Santorini
Until 1630 BC, Santorini – which called Kallisti – was just another conical, volcanic island, with a Minoan town on the south shore. The Centre of the island collapsed into the now-empty caldera when one of the most violent known eruptions of its type caused. The sea rushed in to fill it, leaving only the present, crescent-shaped island above water. The attending earthquake triggered a tsunami which accelerated the demise of Minoan Crete.
The island was eventually resettled as ancient Thera, but inhabitants had to contend with repeated tremors and fresh eruptions, which created two islets in the caldera.
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Athens
The Greek capital is undergoing a radical period of urban renewal that did not stop with the 2004 Olympics. The magnificent Acropolis, crowned by the iconic Parthenon temple, rises above the city, watching the sprawling modern metropolis evolve. Athens is now a conspicuously wealthier, more sophisticated cosmopolitan city. The shift is evident in a gradual gentrification and the new art and leisure precincts around town, and in the lifestyles of the hedonistic, trend-conscious Athenians.
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