There are countless picturesque villages on this planet… but not many are blessed with the physical beauty of Oia. To be sure there are villages with grander architecture, richer and more colourful history (although as you will discover Oia has its own unique history), ancient landmark buildings and traditions that sometimes date back centuries. Oia may not offer the very best of what other famous villages have to offer…but then NONE of them have what Oia has. The following is a pictorial view of one of the most beautiful, romantic and physically stunning places on this planet.
Judge for yourself and please let me know your thoughts….(please note that all of the pics below were taken by me on a small Canon digital – I’m sure a better photographer with a better camera could do the place better justice…but I think you will get the idea). Enjoy ;-)
There are dozens more beautiful photos of our picturesque village throughout the blog…. let your spirit fly and browse freely, do some mind travel & enjoy ; )
Oia Santorini... a notebook about life in Oia 
I can barely comprehend that this place is real!
do you live here?
lol YES! Quite often I can barely comprehend it myself. Food shopping is not the same as NYC…but one cant have everything ;-)
Ever since I first saw the tv documentaries about the huge volcanic eruption and the effect it had on the Mediterranean I have thought that it would be a fascinating place to visit, but I am so surprised by your pictures…
The programs did mention, of course, that people still live there, but I hadn’t imagined the buildings correctly. For some reason I had pictured shabby, rustic dwellings, certainly nothing like the buildings you show. Of course I hadn’t thought it through properly, which is why I am amazed at the contrasts between both the clean, geometric lines of the buildings compared to the rugged beauty of the environment, and the bright colours compared to the natural rock formations.
Thank you for enlightening me.
Glad you enjoyed Tom. Amongst the family we refer to it as “THAT” day….the day the volcano blew all those thousands of years ago. I will be doing a special category on the volcano and the effect it had on the island, as well as other islands.
You will see from photos that THAT day would not have been a good day to be visiting or living on this island. The power of the eruption is beyond human comprehension. But the images of rock formations help, so I will take as many as I can and post on this subject soon. Thanks again for dropping by ;-))
I’m looking forward to seeing them. :-)
unbelievably torturous…amazing beauty…
The light you live with is other worldly … does your cave have windows… sky lights? I feel so ignorant trying to imagine the inside… other than cozy and rock. Then walking out into the light .. dazzling! Loved your video! I look out my windows and doors to shades of greens … everywhere green and then visiting your world … it is great… the contrast… Lovely!
Hi Carol & welcome…
I recently returned from your lovely Oia and it indeed was one of my most pleasurable experiences in the Mediterranean! I was fortunate to be invited out of bad weather into Candouni’s restaurant and enjoyed wine, crusty bread and fava bean/olive oil spread with it’s lovely owners. What a memorable, warm experience that was and we also visited your famous neighbor and your 80+ old sweet local old man. Even in the rain I was totally in awe of the village, people and the glorious afternoon! Thank you for sharing…now I don’t have to bore my kids with my grey day pictures…yours are truly stunning! Ευχαριστώ!!!
it is truly one of the most magical places i have visited. there is something very spiritual about my experience there. my sons took our naps everyday lined up in our beds, exchanging books, hiking the cliffs to oia and swimming in that beautiful water. when i floated on my back and looked up at the variegated colors on the cliffs and that blue sky and that blue sea, i imagined what heaven must be like. and my boys and i had no fears of the water or the cliffs, we just followed our path.
Fantastic Blog…. i am wrting to you this sitting on my terrace in OIA and listening to live greek music being played down at the port. It is a beautiful warm night and i discovered your blog by pure accident and i am so glad i did…. i look forward to reading you soon, and hope to run in to you one of these days in OIA i have been coming for the past 9 years twice a season in may/june and in October…. i hope to continue for many more years…….
take care
I am thanking God for you and your path because you have been so generous in sharing it’s beauty this is where I knew I had to “visit” tonight ~ I am in one of those moods that only pictures of a place I visited long ago will cure…… thank you my friend. May you be as peaceful as you seem. and may your dream be REAL. x
Hi Deborah… thanks for dropping by… glad you decided to venture to the blog and away from FB…. hope you were ‘cured’ ; ))
What a great blog! I can’t wait to visit Oia next year for my 5th year wedding anniversary :-) You live in PARADISE!