Best Things to Do in Mykonos (2026 Guide)

Along the western waterfront of Mykonos Town, a row of houses extends directly over the sea, their balconies and ground-floor terraces suspended just above the water line. This neighbourhood, known as Little Venice, takes its name from the resemblance to the Italian city’s canal-edge buildings, though the Aegean setting — open water rather than enclosed canal, whitewash rather than peeling plaster — gives it a character that is emphatically its own.

The houses were originally built by wealthy sea captains and merchants in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and several of the ground-floor spaces have been converted into bars and cafés that position their seating to face the water and the windmills on the hill above. The combination of sea spray, the sound of waves against the building foundations, and the late afternoon light reflecting off the water makes this stretch of waterfront one of the most atmospheric spots in the Cyclades for a drink at sunset. The narrow lane behind the waterfront row connects back to the main town lanes.

Little Venice is at its most crowded in the late afternoon and evening during peak season, when visitors gather for sunset views. Morning visits offer a quieter experience of the architecture itself, with the cafés just opening and the light falling differently across the facades. The area is compact — the waterfront row spans only a few hundred metres — but rewards slow walking.

Within the broader geography of Mykonos Town, Little Venice serves as a counterpoint to the inland labyrinth of shopping lanes, offering an open, sea-facing perspective that reveals how completely the town is shaped by its relationship to the water and the maritime economy that built it.

On Mykonos’s southwestern coast, in a small bay just north of the more famous stretches of beach that define the island’s southern shore, Psarou Beach curves in a compact arc of fine white sand around calm, sheltered water. The protection from the prevailing meltemi winds — a consequence of the surrounding headlands — makes Psarou consistently calm even on days when neighboring beaches are choppy, and the water clarity here is among the best on the island, with visibility extending several meters through the pale green shallows.

Psarou has developed a reputation as one of Mykonos’s more exclusive beach environments, with organized sunbed areas managed by beach clubs that attract a clientele willing to pay premium rates for positioned seating. The beach has appeared regularly in coverage of Mykonos’s luxury tourism sector, and the restaurant and bar operations reflect that positioning. The sand itself, however, is the same fine, pale material as on any other good Cycladic beach — the experience is organized rather than inherently superior.

The beach is accessible by road — the drive from Mykonos Town takes about 10 minutes — but parking is limited and the access road narrow. Arriving by water taxi from the town port is an alternative option during the season. Reserving sunbeds in advance through the beach club operating the space is effectively necessary in July and August; walking up to find available seating is unrealistic on busy days. Early morning visits before the clubs set up offer a more relaxed experience of the beach itself.

Within Mykonos’s layered beach landscape, Psarou occupies the premium tier — smaller and more managed than the major club beaches to the south, but with natural conditions (calm water, white sand, good clarity) that justify its reputation independent of the commercial overlay. It rewards visitors who engage with it on those terms.

On Mykonos’s southwestern coast, sheltered from the meltemi winds that batter the island’s exposed eastern and northern shores, Ornos Beach curves in a gentle arc of fine sand around a small bay. The water is calm by Mykonian standards — the surrounding headlands block much of the prevailing wind — making it consistently suitable for swimming even on days when other beaches are choppy. This combination of protection, soft sand, and proximity to Mykonos Town has made Ornos one of the island’s most reliably popular family beaches.

The beach is well organized, with sunbeds and umbrellas covering most of the sand and a range of tavernas and beach bars operating from the shoreline. Water sports equipment — pedal boats, kayaks, and inflatables — is available for hire. A small port at the southern end of the bay serves as a departure point for boat services to other beaches around the island, making Ornos a useful hub for those who prefer to explore the coastline by sea rather than road. The village behind the beach has a modest selection of shops, accommodation, and restaurants.

Ornos fills quickly in July and August, and by mid-morning on peak summer days the beach can be crowded from end to end. Arriving by 9 am ensures a good position; arriving after 11 am in high season means limited options for sunbeds. The bus from Mykonos Town runs frequently and reaches Ornos in about ten minutes, making it one of the most accessible beaches on the island for those without their own transport.

Within Mykonos’s beach landscape, Ornos occupies the practical middle ground — not as fashionable as the island’s more exclusive beach clubs to the south, not as exposed as the windsurfing beaches to the east. It functions as a genuine family beach in an island economy that otherwise skews heavily toward adult resort tourism.

