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Mesa Gonia - Santorini Ghost Town
The tiny village of Mesa Gonia is located inland, some 8 km south-east of Fira.
Actually, since 1915 the official name of this village is Episkopi Gonia, but it's old name is still how most people refer to it, and so will we.
Mesa Gonia was once one of the most important of the Santorini villages, but that was before the 1956 Santorini earthquake, which hit Mesa Gonia hard.
The inhabitants left behind a devastated village and moved towards the east coast and populated the area we know as Kamari, which was pretty much uninhabited at the time.
Highlights
Mesa Gonia is a quiet village and does not attract much visitors. Few people take the time to stop here on their way to Kamari just a few kilometres down the road from here.
The village did not bounce back well from the devastating Santorini earthquake and until very recently not much reconstruction had been done.
Before the earthquake struck, Mesa Gonia was perhaps the most important center for wine production on the island.
Although the glory days may be over, there are still two old Santorini wineries operating here. The Canava Roussos Winery dates back to 1836 and is one of the oldest on the island.
Visit here to learn about the traditional approach to winemaking and for its beautiful location. Enjoy some wine and local traditional dishes on the winery's enchanting veranda with amazing views.
The other winery here is Estate Argyros that has been in operation since 1903. It is especially well known for growing very old and natural grapevines. They are especially know for their Vinsanto, the famous Santorini sweet wine, which is aged for 14 years.
Another point of interest is the impressive church of Koimisis Theotokou, also known as Panagia Episkopi, which was constructed as early as in 1115 A.D.
The church is the most important Byzantine monument on Santorini and is admired for its architecture, well-preserved byzantine paintings and beautiful religious icons, such as the Panagia Glikofilousa, which is considered a priceless portable icon.
A festival with plenty of food, wine and music is held at this church on August 15 of each year in honor of Virgin Mary. Tourists are always very welcome to participate.
Access
Mesa Gonia is easily accessible by car or local bus from Fira. To get there by car just take the south road of Fira towards Karterados and the airport. Then take a right at the signs for Mesa Gonia and Kamari.
Accommodation
Mesa Gonia does not have any hotels as far as we know. Do you know of any? Let us know. Stay in nearby Kamari.
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