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GLOSSARY
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What’s What? SANTORINI’S TR ADEMARKS EXPL AINED IN BRIEF
Kouloura Caldera
From the Spanish word caldera, meaning “cooking pot.” A massive, cauldron-like depression created by the collapse of the volcano. The geological history of the Aegean is written on its steep slopes and cliffs.
Blue domes
The traditional method of training vines to form circular, low-lying baskets on the ground, so that the grapes are protected from strong winds and the hot sun.
The church domes were not originally blue. They were painted this color to match the blue of the sky and the Aegean sea, and have become the island’s trademark.
Kapetanospita
Literally “captain’s houses,” the residences of wealthy merchants or ship owners, built in the late 19th century, a time of great prosperity and cultural development for the island. Usually two-storied, with large yards, verandas and gardens. The storage areas and wine cellars were on the ground floor, with the spacious parlors and bedrooms on the upper floor. Oia’s kapetanospita stand out in particular for their combination of austere geometric simplicity and Renaissance elements.
Churches
Traditional wine cellars for both making and storing wine. They were usually built underground or into the rock, primarily within settlements, with one or more vaulted ceilings and separate areas for pressing white or red grapes.
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Kasteli
A fortified settlement built when Santorini was under Venetian rule, each kasteli (castle) helped protect inhabitants from raids. Densely packed houses, with few openings to the outside, form closed rings with a fortress-like structure. Of the original five kastelia at Oia, Fira, Pyrgos, Emporio and Akrotiri, only the last three have been preserved.
Yposkafa
The most distinctive architectural feature of Santorini, these are long narrow dwellings dug right into the volcanic rock, with vaulted ceilings and, occasionally, domes. These “cave homes” often have exterior additions built from the same volcanic materials and display both remarkable ingenuity in terms of construction and an eye-catching sculptural quality. BY VO U L A D I D O N I , A R C H I T E C T
© ILLUSTRATIONS: PHILIPPOS AVRAMIDES
There are about 600 churches big and small on Santorini. You’ll even see tiny chapels in the narrow alleys of settlements, sandwiched between homes and yards. Why so many? Because the island’s sailors, when they were at sea, would vow to build a church upon their safe return. Canaves