ATHENS

Athens is the historical capital of Europe, with a long history, dating from the first settlement in the Neolithic age. In the 5th Century BC (the “Golden Age of Pericles”) – the culmination of Athens’ long, fascinating history – the city’s values and civilization acquired a universal significance. Over the years, a multitude of conquerors occupied Athens, and erected unique, splendid monuments – a rare historical palimpsest. In 1834, it became the capital of the modern Greek state and in two centuries since it has become an attractive modern metropolis with unrivalled charm.

A large part of the town’s historic centre has been converted into a 3-kilometre pedestrian zone (the largest in Europe), leading to the major archaeological sites (“archaeological park”), reconstructing – to a large degree – the ancient landscape.

SANTORINI

A thousand sunsets, a thousand memories, a thousand heartbeats, colors of blue red & gold streaking the sky … this is Santorini island … Poets have written about it, artists attempt to capture its beauty. Nothing can quite describe … the unsurpassed magic of Santorini. This tiny Greek island in the Aegean sea, rich in history & steeped in myth, is situated on the southern east tip of the Cyclades Cluster. According to Herodotus, the island was initially called Strongyle (the Round one). Later, because of its beauty, it was called Kalliste (the Fairest one). The Phoenicians came to Kalliste and there they settled. After the Phoenicians, the Lacedaemonians arrived and gave the island the name of their leader, Theras.
The group of islands known as Santorini is unique. Probably the only volcano with a caldera that reaches into the sea, the last major explosion occurred during the Minoan Bronze Age 3,600 years ago. The thunderous fury of nature left its mark on the island, the home of Greece’s last active volcano which still smolders today. The entire center of the circular island sank into the sea during the tremendous volcanic explosion. The eruption caused tidal waves which virtually wiped out the advanced Minoan Civilization of Crete, 70 miles to the south.