THE MESSARIA VILLAGE – AT THE CROSSROADS OF SANTORINI

Hello, all! Today I thought I should get on with my introduction of the amazingly varied Santorni villages. Some might think that every village on Greek islands is similar, but I think this is very far from the truth, that is why I have devoted a whole series of blog posts to highlight what is unique about each of the villages of the small Greek island of Santorini. I think today it’s time to dive into Messaria village.

Messaria lies at the crossroads of all the roads connecting other villages, that is why you could call it the heart of Santorini – you can hardly avoid going through it even if you want to drive to other village! Today it is a much more peaceful place, but during the 19^th century Messaria was a real center of industry – you can still see it in the architecture. The traditional cave houses and white houses are mixed in stately homes and the impressive landmark of the Markezinis building, which used to be a very prominent knitting factory.

Messaria is a real vineyard village, and nowadays it is its primary feature. Here you can really get a taste of the original Santorini vine, which has a real distinct taste due to the special volcanic soil on the island. Santorini was formed during a volcanic eruption and that is why it is very hard to find a more unique vine growing region than Messaria and its surroundings – the vine here is truly one of a kind, and vine tasters around the world enjoy its exquisite flavor.

The heart of Santorini is really an apt name for this place because it really is a lively village – it has a big population and therefore it has more shops, restaurants, supermarkets etc. then Caldrea villages like Firostefani or Imerovigli, and they all work throughout the year since the majority of the population is formed by locals. Very often many street vendors offer the freshest fish, vegetables, fruit, plants and other local produce on the crossroads from their parked trucks – if you are looking for a place to shop in for local foods then Santorini , Messaria is really the place for you!