GREECE IS ATHENS - SUMMER 2024 by GREECE IS

T R AVEL, CULTU R E, GASTRONOMY & MO R E

“Spilia” means “Cave”.

A CITY OF TWO TALES

BY GIORGOS TSIROS

THE VISITOR SAYS: “Visiting Athens was an incredible experience! The city is a vibrant blend of ancient history and modern life. Walking through the streets, I was captivated by the historic landmarks, such as the Acropolis and the Parthenon standing proudly against the skyline. The bustling markets and cafés were filled with people of all kinds, offering a true taste of the Greek reality. Athens is dynamic and energetic, with contemporary art scenes and innovative spaces around every corner. The scenic views of the Aegean and the resilient spirit of the city left a lasting impression. It’s a city where history and modernity coexist beautifully.”

The Athenian says: “Living in Athens has its challenges. The city’s charm is overshadowed by daily struggles with congestion and pollution. Traffic is a nightmare, and noise pollution is constant. Housing costs have skyrocketed, pushing many locals out of their neighborhoods. Overtourism has led to overcrowded streets and strained infrastructure. Despite our rich cultural heritage, the city feels chaotic and dilapidated in many areas, with vandalized buildings and limited green spaces. The summer heat is relentless, making life uncomfortable. Economic instability adds to the uncertainty, and the sprawling urban landscape lacks coherence. These issues make daily life in Athens increasingly difficult.”

The funny thing is that both the “visitor” and the “Athenian” are ChatGPT, which I asked to play the two roles and write these comments for me. If I had asked it to do something similar for Barcelona, Amsterdam, or any other European city with tourism management issues, it would have written more or less the same things. This is not a flaw of AI but of our cities. Our problems have become clichés.

All this notwithstanding, Athens was selected as Europe’s Leading City-break Destination at the World Travel Awards 2024, and your presence here, dear reader, will help the Greek capital break the record for tourist arrivals. In the first half of the year, passenger traffic at Athens International Airport increased by double digits, reaching 14 million passengers – and the tourist season was still just warming up.

Although we Athenians often complain, there are many things to enjoy in our city, even when the weather (heatwave) doesn’t cooperate. In the pages of this issue, we have gathered, as always, as many suggestions as possible, both within and beyond the usual tourist routes. Whatever you choose to include in your own Athenian experience, don’t miss visiting the Acropolis Museum, where an entire new exhibition site awaits you beneath the ground floor: the Excavation Museum reveals the fascinating cityscape of an exposed ancient neighborhood and a rich array of household objects, workshop remnants, commercial goods, and stunning statuary displayed alongside it. You’ll get a real sense of life in ancient times, and you can console yourself with the knowledge that those Athenians surely faced their urban challenges as well. •

14 | WHAT ’ S ON?

Noteworthy arrivals, unique experiences, and art exhibitions will make your summer stay in Athens even more memorable.

40 | INSIDE INFORMATION

Locals share tips about the city they know.

46 | SIZZLING ATHENS

Unprecedented heatwaves and record tourist numbers in Athens are challenging daily life and straining city resources.

54 | SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE

Sarah Bailey, international editor-at-large of Vogue Greece, suggests some delightful experiences that might reshape your perception of this ancient metropolis.

The island of Aegina, only a 40-minute boat ride from Piraeus, feels like a world apart, a place where creativity reigns supreme. 14

66 | THE NEW ATHENS COOL

Seven creatives making waves in the capital.

78 | CHILL AND THRILL

New summer hangouts to discover.

92 | AEGINA

106 | THE ACROPOLIS MUSEUM

Discover the new Excavation Museum for a fresh archaeological experience in an ageold city.

116 | BONNA WESCOAT

An interview with Prof. Bonna Wescoat, director of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA).

122 | SETTING THE STAGE

In the Katakouzenos House, modern Greek culture took shape and left its mark on the international art scene.

130 | ARTISTIC WORLDS IN ATHENIAN SPACES

Three small museums in Athens, former residences or studios of artists, worth visiting both for their collections and their aesthetics.

136 | MAGIC ON THE MOUNTAIN

Impressions from a fascinating stroll around the famed site of Delphi.

