Loved by mortals, with a landscape which combines the wildness of the western coastline with the sweet calm and stillness of the eastern shore, Santorini – or Thera as it is otherwise known – is an island of terrifying contrasts, a place where one can feel the tremors of the volcano which still seethes within its entrails… Historical witnesses from Herodotus onwards attest that the island was once called ‘Kalliste’ because of its beauty and ‘Strongyli’ because of its round shape. The archaeological investigation of the island began in the mid-19th century, but almost a century was to pass until 1967 when the archaeologist Spyridon Marinatos started to excavate at Akrotiri. There, one of the most important prehistoric settlements - not only of the Aegean but also of the whole Mediterranean - was destined to be brought to light; the finds from the site provided an enhanced documentation of a civilisation spanning at least two and a half millenia, from 4000 to 1500 BC…