Welcome to the Santorini SMART Buses! Sightseeing with the ...

Hyposkafa, due to their vaulted roofing and flexible construction material have anti-seismic
properties. Even more, porous pumice is a good isolating material, therefore ensures relatively
stable temperatures inside the house. Last but not least, the only element connecting the house
with the outside world was a narrow front wall, so that the dwelling was hard to find by pirates.
While landlords had their kastelia, farmers had their own barricades within hyposkafa.
Many houses on Santorini are half-built – they are carved in the rock, but their façade is not
limited to the front wall, but is built, to make the construction more spacious. It is not difficult
to spot both types of constructions in Vothonas.
Strolling around:
The northern descent to the village
is by a stairway from the public
road, next to the public school.
From this stairway you have a short
walk to the yellow-colored church
of Aghia Anna (left turn before an
arch), or you can continue straight
forward (pass through the arch),
along street Ilia Anaplioti. This
street runs along the galley. On
both its sides you will see rocky
walls, literally perforated with
numerous cave houses, so that
hardly a piece of untouched rock
can be seen. After some 5 minutes
of walking you will get to the end
of the inhabited area where more hyposkafa can bee seen. Some of them are abandoned and
the surroundings gradually become wilder and greener. For next 60 m the way is dominated
by wild nature, so that you will never get tired with this walk. It will take you to a church of
Aghios Prokopios, which is carved in the rock.
There is also another church carved
in the rock, which Vothonas is
famous for. This one is called
Panagia Sergena, or more popularly
– Panagia tis Trypas. If you return
from Aghios Prokopios, just by
the first opportunity turn left and
go to the west. From the northern
entrance, take a right turn before
the arch and then take another right
turn to the west, so that soon you
will pass next to the salmon-colored
church of Aghia Triada. Just below is
one more church in a cave. Proceed
to the west. Both streets finally
will lead you to the big church of
Panagia (faded salmon color). Have
a look at the fascinating front walls
of the cave houses around there. Then proceed along the street SW, along the galley. There
are roughly 300 m to go. The inhabited area ends here. The street leads now among mostly
abandoned caves. A whitewashed church high up on the slope can make your heart beats faster,
but this is not your final destination. Anyways, you can climb up the 85 steps leading to the
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