I always thought Crete was the leader in civilization until for some unknown reason, possibly attacks from mainland Greece, they ceased to be.
What ever the reason, Crete has always fascinated me.
We're currently studying Crete, the Minoans and Greece with my first grader. It really is fascinating. (We made a Mycenaean helmet out of paper mache.)
Anyway, we went to see "Greece" at the Imax a few days ago, and I wish that I had realized that Santorini was actually Thera, as a lot of the first part of the film was based there. I would recommend seeing this production when it gets to your area.
I only wish we could travel to the Mediterannean (sp) to visit it first hand. The scenery was breathtaking!