Five marble lions crouch along a ceremonial terrace on the sacred island of Delos, their weathered forms gazing across the Sacred Lake toward the sanctuary they once guarded. Carved from Naxian marble in the seventh century BC and originally numbering perhaps sixteen, the Terrace of the Lions is among the oldest monumental sculptural ensembles in the Greek world — and among the most atmospheric, exposed to the same Aegean wind and light that surrounded them at their creation.

The lions formed a processional approach to the sanctuary of Apollo, whose birthplace Delos was claimed to be by ancient tradition. The island became one of the most important religious and commercial centers of the ancient Mediterranean, and the Terrace of the Lions remains the most instantly recognizable symbol of its former significance. The originals are now displayed in the Delos Archaeological Museum for preservation; the figures on the terrace are casts, though the setting itself is entirely original.

Delos is accessible only by boat from nearby Mykonos, with day trips departing in the morning and returning by early afternoon — the island has no overnight accommodation. The site is large and largely unshaded, so morning visits in summer are essential; comfortable shoes and sufficient water are equally so. Most guided tours spend two to three hours on the island, which is enough to cover the main sanctuaries, the theater district, and the museum.

Within the Cyclades, Delos occupies a completely singular position — an uninhabited island that was once one of the busiest ports in the ancient world, preserved precisely because it fell into abandonment after Rome redirected regional trade. The Terrace of the Lions stands as the most concentrated expression of that paradox: a monument to a prosperity so complete that its disappearance left everything intact.

On Mykonos’s eastern coast, facing the open Aegean rather than the sheltered harbor side, Kalafatis Beach extends in a long, straight arc backed by low dunes and tamarisk trees. The exposure that makes this side of the island windier than the south also makes Kalafatis a reliable spot for windsurfing and kitesurfing, with consistent afternoon breezes that draw water sports enthusiasts when calmer beaches elsewhere on the island have gone flat.

The beach itself is sandy, with shallow water that deepens gradually — conditions that suit families with children as well as swimmers looking for a longer open-water stretch. Equipment rental for windsurfing and other water sports is available on the beach, and instructors offer lessons for beginners. A few tavernas and beach bars operate along the shoreline in summer, though the scene here is considerably more relaxed than the organized beach clubs that define Mykonos’s more famous southern shores.

Kalafatis tends to fill more slowly than beaches on the island’s southern coast, and for much of the morning it remains uncrowded. The meltemi wind, which blows persistently from the north across the Cyclades in July and August, is more strongly felt here than in sheltered bays, which keeps temperatures manageable on hot days but can make umbrella management a minor challenge. A bus service connects Kalafatis to Mykonos Town, with the journey taking around 20 minutes.

Mykonos is typically associated with crowded, scenographic beaches aimed at a luxury market, but Kalafatis sits outside that category. Its appeal is functional and unpretentious — a long sandy beach with reliable wind, clear water, and enough facilities for a comfortable day without the table reservation systems and entrance fees that govern access to more fashionable stretches of the island’s coastline.

In the inland village of Ano Mera, away from Mykonos Town’s celebrated lanes and harbors, the Monastery of Panagia Tourliani stands as a reminder that the island’s identity was shaped by faith and agriculture long before it became a destination for nightlife and beach clubs. Founded in 1542 and substantially rebuilt in the eighteenth century, the monastery is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and remains an active place of worship, its whitewashed walls enclosing a courtyard that feels removed from the coastal frenzy a few kilometers away.

The monastery’s interior holds a carved marble iconostasis of Florentine craftsmanship, a notable piece of religious art for an island of Mykonos’s size. The surrounding courtyard contains a fountain and a small museum displaying embroideries, vestments, and liturgical objects accumulated by the monastery over centuries. Ano Mera village itself is worth a short walk — its central square has a few traditional kafeneions and a pace of life largely unaffected by the tourist industry concentrated on the coasts.

The monastery is open to visitors throughout the day, though a modest dress code applies — shoulders and knees should be covered. Visiting in the morning allows better light inside the church and avoids the warmest midday hours. Ano Mera is about 8 kilometers from Mykonos Town and easily reached by the regular bus service that runs from the main terminal near the harbor.

