Pyrgos

Pyrgos climbs the inland hill in concentric rings around its Venetian Kasteli, the best preserved of Santorini's medieval fortress-villages and, until the early twentieth century, the island's capital. There is no caldera here and no sunset scrum; instead you get a maze of vaulted alleys, blue-shuttered chapels and a summit that takes in the whole island, sea to sea. The food matches the setting, honest and rooted: a celebrated ouzeri, an old-school taverna, a serious cellar pairing Assyrtiko with the local table, all within walking distance of the Santo Wines terrace just below the village. This is the Santorini of the islanders rather than the cruise ships, and it rewards an unhurried evening.