Description

The Megalo Chorio (Large or Grand Village) of Santorini is mentioned in written sources beginning in the mid 17th century, as well as appearing on an 1801 map by Guillaume-Antoine Olivier (a French naturalist, botanist and entomologist who, at age thirty six, set off on a six year expedition to the East funded by the French state and produced, among other things, atlases, maps, and tables related to the natural history of the areas he visited). The many vineyards surrounding the village are a sign of the fertile soil which its inhabitants utilized for centuries to produce fine wine. In the village there are two wineries open to visitors: Venetsanos and Gavalas. The center of the village is dominated by the churches of the Presentation of the Virgin (Eisodion tis Theotoku) and the Saints (Agii) Anargyri. The settlement extends west to the caldera, where a very nice experience is the descent by footpath to the church of the Virgin Mary in Plaka and a visit to Thermi Beach with the little