Within Mykonos, Panagia Tourliani offers a counterpoint to the island’s dominant tourist character. The Cyclades have dozens of island monasteries, but few sit within such immediate contrast — a working religious community surrounded by one of the most commercially developed islands in the Aegean, maintaining a continuity with the island’s pre-tourism past.

In a narrow lane in the oldest part of Mykonos Town, the Aegean Maritime Museum occupies a traditional Cycladic house filled with navigational instruments, ship models, figureheads, and documents that trace the seafaring history of the Aegean from antiquity through the twentieth century. The collection is modest in scale but specific in focus — a dedicated record of the maritime traditions that shaped island life across the Greek archipelago.

Among the exhibits are antique maps, sextants, compasses, and logbooks alongside scale models of historic vessels ranging from ancient Greek triremes to the merchant ships that carried commerce through the Aegean in the Ottoman period. A reconstructed lighthouse lantern displayed in the museum’s garden is one of the more visually striking objects in the collection. The museum also documents Mykonos’s own role as a significant maritime center, particularly during the periods when the island’s merchant fleet was among the most active in the Aegean.

The museum is compact enough to visit in under an hour, making it a natural addition to a walking circuit of Mykonos Town rather than a standalone destination. It is open during the summer season and tends to be quieter than the island’s more famous sights, providing a welcome counterpoint to the energy of the surrounding streets. The central location in the old town means it can be combined easily with visits to the nearby Paraportiani Church and the waterfront.

Mykonos is routinely described in terms of its cosmopolitan nightlife and high-end tourism, but the maritime museum positions the island in a longer historical frame — as a community of sailors and traders whose relationship with the sea was economic and existential long before it became scenic. The museum is a reminder of what the Aegean islands actually were before tourism restructured their purpose.

In a traditional Cycladic building near the harbor of Mykonos Town, the Mykonos Folklore Museum preserves objects, furnishings, and domestic artifacts that document island life before the twentieth century transformed the island’s economy from fishing and seamanship into tourism. The collection offers a grounded counterpoint to the glossy present-tense image that Mykonos projects to the wider world.

The museum’s rooms are arranged to evoke the domestic and working environments of traditional Mykonian households, with period furniture, textiles, ceramics, and tools displayed in contextual groupings. Navigational instruments and fishing equipment reflect the island’s historic dependence on the sea, while the domestic displays — including traditional costumes and woven goods — document the textile traditions that occupied much of the island’s population before tourism arrived. The collection also includes items related to local religious and folk customs.

The museum is compact and typically takes thirty to forty-five minutes to visit, making it a natural addition to a morning walk through Mykonos Town rather than a standalone destination. It tends to be quieter than the island’s beaches and more commercial attractions, and the staff are generally knowledgeable about the objects and their history. It is open seasonally, with hours varying by time of year.

Mykonos’s cultural offering is easily overwhelmed by the island’s reputation as a luxury and nightlife destination, which makes the folklore museum’s existence quietly important. It is one of the few places on the island where the fishing village that Mykonos actually was — within living memory — remains visible and documented, giving visitors access to a layer of the island’s identity that the whitewashed facades and boutique hotels tend to conceal.

At the center of Mykonos Town, a small square named for one of Greece’s most celebrated heroines of the War of Independence holds its own quietly amid the swirl of the Chora’s pedestrian lanes. Manto Mavrogenous was a Mykoniot noblewoman who financed and personally led military expeditions against Ottoman forces in the 1820s, donating her substantial fortune to the cause — a fact the square’s presence helps keep from slipping into general amnesia.

A marble statue of Mavrogenous dominates the square, which serves as a natural gathering point between the harbor waterfront and the denser maze of the old town. The surrounding area includes traditional Cycladic houses, small cafes, and the kind of unhurried foot traffic that still characterizes Mykonos Town’s quieter morning hours before the main streets become congested. It is a useful orientation point in a town that otherwise offers few obvious landmarks amid its deliberately labyrinthine layout.

The square is most pleasant in the morning before midday heat and visitor numbers peak. In July and August Mykonos Town is extremely busy, and even this relatively unassuming square sees steady foot traffic through the day. Visiting in May, June, or September brings more space to linger. The square is a short walk from the harbor and close to the Paraportiani Church area, so it fits naturally into a broader walking circuit of the old town.

