Imerovigli – The Towns on the Santorini Caldera
Imerovigli is one of the towns ringing the caldera of Santorini, perched nearly 1,000 feet above the azure blue waters of the Aegean Sea. Imerovigli is actually not a town itself, but a neighborhood of the town of Thira (Fira) a couple of kilometers to the south. While Thira extends inland and away from the rim of the Santorini caldera, Imerovigli’s residents are almost all entirely at the rim of the caldera.
The town of Imerovigli is famous for its beautiful unobstructed sunset views. Imerovigli sits positioned at the highest point of the caldera as well as in the center of the caldera, providing a powerful visual wall of scenery.
During my stay in Imerovigli, we watched the sunset from the balcony of the Tholos Resort and avoiding the crowds that gather in Oia to watch the sunset there. The sunsets were just as striking and beautiful and you can do it comfortably reclined in your balcony with the howling of the Aegean wind the only other sound. In fact, Imerovigli’s nickname is the “Balcony of the Aegean” as practically every resident has a balcony directly facing the Santorini caldera.
Imerovigli on the Santorini caldera has many churches designed in the Cycladic white architectural style. Two notable churches in Imerovigli are the church of Ai-Stratis in the town center and the Monastery of Saint Nikoloas between Imerovigli and Thira on the main road connecting the towns. On Skaros, the rock outcropping in front of Imerovigli is another church, the Chapel of Panagia Theoskepasti, with an impressive view of the caldera, Oia, Thira and Akrotiri on all sides.
Imerovigli used to be completely located on Skaros until an earthquake in 1956 totally destroyed Imerovigli leaving many of the houses on the caldera abandoned. Skaros was previously home to the capital of Santorini and was the first fortification built on the island. Repeated earthquakes over the centuries have destroyed the administrative offices as well as the fortifications built to protect Santorini from marauding medieval pirates.
However, in the early 1970s, tourists rediscovered the “Balcony of the Aegean” and reconstruction of new hotels and resorts continue to this day in Imerovigli. However, Imerovigli still retains its reputation as a luxurious yet quiet village and one of the best spots on Santorini for your stay.
In Imerovigli, there are a couple small supermarkets, a car/buggy/motorcycle rental center, small traditional Greek restaurants and a couple beer gardens. The Santorini main bus line stops in Imerovigli and can take you either to Oia in the north or Thira to the south.