Description

Gavrilos Hill is a low hill south of Emporio where there are Byzantine ruins, and where eight traditional windmills were built on the ridge in the 19th century. The mills of Santorini were made of volcanic stones, water, soil, and lime, and their height reached around six meters. The windmills have been designated as listed historical buildings, and a study by the municipality provides for two of them to be restored in the future so they can function as normal windmills, one to be turned into a windmill museum, a fourth to become a traditional café, and the rest to function as shops selling traditional products. On the hilltop at the end of the ridge, we will find the little white church of the Prophet Elias the Low (Profitis Ilias tu Hamilu), not to be confused with the Holy Monastery of the Prophet Elias at the highest point on the island. This is the fifth windmill that we encounter on the road.