
Windmill and white houses at sunset, Oia, Santorini, Greece

by Neale And Judith Clark
Title
Windmill and white houses at sunset, Oia, Santorini, Greece
Artist
Neale And Judith Clark
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Windmill and traditional white houses at sunset in the village of Oia, Santorini, Thira, Cyclades Islands, Greek Islands, Greece, EU, Europe
Oia is a small village and former community in the South Aegean on the islands of Thira (Santorini)
Oia is a scenic village on the north west edge of the Santorini island within the Cyclades.It is built on the steep slope of the caldera and the houses and restaurants are built into niches carved into the caldera on the seaward side. There are narrow passageways and a central square. The sun light hours in this village are much longer than in the Fira town. Its paths are very narrow and hence gets congested during the tourist season. The idyllic surroundings of the town have a complex of white washed, blue domed churches and charming, traditional Cycladic houses and cave houses that are carved into the rock face on top of the cliff. It is set in a location which provides excellent views of the sunset over the caldera It extends for almost 2 km (1.2 miles) along the northern edge of the caldera that forms the island of Santorini, at a height of between 70 and 100 m (230 and 330 feet) above sea level.
The town is noted for its white and blue domed houses. The houses are painted in white lime water so that the rainwater which falls over it runs down and can be collected. The other reason for painting the houses white is for aesthetic purposes. The other explanation given is that during the Ottoman rule of Greece, which lasted for over 400 years, Greeks were not allowed to fly their white flag. In defiance, in Oia they painted their entire housing complex in white with domes giving the village an effective white perspective and elegance. Impressive houses in the town are those "cliff houses" built in the niches carved into the caldera slopes with provision of air-filled pumice which provides insulation benefits to the building, keeping it warm in winter and cool in summer
Alamy reference E97K84
Uploaded
January 12th, 2020
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