Oia Village Neighborhoods - Perivolas

Entering Oia from the paved street that comes from Fira and Imerovigli, the neighborhood of Perivolas welcomes us. Its name dates back to the years of the Venetians and referred to the area around Kastro - the main town. The dominating church of St George, with the large courtyard and the cypress trees, is its trade-mark and used to be the metropolis of Oia until 1956.

The church of Christos Heroon that stands next to the Heroon, the monument for the Oians who died at the Second World War, is also found at Perivolas, as well as the cemetery that lies on its left slope. As for the buildings, they are mainly houses with big yards and caved cellars, which nowadays have turned into hotels. Walking towards the center of Oia, we can see the varelia (barrels) or tholia, that is the buildings that were constructed by the army to house the 1956 earthquake victims.

Oia Village Neighborhoods - Sideras

Sideras is the part of Oia that turns its back on the caldera and lies westwards from the bus terminus. It is a quiet neighborhood with narrow roads that are filled with the perfume of jasmine and honeysuckle. Unfortunately, the big, two-storey neoclassical houses that used to stand proudly next to each other were ruined in the 1956 earthquake and only the ground floor has been repaired.

However, Sideras is still a really beautiful neighborhood and one can admire the internal courtyards with the palm trees, the ornate panels of the doors and the windows, the marble staircases and the Rococo-style decorations.

Oia Village Neighborhoods - Monastiri

Monastiri is the neighborhood that spreads westwards and on the left of the main street of Oia, Marmara, which was named after the marbles (marmara) with which it was paved by D. Nomikos in the 19th century. The neighborhood received this name because of the many churches that exist there.

The main ones are St Spyridon and Anastasi (Resurrection), whose domes dominate the scenery. In contrast to Sideras neighborhood, here there are only hyposkapha. A street with wide steps leads to the two churches and to Armenaki through a narrow pathway.

Oia Village Neighborhoods - Lotza

Lotza is next to Monastiri, on the west of it, and it was named after the Venetian word loggia that means club; here, the Venetian nobles used to spend their free time.

Oia Village Neighborhoods - Goulas and Vounara

After Lotza, there are the neighborhoods of Goulas and Vounara, with the wonderful view to Therasia. This is where the Kastro area was. Goulas and Vounara are crammed with hyposkapha one on top of the other and a few mansions.