Imerovigli
Imerovigli also known as "The Balcony of Santorini” is situated at the north part of the island, at 3 kilometers from Fira, just 10 kilometers away from the airport and Athinios harbor. Is build on the highest spot of the Caldera, 300 meters above the sea, overlooking the famous Santorini Volcano, the opposite islands of the bay, the sunset and the sparkling Aegean sea.
Imerovigli derives from the words Imera and Vigli meaning Day and Watchtower due to its privileged location on the highest point of the island which made it an ideal observatory from where the inhabitants used to watch the sea for pirate attacks.
Access to Imerovigli is easy by bus, taxi and car rental or you can walk as it is very close to the capital of the island, Fira.
It has been declared a traditional settlement conserving the pattern of the Cycladic architecture. Is surrounded by whitewashed houses, flowery gardens, narrow cobblestone paths and beautiful churches creating a dreamy scenery, which satisfies even the most romantic ones.
Here, the visitors can find a range of accommodation from cozy family-run hotels to five-star luxury all-inclusive hotels, rooms to let and villas and enjoy a delightful selection of taverns and restaurants serving delicious dishes, with romantic rooftop terraces affording amazing views of world-renowned sunsets and the Aegean sea.
Imerovigli is a slight quiet village suitable for those who love tranquility and want to avoid the crowded bustling resorts of the island. It is ideal for the romantic ones and the nature lovers. Here you can go for long walks along the panoramic alleys or the old path, where the views are amazing and the nature is extraordinary.
On the seaward side of the village is located an enormous rock called Skaros. Skaros was one of five fortresses on the island and the most important one. It was never taken in its 600 years despite several sieges. It was destroyed in the 1956 earthquake but the ruins are still an impressive site. Skaros gives beautiful views west across the Aegean Sea and inland across all Santorini.
Between the villages of Firostefani and Imerovogli you will find the nunnery of Agios Nikolaos, which was built in 1651 and belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church, since its construction. In the monastery there is a significant Byzantine icon of St. Nicholas and a beautiful carved wooden relics.
Do not miss visiting the chapel of Theoskepasti, built on the edge of a cliff in front of Skaros, overlooking the caldera and the church of Panagia Malteza. The church of Panagia Malteza bares this name, because its icon of the Holy Virgin was found by a captain of the island, floating in the Port of Malta. He brought the icon to Imerovigli village and build the church. The church has a magnificent iconostasis carved wooden screen and icons depicting Old Testament scenes.