The boat takes you down to the black land of Nea Kameni. You climb the path leading to the largest crater of the active volcano of Santorini. by now, you can smell the sulfur, you notice active steamers, the red and black rocky layers below your feet and you feel that the history of the island is playing before your eyes like a film. It was around 1613 – 1614 BC when the colossal Minoan Eruption caused most of the ancient Santorini (then called Strogili) to sink. The prehistoric settlement of Akrotiri was buried under tons of lava, the islands within a 37-mile radius were completely destroyed and a huge tsunami swept away everything in its path, reaching as far as the coast of Crete. At that time, the famous sea basin (Caldera) was formed, with a diameter of 6.2 miles, while Aspronisi, Thirassia, Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni were the souvenirs left behind by lava throughout the centuries. Back to the present, you gaze at the contemporary settlements of the caldera, which makes you feel small in the face of nature and blessed to have lived the magnificence of Santorini. Except for the walk around the craters, you may swim into the hot sulphide springs of Saint Nikolaos in Palea kameni.
