On the southern side of Santorini, there is the ancient site of Aktorini, which has a great historical importance. Excavations in the area started in 1967 by professor Spiros Marinatos and revealed a prosperous Minoan settlement. In particular, they found multi-storey buildings, squares, paved paths, a developed sewerage system and tools. Pretty notable were also the colored frescoes that depicted scenes from festivals and everyday life. These findings are kept today in the archaeological museums of Fira, the capital of the island, and Athens. The most impressive thing about Akrotiri is that it was found almost intact, covered by tons of volcanic ashes. This makes archaeologists believe that the town was destroyed by the strong volcanic eruption of Santorini that happened in about 1,650 B.C. Note that it was the same eruption that raised tsunami waves and destroyed the flourishing Minoan civilization in Crete


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