Why are houses in Cyclades white?

What is this? Since the white-washing was established, the islanders kept using limestone to paint their houses. The bright white colour helped reflect the sunlight and cool down the indoors temperatures.

Why are Cycladic houses white?

With temperatures sometimes reaching as high as 40c, the bright white helped reflect the sunlight and cool down indoor temperatures in the houses. The colour blue also has its own story of how it came to prominence, though it's not quite as dramatic.

Why are Greek island buildings white?

As white color is a reflector of heat it makes an environment cool and comfortable to live in. This way, it preserves the freshness and coolness inside the Greek houses during hot summer days. Another reason was that there was a Cholera disease outbreak in Greece in 1938.

Why are most Greek houses white?

This might sound strange today, but the whitewash used to paint the houses contained limestone. Limestone is a powerful disinfectant, and not many others were in common use at the time. Greek citizens thus whitewashed their homes to help sanitize them and reduce the spread of cholera.

Why are the houses in Santorini Greece white?

The inhabitants, in order to confine the heat in the interior to a significant extent, had to construct their houses accordingly. The white color reflects the biggest part of the dazzling light, preventing the houses from getting warm and that was a basic goal of the traditional architecture.

The Way - House in Cyclades

How do Greek houses stay white?

What is this? Since the white-washing was established, the islanders kept using limestone to paint their houses. The bright white colour helped reflect the sunlight and cool down the indoors temperatures.

How do buildings in Greece stay white?

Staying inside the house can be torturous if a dark house's paint attracts and absorbs the relentless sunlight more than it must. The solution was to paint the houses a bright white that reflects all colors, and thus repulses the sunlight's heat as much as possible.

Why are houses painted white in hot countries?

White colour reflects the heat that falls on the wall or we can say white colour absorbs less amount of heat, therefore in place of the hot climate, it is advised that the outer wall of houses be painted white.

Why are the domes blue in Santorini?

The blue dome churches are built on the slope of the caldera. The island of Santorini was built up by layers of lava. Major volcanic eruptions formed overlapping calderas (collapsed magma chambers). In the town of Oia, the two most famous blue-domed churches are built on the steep slope of the caldera.

What city in Greece is all white?

Santorini – Santorini is perched on the edge of a submerged volcano, overlooking a stunning caldera. It is a dream island that is the epitome of your Greece fantasies – white houses, blue roofs and windmills.

Why Greek island houses are blue and white?

People used a cleaning agent called loulaki (blue-coloured powder) to prepare the blue colour, which was easily available in every house. They would mix the powder with the limestone plaster and paint the house. Blue and white colours became permanent when a military government came in power in the year 1967.

What are houses in Santorini made of?

The main building materials are, of course, volcanic which are abundant thanks to the well-known volcano; volcanic dust, black igneous rock, red rock and pumice stone. Two basic architectural characteristics of the island are the domes and the cave houses, whose construction is easy and inexpensive.

Which Greek island is Mamma Mia set on?

In the original “Mamma Mia,” the Greek island of Skopelos played the fictional island of Kalokairi. But to shoot “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” filmmakers turned to the island of Vis, off the coast of Croatia.

Why are Greece doors blue?

Well, the answer is quite simple, and somehow effective, it is because blue colour was cheap, easily available, and could be painted on homes. People used a cleaning agent called loulaki (blue-coloured powder) to prepare the blue colour, which was easily available in every house.

What are Cycladic houses made of?

Cycladic houses take their name from the Cyclades, a group of islands in Greece's Aegean Sea. The pure white exterior — traditionally achieved with a lime whitewash — creates the distinctive look and helps reflect the hot summer sun. Plus, the lime acts as a natural disinfectant.

Where are the white houses in Santorini?

“White House” Villa is a unique property located at the highest spot of Oia village in Perivolas area. Its amphitheatric position offers fantastic views over the cliff, the village, the beautiful sunset and the volcano, all at the same time.

How are Cycladic houses built?

Houses in Cyclades islands have been built with plain constructive elements in order to cover the main daily needs, but they are considered wonderful works in terms of aesthetics. As piracy was a very important problem for the Aegean islands in the Medieval era, architecture had an evident defensive style.

What does Oia mean in Greek?

Oia was formerly called Apano Meria (Απάνω Μεριά or Επάνω Μεριά, which means “upper side”).

Why are there so many churches in Santorini?

With more than 600 temples in the whole island it becomes clear that you will most certainly set eyes on them whenever you go. This great number is a result of the locals' efforts and religious fervor which was reinforced after the successive volcanic eruptions that hit Santorini causing tremendous damage.

Do white houses stay cooler?

For exterior paint to keep your house cool, white is a popular choice. It brightens the look of your home and reflects light, and therefore heat, from the sun. If you have excessive cooling costs during warmer seasons, a white house may be the solution.

Why are so many houses painted white?

White houses were a sign of cleanliness and purity, according to This Old House. And so, whitewashing became known as a cheap and easy way to make a house look attractive. In fact, it became such a common home-improvement solution that the word "whitewash" began to reflect that.

Does white paint absorb heat?

“Dark-colored homes absorb 70 to 90 percent of the radiant energy from the sun, which is then absorbed into the home. White — or other light, neutral colors — will reflect most of the heat away from your home,” he said.

What white paint is used in Greece?

The famous white buildings of islands like Santorini, Greece, aren't just for show: humans have used the knowledge that white colours reflect heat best for hundreds of years. Traditionally, a type of white paint called gypsum, containing calcium sulphate (CaSO₄), is used to cover such buildings.

Why do churches in Greece have blue roofs?

Well, at first people used any colour they wanted to paint their buildings, but blue became the most common because it was cheap and readily available.

How often do they paint Santorini?

Some houses are whitewashed up to three times a year, but most residents do it once a year, during spring. Every person is responsible for painting their own home.