This Emporio Page is from the Simply Santorini website – an insiders guide to getting the most from Thira - the honeymoon island. Santorini hotels, resorts, romantic locations, beaches, history, sunsets & much more…



Emporio, the largest village of the Greek island of Santorini beckons visitors with its enticing sequence of old windmills on the hillside, its narrow whitewashed alleyways, its gorgeous blue domed churches, a 3rd Century BC sacred site to a pagan goddess and a ruined medieval castle.

EMPORIO

The village itself gets its name from the Greek word for trade – Emporeio, and was the traditional trade center of the island for centuries.

Today visitors can still pick up plenty of bargains like local dried herbs, sun dried tomatoes, capers, honey, wine, ceramic and leather goods.

Sometimes Emporio is spelt as Emborio. See our Spellings section for more on this confusing subject!

Castles & Windmills

On the hill above the village you'll discover the ruins of a fortress from the Byzantine period known as Kasteli.

Another ruin is that of Goulas which is the square medieval castle at the village entrance. It protected the islanders form pirate attack and you can still see the pots, which were filled with hot oil and were spilt onto enemies.

You can also look at the eight historical listed windmills and have an excellent view of the rest of the island.

SANTORINI CATS

In Emporio you'll find some interesting churches like the Agios Nikolaos Marmaritis. It is a former temple and ancient sacred site of the 3rd century B.C. The pure grey marble Doric style square temple to the goddess Vasileia was converted to a Christian church in the 4th century. It was named 'Marmaritis' (marble) after the grey marble of its exterior walls and from the Saint’s marble icon contained within.

Another church of interest is the Metamorphosis of Christ dated back to the early 19th century. The local feast and religious festival of this church takes place at Emporio on August 6th. Another feast takes place on the 22nd of October to honour Agios Averkios, the patron saint of winemakers. Plenty of wine is drunk at the feast to toast this popular saint!

For more on Santorini feast days and festivals and Santorini churches see our Saintly Santorini section.

SANTORINI WINES

It’s a great place to explore the winemaking process, the history of Santorini wines and the all important sampling of the delicious and refreshing wines.

Eating and Drinking

There's lots of choice for eating and drinking in Emporio. There are plenty of good Tavernas, cafes and bars offering tasty food and good wine. Wander around both the traditional village and the commercial centre and your sure to find the right place for you.

Try T'Aaidon or Louki for traditional Greek Taverna food washed down with fantastic Santorini wine. Sample the Tomato Keftedes and the Stuffed Vine Leaves for a real taste of Santorini.

For a livelier choice of nightlife, cocktail bars and international restaurants go along to nearby Perissa.

For top tips about exploring Fira and the island of Santorini see our Getting around Santorini section featuring scooter hire and car rental.

If you love Santorini then you'll love the wonderful Greek island of Crete. Visit our sister site of Completely Crete .Com for all you'll need to know about Crete.

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