Exo Gonia village

The small village of Exo Gonia lies at the southeastern side of Santorini, close to Pyrgos village, almost 8 kilometers away from the capital Fira. It overlooks green valleys, the open sea, Kamari village and the imposing Mesa Vouno Mountain.

Exo Gonia keeps its traditional character as it remains undeveloped with a specific number of cafes and restaurants and restricted accommodations. It has a combination of old and new houses, manor houses and beautiful churches. Most notable is the church of Agios Charalambos, a male monastery that was built around 1705. This and the church of Panagia Episkopi, in Episkopi Gonia village, are the only churches in Santorini that have tiled roofs, unlike the numerous blue-domed churches. It is one of the three largest churches of Santorini and the most noteworthy location in Exo Gonia for the outstanding view you can enjoy from its yard.

In 1999 an art center was founded in Exo Gonia, called “Art Space”. It was an old winery that has been transformed into an art gallery, a museum and a renovated winery. It holds exhibitions of various Greek and foreign artists and visitors have the chance to select their favorite work of art (paintings and sculptures) or excellent wines from the modern underground winery. In the museum area, visitors can admire the old winery and the distillery, machinery and tools used for wine-making and other products.