Around 1450 BC, the volcanic heart of Santorini exploded and sank, leavingan extraordinary landscape.Today, the startling sight of the submergedcaldera almost encircled by sheer cliffs remains-this is certainly the mostdramatic of all the islands. It's possible that the catastrophe destroyed the Minoan civilisation, but neither this theory nor the claim that the islandswere part of the lost continent of Atlantis has been proven.