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Once outside Fira, the rest of Thira comes as a nice surprise, although development is beginning to encroach. The volcanic soil is highly fertile, with every available space terraced and cultivated: wheat, tomatoes (most made into paste), pistachios and grapes are the main crops, all still harvested and planted by hand. The island's vysando and nikhteri wines are a little sweet for many tastes but are among the finest produced in the Cyclades. A satisfying - if demanding - approach to Ia, 12km from Fira in the northwest of the island, is to walk the stretch from IMEROVIGLI , 3km out of Fira, using a spectacular footpath along the lip of the caldera; the walk takes around two hours. Imerovigli is crowded with luxury, caldera-side apartments such as Chromata (tel 02860/24 850; ?73 and upwards) and Astra (tel 02860/23 641; ?73 and upwards), requiring reservations well in advance; Katerina (tel 02860/22 708; ?43-72) is a more moderately priced hotel, with caldera views from the large balcony/bar area only. Between the Katerina and Chromata, Altana is a small caldera-side cafe whose position and relaxed atmosphere make for a pleasing breakfast spot. Continuing to Ia, you'll pass Tourlos, an old Venetian citadel on Cape Skaros. IA , the most delightful village on the island, was once a major fishing port of the Aegean, but it has declined in the wake of economic depression, wars, earthquakes and depleted fish stocks. Partly destroyed in the 1956 earthquake, the town has been sympathetically reconstructed, its pristine white houses clinging to the cliff-face. Apart from the caldera and the village itself there are a couple of things to see, including the Naval Museum (daily except Tues 9am-1pm & 5-8pm) and the very modest remains of a Venetian castle. With a post office , a couple of travel agencies - Karvounis (tel 02860/71 290, fax 71 291, mkarvounis@otenet.gr ), on the pedestrian street, is the older and more reliable - and several bike-rental offices (of which Motor Fun is particularly good), Ia is a fine, and quieter, alternative to Fira. Much of the town's accommodation is in its restored old houses, including the traditional Hotel Lauda (tel 02860/71 204; ?34 and upwards), the Hotel Anemones (tel 02860/71 342; ?34-58) and the Hotel Fregata (tel 02860/71 221; ?59-72). Near the bus terminal, also reachable by the main road that continues round to the back end of the village, is an excellent hostel - the Oia Youth Hostel (tel 02860/71 465), with a terrace and shady courtyard, a good bar, clean dormitories and breakfast included. Generally, the further you go along the central ridge towards the new end of Ia, the better value the restaurants : the Anemomilos and Laokastri are two such examples. The Neptune , near the church square, with good Greek dishes and vegetable specials, has a pleasant rooftop garden. Nightlife revolves around sunset-gazing, for which people are coached in from all over the island, creating traffic chaos; when this pales, there's Petra and Alitana , two bars on the road leading down to the youth hostel, both playing easy listening in pleasant garden surroundings. Below the town, 200-odd steps switchback hundreds of metres down to two small harbours: Ammoudhi , for the fishermen, and Armeni , where the excursion boats dock. Both have excellent fish tavernas. Sunset taverna at Ammoudhi is recommended, and at Armeni there is a taverna which specializes in grilled octopus lunches. FINIKIA , 1km east of Ia, is a very quiet and traditional little village. Lotza Rooms (tel 02860/71 051; ?24-33) are located in an old house in the middle of the village, while Hotel Finikia (tel 02860/71 373; ?34-42), above the village near the main road, is a smarter option. Just north of Ia is Baxedhes beach, a quiet alternative to Kamari and Perissa, with a few tavernas including the Paradhisos , which has good food and reasonable prices.
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