[{SlideShowNav}] !!!Island of Santorini [{Image src='640gr.jpg' width='800' alt='Island of Santorini' class='image_left' height='260'}] [{SET customtitle='Island of Santorini'}] Located 200 km (120 mi) southeast of the mainland, the island of Santorini surrounds a sunken caldera formed by a volcanic explosion that occurred about 1630 B.C. The eruption destroyed and buried Akrotiri, a large Bronze Age Minoan seaport on the island. Excavations begun in 1967 are ongoing.