Mykonos has a reputation built on beaches and nightlife, but Manto Mavrogenous Square offers a moment of historical grounding in a destination that sometimes seems to have traded its past entirely for its present image. The square’s presence is a reminder that the island contributed something other than aesthetics to Greek history.

In the village of Gastouri, about ten kilometers south of Corfu Town, a hilltop palace looks out over olive groves and the Ionian Sea with the studied theatricality of a place built to impress rather than to inhabit comfortably. The Achilleion was commissioned in the late nineteenth century by Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known as Sisi, and named for the Greek hero Achilles, whose image dominates the building’s decoration and gardens. After Elisabeth’s assassination in 1898, the palace passed to Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, who used it as a summer residence until the First World War.

The building itself is a neoclassical exercise in imperial fantasy, combining Italian and Greek architectural motifs in a way that reflects the romantic Hellenism fashionable among European aristocracy of the period. The interior rooms contain period furnishings, portraits, and memorabilia relating to both owners, including Elisabeth’s gymnasium equipment — she was notable for her rigorous physical regimen — and items associated with Wilhelm’s stays. The gardens are the palace’s strongest feature: tiered terraces descend the hillside with statues of figures from Greek mythology, including two prominent representations of Achilles, one dying and one triumphant.

The Achilleion is open daily and visits take around one to two hours. The upper terraces offer some of the best views available from this part of Corfu’s eastern coast. Most organized tours from Corfu Town include it as a stop, and it is easily reached by taxi or rental car. Summer afternoons bring the largest crowds; mornings are quieter and cooler.

The Achilleion occupies a specific niche in Corfu’s history — a record of how two of nineteenth-century Europe’s most powerful rulers chose to engage with classical antiquity as a personal statement, using the Ionian landscape as a backdrop for a private mythology built around Homeric themes.

Achla Beach on the island of Andros is one of the most spectacularly isolated and pristine beaches in the Cyclades, accessible only by a hiking trail through the mountains or by boat from the sea. This remoteness is precisely what makes Achla so special — a long, broad stretch of fine pebbles and sand at the mouth of a verdant river valley, where fresh spring water meets the deep blue Aegean in a setting of extraordinary natural beauty.

The river that flows down to Achla creates a small freshwater lagoon at the edge of the beach, where plane trees and oleanders grow in wild profusion. The contrast between the green valley, the white pebbles, the turquoise sea, and the ochre cliffs is breathtaking. The beach is completely undeveloped — no sunbeds, no bars, no noise — just nature at its most elemental.

Reaching Achla on foot requires a moderately challenging hike of about an hour from the nearest road, passing through the scenic Achla valley. The effort is amply rewarded. Boat trips from nearby beaches and the port of Andros Town also call here during summer, making it accessible even for those who prefer not to hike.

• Bring all supplies — there are no facilities whatsoever at the beach
• The hike is rewarding but requires good footwear and sun protection
• Camping is possible but fires are prohibited

Achla Beach is the kind of place that makes travelers feel genuinely privileged to have found it — unspoiled, magnificent, and utterly removed from the ordinary tourist experience of the Greek islands.

Agios Georgios Beach on Antiparos is one of the island’s most accessible and popular beaches, offering a warm, family-friendly environment on an island that prides itself on its relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. Named after the local chapel of Saint George that overlooks the bay, the beach combines clear, shallow water with a pleasant sandy shore — ideal for a long, lazy summer day by the Aegean.

Unlike some of the more remote beaches on Antiparos, Agios Georgios has the benefit of a degree of infrastructure during the summer season, including the availability of sun loungers and refreshments, making it a comfortable choice for visitors who prefer not to rough it. The water is typically calm and suitable for children and inexperienced swimmers, and the gently sloping seabed makes entering and exiting the water easy.

Antiparos as a whole is celebrated for its peaceful character, its charming main village with a medieval Venetian kastro at its heart, and its famous cave system — one of the most impressive in Greece. Agios Georgios Beach sits comfortably within this broader offering, providing an easygoing base from which to explore the island.

• Easily reached on foot or by bicycle from Antiparos Town
• The chapel of Agios Georgios is worth a brief visit
• Try the local fish tavernas in the village for an authentic evening meal

For families and couples seeking a gentle, authentic Greek island beach experience, Agios Georgios on Antiparos delivers a genuinely satisfying and unpretentious day by the sea.