PUBLISHED BY:

Nees Kathimerines Ekdoseis

Single Member S.A. Ethnarhou Makariou & 2 Dimitriou Falireos, Neo Faliro, 185 47

Piraeus Greece

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ON THE COVER

Digital collage by Dimitris Tsoumplekas

SUMMER in the city

What to do and where to go this summer in Athens

BY THE GREECE-IS TEAM

A Green Park of Freedom

GREEN OASES IN THE CITY center are not abundant, and Athenians aren’t really used to spending leisure time lying on the grass in parks like other Europeans. However, in recent years, the Parko Eleftherias (Freedom Park), next to the Megaron–Athens Concert Hall, has become a popular spot for outdoor parties or concerts and for relaxing under carob trees or playing on the slopes with younger family members. Designed in the 1960s by the renowned architect Panagiotis Vakalopoulos, this well-kept green space features a prominent statue of the statesman Eleftherios Venizelos, as well as some early 20th-century stone buildings, used as detention centers during the dictatorship and today home to an arts center, the Eleftherios Venizelos Museum and the National Resistance Museum. valia dimitrakopoulou → Info: Megaro Moussikis metro station

Images of Greece

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON, the French photographer known for the “decisive moment,” traveled to Greece three times (in the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s), capturing iconic images that showcased the country worldwide. These feature, among other subjects, a girl riding a donkey in the town of Trikala, Central Greece; a scene of everyday life among the whitewashed houses of Sifnos; rebetiko musicians in Piraeus; and the House with the Caryatids in Psyrri. These images, and a selection of his photos from around the world, are displayed at the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, a magnet for art lovers, with a permanent collection boasting masterpieces by Picasso, Cezanne, Miro and others. panagiotis koustas

→ Until 27/10/24, Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, 13 Eratosthenous, open Mon, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun 10:00-18:00, Fri 10:00-20:00, goulandris.gr

Enchanting blush pink color, smooth taste, a burst of refreshing coolness in every sip...

P.G.E. Achaia

Introduce yourself to greek high wine-tasting

In the Name of Democracy

FROM 1967 TO 1974, GREECE, like Portugal and Spain at the time, was under military dictatorship. Fifty years after the fall of the junta in Greece, the National Gallery exhibition “Democracy” gathers works by 55 artists from these three countries, exploring the relationship between art and political history in southern Europe. Highlights include paintings by Yiannis Gaitis, Alexis Akrithakis and Giorgos Ioannou; a portrait of dictator Franco by the famous Colombian painter Fernando Botero; and the work “Baigneuses/Bathers” by Portugal’s Nikias Skapinakis. The museum, near the lively neighborhood of Pangrati, reopened in 2021 after extensive renovations, and boasts an excellent permanent collection as well. panagiotis koustas

→ Until 02/02/25, National Gallery–Alexandros Soutsos Museum, 50 Vasileos Konstantinou, open Mon, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun 10:00-18:00, Wed 12:00-20:00, nationalgallery.gr

Marios Vatzias, National Technical University of Athens, 1975, Vinyl on canvas.

What if Women Ruled the World?

FOR THE PAST EIGHT MONTHS, the National Museum of Modern Art (EMST) has dedicated all its temporary exhibitions to artists who identify as female. We recommend Tala Madani’s “Shitty Disco” (ground floor), Bouchra Khalili’s “Lanternists and Typographers” (3rd floor) and Eva Stefani’s installation “The Luminous Cave” (2nd floor). The EMST is housed in the former Fix brewery, which began operating in 1893 and reopened as a museum in 2016. Its facade features the work “What if Women Ruled the World?” by Yael Bartana, inspiring the entire exhibition cycle. The museum includes an art shop on the ground floor and the gourmet restaurant Nyn Esti on the top floor, offering a large terrace with views of the Acropolis. panagiotis koustas

→ Until 10/11/24, EMST – National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens, Kallirrois & Amvrosiou

Frantzi, open Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun 11:00-19:00, Thu 11:00-22:00, emst.gr

Cave,

Tala Madani Pinocchio Plank, 2021 Oil on linen

Eva Stefani

The Luminous

2024, Installation view at EMST

Who Are You, Cindy Sherman?

FROM HER FAMOUS “Untitled Film Stills,” a series of 69 black-and-white photographs which she transforms into cinematic stereotypes of women (shot from 1977 to 1980), to her recent digital collages resembling wild selfies, Cindy Sherman, a pop icon in the art world, has never ceased to innovate. Her early works, which established her as a leading figure of the Pictures Generation, include the series “Rear Screen Projections” (1980), “Centerfolds” (1981) and “Color Studies” (1982). All these series are presented in the exhibition “Cindy Sherman at Cycladic: Early Works” at the Museum of Cycladic Art – Stathatos Mansion, one of Athens’ most significant 19th-century neoclassical buildings, designed by Ernst Ziller. panagiotis koustas

→ Until 04/11/24, Museum of Cycladic Art, Vasilissis Sofias & 1 Irodotou, open Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat 10:00-17:00, Thu 10:00-20:00, Sun 11:00-17:00, cycladic.gr

“Standing Figure: Knife Edge” (1961) installed on Filopappou Hill opposite the Acropolis as part of the First International Exhibition of Sculpture, Athens Festival, 1965.

