There are a handful of places where ancient societies have spawned, prospered for centuries, and are still remembered today. The Khans conquering the harsh realities of The Step, the Polynesians mastering naval navigation in hand-carved wooden boats, the indigenous peoples of the American continents who thrived long before their discovery, the Africans who cowed the mighty Nile to flourish in an unyielding desert. Throughout the world ancient societies still fascinate and draw us in with a lure of simplicity as if to scratch a primitive, compulsive itch we didn’t know we had.

Nestled in the Aegean Sea, amongst her sister Cyclades islands, sits Santorini. For centuries the landscape has been sculpted by the elements. The massive volcano that once rose above the ocean floor now sits laying in wait under cold crystal blue waters as if hugged by the modern-day crescent land mass.

The first European civilizations emerged from Santorini going back to the Bronze Age. The Minoan peoples were known for colorful art, amazing architecture, and some of the first writing systems ever created. It’s amazing to think of all the beauty created on this small piece of land. It was with all this in mind we returned to Greece for the third time in 4 years. We immersed ourselves for 2 weeks to decompress, enjoy the delicious food, and take in the beautiful atmosphere.

Modern Santorini has been broken into 5 islands over the many centuries due to constant activity from the African and European tectonic plates. The namesake and biggest island is actually rather small at around 28 sq miles and only has about 15k residents. Driving is easy and you can see the entire island in a day, but the details can take a long time to experience. Depending on the time of day, certain areas have very different natural phenomena to experience. We posted up on the Southern coast, a stones throw from the beach, and explored the island from there.

For our first side venture we visited the town of Oia on the Northwestern tip of the island; known the world over for their blue roofs and white buildings. This ancient town is first mentioned during the Venetian Republic rule that lasted from 697-1797, but settlements on the same cliff go back to the Greek historian Herodotus who spoke of the Phoenicians inhabiting the land in the 13th century BC. and not long after the Spartans settled on the this small patch of land. Today about half of the narrow little town is made up of the ancient buildings that double as hotels popping out of tiny alleyways, while the other half are private residents rented to tourists in between small cafes, trinket shops and ice cream parlors. There’s little sign of any locals living in Oia, largely due to expense and economic conditions.

We spent the day wandering the narrow streets, finding nooks and crannies that continued to surprise. The classic ancient windmills have been preserved as well as the long standing tradition of using donkeys to transport goods from the small port a little more than a half mile below as the road curves. The position of the town perfectly showcases the natural beauty of the landscape and the changing light throughout the course of the day. Sunsets are so spectacular people come from all over to capture them. Every aspect of this tiny town exudes care and pride for the history and traditions of the past. It’s impossible to not feel lucky for having experienced it.

Several days later we took a break from lounging by the pool for another adventure. This time we wanted to see the island from the water so we booked a boat tour around the inner Cyclades. We boarded a faux pirate ship and set out for a new adventure. Getting to see Oia and Firá from a distance as we set sail gave us a whole new perspective and respect for the layout of these towns that look tenuously perched on the rocky peak.

Our first stop was the volcanic crater land mass in the middle of the crescent. We motored up to the top, beating the rest of the tourists and allowing Logan to leave his mark.

The second stop on the pirate tour was the small populated island of Thirasia. Not many people live on the island but the few that do were some of the nicest we met on the trip. We were famished as we stepped off the boat so we headed for one of the many cafes positioned on the coast. We’ll always remember Tony’s as the best Gyro we’ve ever had.

A few days later we got to experience the modern capital on Santorini, Firá. The town sits on the spine of the island a little over a thousand feet (400 meters) above the rugged coast. Firá became the capital in the 18th century at the end of the Venetian Occupation. Slowly people left Skaros for Firá, which had been started a about hundred years before, as the resource allocation changed for the local society.

The brilliant white buildings are all perfectly packed together like a massive jigsaw puzzle with tiny pathways that curve and wind throughout. Little art installations that beg for pictures litter the walls. It’s not a big town but it feels like you can explore all day and still not see all Firá has to offer.

We got to see breathtaking vistas framed by the deep blue waters of the Aegean, renaissance era churches, and Logan got to spend some pocket money on a few trinkets.

After we’d wandered and taken in the city for a few hours, we took a break and headed to a local winery. Santorini is known for growing grapes in a unique style. The daily gusts of wind force the farmers to wrap the vines in a nest shape to preserve the harvest. This changes the flavor profile, the type of grape that thrives and creates less stress on the grapes themselves - the landscape is harsh enough to get great results. Vintners from all over the world visit Santorini to study the rare practices and products on the island.

Greek food is delicious but to really experience the flavors it’s necessary to break away from the standard Gyro spots. Doreen found a sweet spot for dinner a few nights later on the coast. It took us a few tries to find the exact path down to the beach but we finally made our way to the most beautiful quaint family run restaurant. Built into the rocks, the place has a fully operational kitchen along with caves one of the daughters uses as a display for her art alongside the massive wine collection. A few times in our lives we’ve been privileged to experience the most raw form of culinary delights where the meal is prepared from the catch pulled out the water earlier that day. The elder patriarch played backgammon while the father brought in the catch and the son played host and waited the tables. The food was incredible and it was a joy to experience generations of culinary knowhow.

Like many islands with volcanic activity, Santorini has pockets of dense iron deposits which create some beautiful deep red sand beaches. We’ve seen some cool red sand beaches in our travels but this one was perhaps the largest we’ve seen so far. A short morning hike around the South side of the island, we found a beautiful beach still untouched for the day. In a matter of hours it would be full of tourists swimming in the crystal blue water and enjoying the sun, but for the brief time we were there we got to enjoy it all by ourselves.

The modern trappings of life make it nearly impossible to truly understand the success and interworkings of humans who lived thousands of years ago. We study them with a sense of archeology in the same fashion we do extinct animals. We lay a perspective on their existence, honed longer than these societies existed, in an effort to understand and make sense when all we need to do is detach ourselves and just experience the reality. The simpleness of the Greek lifestyle is alluring while the beauty that surrounds is comforting.

Santorini is popularized the world over. The blue roofs, ancient windmills and classic donkey depictions are pictured in high end art down to 1€ playing cards. It’s easy to fall into the trap of visiting and only seeing the surface level. Cruise ships came and went while we were there. The hustle of the travelers shuffling to the picture spot and then back to the boat flowed like clockwork. The beauty of Santorini is in the details, not in the facades, and for that, it’ll be in our memories forever.