Every month, residents in participating affiliated communities will learn about a different city or country through engaging activities, fun facts, and delicious cuisine through the Port of Call program. During July, the Port of Call theme is Santorini, Greece!

About Santorini

Santorini is an island located south of Greece’s mainland along the Aegean Sea. The Greek island los is located to the north, and the Greek island Anafi is located east of Santorini.¹

Present-day Santorini was first discovered during the 3^rd millennium BC and was colonized by the Minoan Empire. Control of Santorini varied over the next several centuries to include the Phoenicians, Lacedaemonians, Maroc Saundo, and the Ottomans. Then, in 1821, Greece declared independence from the Ottomans on May 5th.²

Today, about 20,000 people live in Santorini.³ The official language of Santorini is Greek, but many citizens can speak English.⁴ Santorini has a warm and humid climate in the summers and a cool and clear climate in the winters. On average, temperatures range from 80 to 85 degrees in the summer, and 49 to 55 degrees in the winter.⁵

Attractions in Santorini

If you love to relax on a beach, you could visit Perissa Black Sand Beach located along the southeastern shore of Santorini. This beach got its black sand because of a volcanic eruption centuries ago. While at the beach, you could relax under a tiki umbrella, ride a jet ski, or enjoy a beautiful sunset.⁶

Another attraction you could visit is the Akrotiri. Akrotiri is an archaeological site located in southwestern Santorini. This site has preserved ruins from the Bronze Age dating back to 3300 to 1200 BCE. While at Akrotiri, you will be able to walk along the excavations and see various artifacts.⁷

Another attraction you could visit is the Domaine Sigalas Winery located in northern Santorini. While visiting, you could enjoy a tasting of their reds, whites, and dessert wines. If you are looking to spend most of your day there, you could take part in the Sigalas Experience. The Sigalas Experience features a sommelier giving a guided tour of the winery, followed by a tasting of five of their limited production wines alongside specialty dishes prepared by their chef.⁸

If you are looking for a fun all-day adventure, you could go on the Santorini Volcanic Island Cruise. While on this six-hour cruise experience, an expert tour guide will lead you on a hike up the Nea Kameni volcano, swim in the Palea Kameni hot springs, and spend time on Thirassia island. Throughout the tour, you will see views of the caldera and Santorini coastline.⁹

Santorini Cuisine

Santorini’s cuisine is heavily influenced by the fact that the island did not have electricity until the 1960s. Because of this, Santorinians fished, hunted birds, bred sheep and pigs, and grew a variety of fruits and vegetables, capers, and beans.¹⁰ Here are Santorini’s most popular dishes:

• Gyros. Gyros are a classic Greek dish that can consist of tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and Tzatziki sauce with the option of having chicken, pork, or lamb.¹¹
• Fava. Fava is a creamy puree made from yellow split peas topped with raw onion, capers, olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon.¹²
• Tomatokeftedes. Tomatokeftedes are tomato fritters made with a dough fried in olive oil, mint, onion, parsley, and spices.¹³
• Spanakopita. Spanakopita is a dessert made up of filo pastry and filled with feta and spinach.¹⁴

Activities for the Port of Call

Every month, the participating Life Enrichment Departments at the affiliated communities will offer fun activities that celebrate the Port of Call city. All activities are subject to change, and these lists are not final. Here are some examples of the activities the affiliated communities plan to offer.

Bath Manor

Bath Manor plans on doing a tasting of Greece featuring Feta cheese, olives, pita bread, hummus, and Greek yogurt with honey. They also plan on creating a tissue paper mosaic craft using Santorini’s signature colors, blue and white!

Greentree

Greentree plans on learning Greek words and trivia, make Greek salad, paint a Santorini-inspired canvas, and enjoy mocktails while listening to Greek music.

Orchard Manor

Orchard Manor plans on learning about Santorini through a presentation, have a tasting of Greek food, play Greek Olympic games, and watch a documentary on Greece.