Below: “Falling Warrior,” 1956–57, Bronze

Greece and Henry Moore

“THE ACROPOLIS IS WONDERFUL – more marvelous than ever I imagined … it’s the greatest thrill I have ever had,” declared Henry Moore in 1951 during his exhibition at the Zappeio. On that trip, he also visited Mycenae, Delphi and Olympia. “The Greek light is, as everyone says, something you can’t imagine until you’ve experience it. In England half the light is, as it were, absorbed into the object, but in Greece the object seems to give off light as if it were lit up from inside itself.” The exhibition “Henry Moore and Greece” at Gagosian Athens, in collaboration with the Henry Moore Foundation – 20 years after the last presentation of Moore’s work in Greece – explores the influence of ancient Greek art on the artist’s work. It features sculptures, models, prints and lithographs, including three colored lithographs from the French edition of Goethe’s Prometheus (Prométhée) that reflect Moore’s ties to Greek mythology and ancient Greek culture. xenia georgiadou

→ From 12/09 to 26/10, Gagosian, 22 Anapiron Polemou, gagosian.com

Discover Starbucks chilled coffees in all islands in the coolers in super & mini markets

Starlit Cinema

THE BELOVED TRADITION of openair cinema in Athens dates back to the early 1900s, when traveling showmen projected films onto large white sheets in outdoor spaces. Throughout the summer and until late October, Athenians enjoy the songs of cicadas accompanying the soundtrack of every movie, rediscovering cinematic masterpieces through re-releases of classic films at Cine Zefyros in Petralona. They flock to the newly renovated Cine Paris in Plaka for romantic screenings close to the illuminated Acropolis. At the Cine Thision, audiences enjoy screenings of new releases with glasses of refreshing homemade sour cherry juice. pantelis tsompanis

→ Info:

Cine Zefyros, 36 Troon, Petralona

Cine Paris, 22 Kydathineon

Cine Thision, 7 Apostolou Pavlou

Full house at Cine Thision.

A World to Explore

ALL THE PATHS OF THE Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) converge on the Great Lawn, the heart of the most extensive planting of Mediterranean plant species in Athens. This spot is surrounded by trees, smaller botanical gardens and playgrounds. The SNFCC, a magnificent cultural hub designed by Renzo Piano and a popular leisure destination for Athenians, offers year-round activities and experiences. With fascinating National Library tours, colorful corners in the children’s library, and cool communal spaces, it’s an appealing place to spend an afternoon. You can move to the rhythm of the street musicians by the Canal or enjoy classical pieces played by established pianists. The Canal’s fountains “dance” every evening, and every Wednesday in August, The SNFCC’s famous Summer Sunset DJ Sets take place on the iconic Lighthouse terrace, with views of the Saronic Gulf and the entire city. Outdoor cinema screenings for the whole family are scheduled until September, along with many other free events and concerts. nena dimitriou

→ Info: Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, 364 Syngrou, Kallithea, snfcc.org

Bungalow 7

INFUSED WITH MID-CENTURY ELEGANCE ,

Bungalow 7 graces Asteria, the iconic landmark of the Athenian Riviera. The restaurant evokes nostalgic glamour in a vibrant, multifaceted setting, offering stunning waterfront views of the Saronic Gulf.

As you walk through the impressive door and into Bungalow 7, you’re captivated by the panoramic sea views. An impressive fireplace in the entry foyer will draw your attention before you arrive at the monumental marble bar, which exudes an air of mystery with its wood-clad walls and dark, moody tiles. The mid-century bespoke furnishings, draped in glamorous fabrics, further enhance the ambience. The space

is mesmerising, with numerous seating areas and a constant sense of discovery at every turn.

Choose a spot by the beachfront, in the exclusive dining room or the avant-garde bedroom area, complete with appealing sofa beds, for a truly alluring experience set in a theatrical and artfully crafted yet relaxed atmosphere.