On the south-western coast of Corfu, the village of Agios Gordios sits at the back of a long sandy beach enclosed by steep green cliffs that make its setting one of the most dramatic on the island. The beach faces west toward open water and receives direct sunset light that turns the cliffs and sea a deep amber in the late afternoon — a quality that has made it one of the island’s most photographed coastal locations.

The beach stretches for roughly two kilometers and is composed of fine golden sand with a gently shelving seabed that makes it suitable for swimmers of most levels. The cliffs at both ends of the bay frame the view and provide shelter from northerly winds, though the beach is exposed to swells that roll in from the open Ionian. Beach facilities including sunbeds, umbrellas, and several tavernas operate throughout the summer season, giving the bay enough infrastructure for a comfortable full day.

The village itself, set back slightly from the shore, maintains a quieter atmosphere than the larger resort areas further south at Messonghi and Moraitika. July and August bring steady visitor numbers, but Agios Gordios retains a relatively relaxed character by Corfu standards, partly because of its slight remove from the main tourist corridor on the eastern coast. Early morning and late afternoon offer the best light and the least crowded beach conditions.

Corfu’s western coastline is less developed than its eastern and northern equivalents, and Agios Gordios is among the most rewarding of its beaches for visitors who are willing to cross the island’s central hills to reach it. The combination of setting, sand quality, and manageable tourist development gives it a balance that is harder to find on the more accessible beaches nearer to Corfu Town.

Agios Sostis Beach on Antiparos is a quiet, unspoiled cove that embodies the simple pleasures that keep travelers returning to this small Cycladic island year after year. Facing the open Aegean and catching a steady summer breeze, the beach is framed by golden sand and backed by low dunes and wild vegetation, giving it a natural, undeveloped character that is increasingly rare in the Greek islands.

The water at Agios Sostis is clean and inviting, ranging from pale turquoise at the shore to deeper blues offshore. The beach takes its name from a small whitewashed chapel nearby — a common sight across the Greek islands and a reminder of the deeply rooted Orthodox Christian culture that permeates even the most remote corners of the Aegean. A visit to the chapel and a swim in the clear sea make for a perfectly balanced afternoon on Antiparos.

Antiparos is easily reached by a short ferry ride from Paros, and the beaches along its coast offer a relaxed alternative to the more touristic spots on the larger island. Agios Sostis is best suited to visitors who prefer a natural, low-key beach experience with minimal infrastructure.

• Pack sunscreen, water, and snacks as there are no beach facilities
• Accessible by car or motorbike — the road is unsealed in sections
• Pair with a visit to the famous Antiparos Cave for a full day out

For those who value peace, natural beauty, and the authentic texture of Cycladic island life, Agios Sostis Beach on Antiparos is a genuinely rewarding find.

Beneath several metres of volcanic ash on Santorini’s southern tip, archaeologists have been uncovering since the 1960s a Bronze Age settlement that was sealed intact by the same eruption that destroyed it around 1600 BCE. Akrotiri is one of the most significant prehistoric sites in the Aegean, a Minoan-influenced town preserved in extraordinary detail — walls standing to their original height, storage vessels still in place, and the traces of sophisticated urban planning visible in the street layout and multi-storey buildings.

The excavated portions of the site are covered by a modern protective roof, allowing year-round visits in sheltered conditions. Walkways pass above and between the uncovered structures, giving views into rooms, staircases, and storage areas. The famous frescoes that once decorated interior walls have been removed for conservation and are displayed at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens and at the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira; what remains on site is the architectural fabric itself. Interpretive panels throughout the site explain the excavation history and the civilisation it has revealed.

The site opens in the morning and is most comfortably visited before midday, particularly in summer. A thorough visit takes around ninety minutes. Akrotiri village nearby has cafés and tavernas suitable for a break before or after. Combined tickets with the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira are available and worthwhile for seeing the frescoes in context.

Among Santorini’s many layers of historical significance, Akrotiri reaches deepest — predating the classical Greek world by more than a millennium and connecting the island to the broader Minoan maritime culture of the Bronze Age Aegean. It fundamentally changes the way the island reads for visitors who take time to engage with it.

