Pýrgos - Profítis Ilías - Théra - Períssa
Evaluation:
Just like the hike from Firà to Ia, also the trip to the 567-metres
high summit of the Profítis Ilías, to the ancient Théra and then
continuing to the beach of Períssa is a must when hiking on the island
of Santoríni. Estimated time:
The hike in itself takes about
1h50 (actual walking time):
40 minutes to the summit of the Profítis
Ilías,
another 40
minutes to descend to the parking place at the ancient Théra
and 25 minutes to get to Períssa.
(0h00) You take the street paved with
small pebbles (in between a palm tree and the café Johnnie): the street starts
to the left of the main road to the Profítis Ilías and runs parallel to it (mark
[1] a little more below). You thus get to a square with the same pavement. To
the left and behind the square, you find a narrow street that goes to the right
[1]. Your walk
[1]
continues straight
and gets a little later to the asphalt road, where you take a left. You
follow this road for about 4 minutes, and then you see on the left side
a little concrete road, that further on becomes a paved road. There is a
sign "Profitis Ilias by foot",
underneath a cross; there
is also a new hiking sign "Profítis Ilías
40' / Archéa Théra 1u30".
This
beautiful trail goes up gradually, between walls – first on a ridge
and then on the slope of the mountain. Along the way you notice plenty
of vineyards on the slopes towards Akrotíri on your right-hand side –
used for the famous sweet white wine of Santoríni. Behind you, the
panoramic view on Pýrgos + Firá is really beautiful.
fter 23 minutes you
cross the asphalt road and on the opposite side you find a narrower path
that continues midst pumice stone. Another 3 minutes later you reach the
asphalt road once more, at the foot of some military buildings. You
follow the road on the right and after a couple of minutes you already
get to the monastery, on the top of the Profítis Ilías, where you also
notice 5 large and a couple of small aerials – it has just been
40
minutes since you left Pýrgos. |
(0h42) The continuation of the walk starts to the left of the buildings, next to a heavy electricity pole, where there is a breach in the wall. |
The
trail to the ancient Théra goes up on the opposite hill Mésa Vounó (366
m). The excavations of the ancient Théra already started in 1816 and
they extend over some 800 metres. They show remnants of housing from the
9th century AD until the Roman time. There are remnants of a couple of
agora's (market places), plenty of houses, a small theatre, Roman baths,
cisterns, a holy road, etc. You definitely have to walk all the way to
the end, till the terrace of the Gymnopaidia, supported by large
retaining walls. These Gymnopaidia date from the 6th century AD and it
was the place where naked boys danced to celebrate the god Apollo. The
view over Períssa is extraordinary!
Be careful,
though, the excavations are closed on Mondays and every other day after
3pm.
[If you want to go
down to Kamári, you have to take first the asphalt road that descends
zigzaging; from the second bend to the right onwards, here is a path to Kamári.]
On the right hand
side of the parking lot you will find a monopáti that descends to
Períssa. At first the path describes some steep hairpin bends, but then
it continues rather horizontally. The views to the right and behind you
on the gigantic rock of the Profítis Ilías are impressive. After about
15 minutes you see Períssa in front of you and a little further down
there is a path off the left. By taking this trail you reach the small
chapel of Agios Geórgios, after climbing up for about 5 minutes. This
chapel is located high up and underneath a leaning rock. Some picnic
tables and the attractive shade are inviting you to stay here for a
while – a stay that will definitely not be disturbed by many people.
Back on the main
trail you continue down by taking a right. After some wide hairpin bends
and then a flat stretch you get down to a gravel road. You are now on
the west side of the last houses and some hotels with swimming pools of Períssa.
You follow this
gravel road to the left for about 30-40 metres and in this way you get
to the asphalt road. You take a left on this road, towards the sea. You
then reach a little square, with the excavations of a Christian church
on the left, and with also the terminus of the buses to Firà. At
the beach there is a nice tavern on the left, "Restaurant Tavern
Markos": this is a beautiful spot to eat something. On
the right of the tavern you can find some changing cubicles and on the
black beach you can rent beach chairs. On the beach there are lots of
trees, which is great after a hot and exhausting hike. Quite regularly,
small boats arrive at the beach, which can take you around the cape to Kamári. If you walk a little further back on the beach, or if you swim
in the sea, you can easily see the large terrace of the Gymnopaidia...
After having spent a couple of hours on the beach, and maybe an evening
dinner on one of the terraces, you can take the bus back to Firà.
[If
you want to hike from Períssa up to Théra and/or the Profítis Ilías,
this is a description of the beginning of this hike: in between the
Restaurant Tavern Markos (at the far end of the beach) and the Corner
Bar (near the bus stop) you can find a little square: at this point you
have to take the asphalt road inland, in the direction of the antennae
on the Profítis Ilías. After some 5 minutes there is a gravel road off
the right (a sign points to "Ancient Thira") and again 30-40
metres further on you will find our trail going up on the right.]