Santorini. You've seen it on postcards. The island's just as stunning in real life, where picture-perfect whitewashed villages cling to the lip of a huge sunken volcano. It's a strange place where beaches are black and rocks float and crumble at a touch.

Santorini's first inhabitants, the Minoans, lived here until around 1450 B.C. when a colossal volcanic eruption caused the middle of the island to sink, leaving the caldera of high cliffs you see today. Theorists have it that this eruption destroyed the entire Minoan civilization. Others think the island is part of the lost continent of Atlantis. Major earthquakes have since occurred, causing the two adjacent islands, Palia Kameni and Nea Kameni to appear.

Sights include the Folk Museum at the monastery atop Santorini's highest peak, Mt. Profitis Ilias; the Archaeological Museum; Ancient Thera and Ancient Akrotiri. Ancient Thera dates from the 9th century B.C. and includes temples, houses with mosaics, the Agora, a theater, a gymnasium and a stunning view.

Akrotiri was rediscovered in 1967 when excavations revealed the ancient city buried beneath volcanic ash. Complete with paved streets and a sophisticated central drainage system, Akrotiri's the best preserved prehistoric settlement in the Aegean.