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The Town of Oia has long been regarded as unique in Greece. The physical cliff top and cliff side position, the overlapping & stacking mix of cave style buildings with family mansions, the tip of the island location and the sea faring history have all been recognized to warrant special protection. The village zoning includes Zone A as the area on the north side of the village and Zone B as the area running along the caldera and sunset side of the village. Zone B has various protections including the installing of all service wiring below the village paths - to avoid wires in the air. Public lighting is located at foot level to avoid overhead "light pollution". A freeze on the new issuance of licenses for bars, restaurants, cafes, etc. was put in place in 1997. The freeze also applies to new hotel licenses so to limit the population on the caldera and the environmental impact. Exceptions for hotel licenses are made for traditional buildings carefully converted to tourism. The Sea Captain's Villa and The Cave Style House are both in the protected Zone B. | |
