Fabrica Shopping Center

You are now at the Fabrica Shopping Center, an unusual stop in Fira with a surprising past. Back in 1892, this was the site of Santorini’s very first mechanical flour mill—a pioneering building for its time that shaped the island’s economy for more than seventy years. Locals called it “Fabrica,” and the name has remained ever since.

Today, the old mill has given way to Santorini’s only true shopping mall. Spread across several open-air levels, it brings together shops, art galleries, jewelry stores, and cafés. You’ll find everything here, from handmade souvenirs to international brands, and at every level you can pause to enjoy sweeping views of the caldera, the volcano, and the endless Aegean.

This transformation also echoes the story of the island’s traditional windmills. Introduced by the Venetians in the 16th century, they were built on high ground to harness the strong Aegean winds, grinding wheat and barley into flour that sustained daily life. When modern technology made them obsolete, many were abandoned, though some have since been restored or converted into homes and cafés.

Today, they remain as much a symbol of Santorini as its blue domes. In this way, the Fabrica Shopping Center is more than just a convenient stop for shopping with a view—it also carries the memory of the island’s enduring bond with its mills, linking its agricultural past to the modern era.