture of Santorini is placed. The wall-mounted metal sculpture called San Body depicts the island of Santorini in the form of a cluster of human bodies. It is the work of artist Vangelis Roussos (Pepos) who was inspired by the culture and tradition of the island.