Below the cliffside village of Oia, reached by a steep zigzag path or by donkey, Amoudi Bay sits at sea level in a small natural harbor carved into the volcanic caldera wall. The descent takes about ten minutes on foot and arrives at a cluster of tavernas built directly over the water, their terraces on wooden platforms above the dark volcanic rock where local fishermen moor their boats in the morning sun.

The bay is known for two things: the fish tavernas that line its waterfront, some operated by the same families for generations and serving freshly caught seafood grilled simply and priced by weight; and the flat volcanic rocks where swimmers jump into the deep, clear caldera water. The swimming is excellent — deep close to shore, very clear, and free of the beach-club infrastructure that dominates Santorini’s more accessible beaches. Octopuses and sea urchins occupy the rocks below the surface.

The path down from Oia is most pleasant in the late afternoon, when the light softens and the temperature drops from its midday peak. Many visitors time the descent to coincide with dinner at one of the waterfront tavernas, watching the last light fade over the caldera from a table at sea level — a very different experience from the famous sunset crowds gathered on Oia’s walls above. The return climb takes 15 to 20 minutes and is steep enough to feel like proper exercise.

Amoudi sits directly beneath one of Santorini’s most visited villages yet maintains a working character that Oia itself has largely surrendered to tourism. The proximity of fishing boats, working tavernas, and swimmers on volcanic rocks creates a layered scene that captures something of what Santorini’s caldera settlements looked like before boutique hotels claimed the clifftops.

Long before modern athletics formalized the idea of international competition, a sanctuary in the wooded valley of the Alpheios River in the Peloponnese hosted gatherings that drew athletes and pilgrims from across the Greek world. Ancient Olympia was not a city but a sacred precinct — a place where the great Panhellenic Games were held every four years from 776 BC until the Roman emperor Theodosius I banned them in 393 AD, ending nearly twelve centuries of competition.

The archaeological site today contains the ruins of temples, a stadium, and training facilities spread across a shaded landscape of pine and olive trees. The Temple of Zeus once housed one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World — a colossal chryselephantine statue of the god crafted by the sculptor Pheidias, whose workshop has been identified on-site. The Temple of Hera is older still and better preserved. The ancient stadium, where foot races were run on a track of compacted earth, can still be walked — visitors enter through the original vaulted tunnel used by athletes in antiquity.

The adjacent Archaeological Museum of Olympia holds the pediment sculptures from the Temple of Zeus and the Hermes of Praxiteles, among the finest classical sculptures surviving anywhere. Plan at least three to four hours to do justice to both the site and the museum. Summer mornings before 10 am are significantly cooler and less crowded; the site offers limited shade by midday in July and August.

Within the Peloponnese, Olympia stands apart from the region’s Byzantine and Frankish heritage — it represents the classical Greek world at its most organized and ceremonial, a place where religious observance and athletic contest were inseparable, and where the idea of a shared Greek identity was most visibly performed.

On a steep ridge above the southeastern shore of Santorini, the ruins of Ancient Thera occupy a narrow spine of rock between the Aegean and the Libyan Sea. Founded by Dorian settlers in the ninth century BC and later occupied by Ptolemaic soldiers who left inscriptions carved directly into the rock face, the site holds layers of civilization compressed into a single dramatic outcrop.

The remains include a central paved street flanked by temples, sanctuaries, and civic buildings dating from the Hellenistic and Roman periods. A sanctuary dedicated to the Egyptian gods — brought to the island by Ptolemaic troops — sits alongside remnants of earlier Greek shrines, reflecting the site’s role as a crossroads of Mediterranean cultures. The agora, gymnasia, and theater foundations give a clear sense of how the town once functioned as a proper urban center.

Access is via a winding road from Kamari or a footpath from Perissa, and the exposed hilltop offers little shade, so morning visits in summer are strongly recommended. The site is usually quiet compared to the caldera-facing attractions of Fira and Oia, and the views from the ridge — looking simultaneously toward both coasts — are among the most sweeping on the island. Allow one and a half to two hours for a thorough visit.

Ancient Thera stands apart from Santorini’s volcanic tourism narrative by offering a direct encounter with a functioning ancient Greek town rather than geological spectacle. It places the island in a broader historical context, revealing that Santorini was inhabited and significant long before the Minoan eruption became the defining story of the place.