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Archaeological site · Thira, South Aegean

Skaros Castle, Santorini

Σκάρος · Καστέλι Σκάρου

The ruins of the medieval castle of Skaros stand on the cape of Skaros on the caldera coast of Santorini; the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades calls the castle the first Venetian capital of Thera.

Why go

This record is the ruined medieval castle-settlement of Skaros on the top of the cape of the same name, on the caldera coast of Thera (Santorini); Wikidata's item for Skaros is the cape itself. The Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades says the castle was built in the 13th century by the Barrocci family as the first Venetian capital of Thera, with an upper castle on the rock known as the 'Rocca' and a lower castle around its foot. It says the inhabitants left after the volcanic eruptions of the 18th and 19th centuries and settled in Fira, the modern capital. The Ephorate also reports evidence of settlement on the cape since antiquity, including a rock-cut inscription of the 5th century BC that marked the boundary of a sanctuary of Athena.

Base yourself nearby

Island

Santorini

Santorini, known in antiquity as Thera, is an island at the southern end of the Cyclades in Greece; Greece's national tourism organisation also uses the name for the island group of Thera, Thirasia, Aspronisi, Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni, and this destination is the island of Thera itself. XTOUR maps the Bronze Age town at Akrotiri, Ancient Thera, the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira and the medieval castles of Skaros and Oia on the island.

Near Skaros Castle, Santorini

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