Here in Santorini: Walking Through Summer Lovers
We came to Santorini partly to experience the island itself, but this walk carried a much more personal connection.
Our experience
Rod was looking for echoes of Summer Lovers, the early-1980s film with Peter Gallagher and Daryl Hannah that had stayed in his imagination for decades.
We weren't following an exact filming-location map. Instead, we were chasing the feeling of the movie: whitewashed houses, narrow lanes, blue water, hidden terraces, and the unhurried rhythm of walking through villages perched above the sea.
When Rod first saw the movie, it was "just" a film. Looking back, he recognizes that it meant much more. He was deeply attracted to Peter Gallagher's character but was still so closeted that he couldn't fully acknowledge what he was feeling. Returning to Santorini decades later made the walk feel like a quiet reunion with that younger version of himself.
What stayed with Rod wasn't only the characters in Summer Lovers. It was the entire lifestyle the film seemed to represent — white cubic houses, brilliant blue water, beaches, simple villas, open terraces, and a world where people appeared to move more slowly and live more freely. Walking through Santorini today, those images no longer exist only on a movie screen. The white walls, blue domes, winding steps, terraces, and glimpses of the Aegean create the same sense of possibility that made the film so memorable all those years ago.
Must-sees and must-dos
- Wander the whitewashed lanes — leave the busiest streets occasionally and follow the smaller stairways and passages that give Santorini its distinctive character.
- Look for hidden terraces and patios — notice how homes and villas open toward the sea, recreating some of the atmosphere that made Summer Lovers so memorable.
- Take in the caldera views — pause instead of rushing from viewpoint to viewpoint and watch how the light changes across the water.
- Explore without an exact movie map — rather than hunting down every filming location, look for places that capture the movie's overall mood.
- Spend time by the water — Santorini's beaches and volcanic coastline are another part of the landscape that made the film feel so free and sun-drenched.
- Rewatch Summer Lovers — seeing the movie again after walking Santorini gives its streets, houses, and scenery an entirely different meaning.
Our pro tip
Don't turn a walk like this into a scavenger hunt for exact filming locations. Some of the best moments come from simply wandering and suddenly recognizing a staircase, terrace, whitewashed wall, or view that brings the movie back to you.
For Rod, the real experience was walking with two versions of himself: the present-day traveler enjoying Santorini and the younger, closeted version who once watched Summer Lovers without having the words to explain what he was feeling.
There doesn't need to be a dramatic breakthrough. Sometimes travel gives you something quieter — the chance to return to an old memory, understand it differently, and let the person you were then walk alongside the person you are now.
If you want to add one structured experience without turning the day into a packed itinerary, a Santorini sunset cruise on Klook fits naturally with the mood of this walk. You can also browse more Santorini experiences and tours.