With the bright sunshine dazzling our eyes, at first it is hard to make out the caves in the shadows of the gorge. Unless you are virtually right on top of it , the village of Akrilia is well hidden from view. Our guide, of course, knew exactly which track to follow to find our way here.

 

Having explored the village of Manolas and walked along a track through the countryside, we are now on the far side of the island of Thirassia, the little sister of the better known island  of Thira (more commonly called Santorini).

Walking on, along the top of the gorge, I catch a glimpse of what had tempted me to come on this hike in the first place.

Just before I came to Santorini I had seen a picture of a brightly painted church on the website of Santorini Experts. It was so different from the simple white and blue colouring you normally associate with religious buildings here. I longed to see it for myself. Coupled together with visiting an island barely touched by tourism, as well as an abandoned cave village, how could I resist?

I try to imagine what the village would have looked like with the caves bricked up and painted white and blue, like those we had seen in Manolas, and with the paths cleared of the vegetation that now hide virtually all of them from view.

Once as many as 700 people lived here. They worked in the fields that lead down to the sea, growing the little Santorini tomatoes, fava beans, barley and grapes. The children would have walked the track we had come down to go to school in Manolas, the only school on the island.

However, after the Second World War the tomato paste factories that they supplied all closed down. Working the fields was no longer profitable and in the 1960s the village was abandoned with just a view people remaining until the late 70s.

Today just two villages on Thirassia remain inhabited, Manolas and Potamos, with only around 200 people living on the whole island.

The Church of the Virgin Mary in Akrilia, however, looks anything but abandoned. The paint is clean and bright, as Kathrin our guide explains, no church in Greece is ever abandoned. There is a service held here just once a year on 21st November in memory of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. For anyone who loves photographing doors and windows, you have to admit, rural buildings in Greece are a dream to photograph.

Kathrin has a key and we are privileged to look inside.

And by the way, have you noticed the stones that you see sticking up on the domes of churches in Greece? They are there to stop the devil sitting down, thus protecting the church from evil.

Having explored the abandoned village we walk down to a rough track. A car is waiting to take us to Riva where we’ll meet the boat back to Thira. It’s the first car we’ve seen since we’ve been on the island. Up until just three years ago there wasn’t even a petrol station here. Even now, with so few cars on the island and a full tank lasting a very long time, you have to make an appointment with the garage owner in order to fill up again.

Having spent the last couple of hours walking, we all feel we’ve earned the late lunch that is waiting for us at the Angira Tavern. And what a fabulous feast it is, all washed down with a glass (or two) of the house wine, made by the Priest of Akrilia and Potamus.

With a slightly fuzzy head and a full stomach, we said our goodbyes to the lovely island of Thirassia, having seen a very different side of Santorini.

Read Hiking Santorini 1: Volcanoes, cave houses and the lost city of Atlantis

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 Santorini Experts Guided Walking Tour on Thirassia

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Thanks to Kathrin, my wonderful guide from Santorini Experts. She was informative, friendly and fun and I’m sure the memory of this day will stay with me forever. Afterwards I had a think about just why this tour was so very good. And I think it was because it felt like I was being shown around by a friend rather than someone I had only just met that morning.

This small group walking tour with Santorini Experts costs 60€, lasts 5 hours (plus time for pick-ups and transfers) and includes

• pick-up from your hotel on Thira (Santorini) and transport to Oia
• a return boat trip from Oia to the neighbouring island of Thirassia
• a bottle of water, a drink in Manolas and use of a hiking pole
• your expert guide
• a late lunch with wine

For more information on this and other tours visit the Santorini Experts’ website.

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Disclosure: I paid a reduce rate for this tour but I will always give you my honest opinions and am free to write whatever I like.