Bungalow 7 embodies a mid-century aesthetic, boasting spacious interiors within a scenic setting, while the staff provides impeccable service. Celebrated chef Ntinos Fotinakis creates a symphony of flavors that combines fusion cuisine with Mediterranean ingredients and Asian techniques.n

For Your Coffee Table

IF YOUR JOURNEY HERE has made you fall in love with this city of contrasts, these tasteful editions capturing various aspects of Athens deserve some space in your suitcase: In the publication “Doors of Kypseli,” Eleanor Lines has created 100 illustrations of doors from the historic neighborhood, narrating the story of Athens’ architecture from the 1930s to the 1960s, and tracing the influence of Art Deco, Bauhaus and modernism. You’ll find copies at Hyper Hypo (Voreou 5, city center), a bookstore dedicated to design, fashion and pop culture. Αlso worth checking out is “Athens: Two Hundred Years, Two Hundred Buildings,” edited by Manolis Anastasakis, with photos by Vasilis Makris; it’s a rich journey through the architecture of Athens, created to mark the bicentenary of the 1821 Greek

Revolution. It’s also available in a pocketsize edition. “Athens,” the first of the Greek Foundation’s Travel Guides, is, in fact, much more than a travel guide. Well written and beautifully designed, this publication (from a foundation that acts as a platform for the exchange and dissemination of Greek culture worldwide) is a ticket to Athenian charm in hardcover form.

eliza synadinou → Info: thegreekfoundation.com, hyperhypo.gr

All-Day Shelter: Dogpound

A GROUP OF FRIENDS who love travel created a multipurpose space on the ground floor of a historic building. With seating on steps in place of the traditional table-and-chair arrangement, they serve handmade pizzettas, draft cocktails and healthy botanical boosters. With music exclusively from vinyl records and a super relaxed atmosphere, it’s a perfect all-day hangout.

elina dimitriadi

→ Dogpound, 8 Aghias Irinis, Monastiraki

What’s on

Elevator Action

FOR THE WARMEST SUMMER nights in Athens, the city offers elevated options: rooftop bars and bar restaurants on hotel terraces, all with spectacular views, welcome both guests and nonguests for food, drinks and even movie screenings. To Lokali, in addition to its popular courtyard, features a bohemian rooftop with colorful lights and a bar where skilled bartenders craft cocktails starring strawberry, fig, coconut and passion fruit – the cocktail list this year is called “Frutopia.” Not far away, in Kerameikos, Bios, a classic hangout for decades, sets up lounge chairs for summertime sipping. Enjoy a mezcalita, with tequila, mezcal and mango, or a refreshing 3G, with gin, cucumber syrup and ginger, while listening to music and gazing at the illuminated Parthenon in one direction or, in the other direction, some sci-fi animation from the 1970s projected onto the wall. Mona, a stylish boutique hotel, hosts a gallery; artworks are spread organically throughout its spaces. On the top floor, there’s a members-exclusive rooftop (free registration at houseofshila.com/membership), where an interesting international crowd enjoys impressive views of Athens, drinks wine, and listens to a wide range of music, often from vinyl records.

angela stamatiadou

→ Info: Bios, 84 Pireos, Kerameikos, pireos84.bios.gr

To Lokali, 44 Sarri, Psyrri, tolokali.gr Mona, 4 Kakourgiodikiou, Psyrri, mona-athens.com

Tap into Athens: A Craft Beer Adventure

Athens now boasts a decade of vibrant craft brewing and a thriving beer scene. Strange Brew Taproom (86 Falirou, Koukaki) is a classic downtown spot where enthusiasts stop by to learn about the latest market offerings. Notable drafts include their own Hey Joe – a dry, lemony farmhouse ale – and Tropiki, a light and spicy session IPA, perfect for the heat. In Psyrri, Tapfield (4 Navarchou Apostoli) is ideal for a refreshing break after exploring the neighborhood’s colorful alleys. Their Captain H.B, a light pilsner with a pleasant bitterness,

piars perfectly with their version of a hot dog, a country sausage. Up north, outside the city center, Local Pub (25 Haimanta, Halandri) will please those who love traditional English pubs. Here, you can taste Anastasiou beers brewed in the adjacent brewery, including their new Belgian-style white beer, with cardamom and pomelo, called Thees. marina petridou

Famed Koukaki hangout Strange Brew Taproom.

Halandri’s Local Pub has a wide range of options.

Bread & Beyond

SOMETIMES, IT’S WORTH skipping the classic spinach and cheese pie. The wave of new bakeries that has swept the capital in recent years has brought good bread back into the daily lives of Athenians, along with delicious sandwiches. You’ll see queues at Black Salami (71 Zoodochou Pigis) for BLTs made with smoked pork belly from Serres, or “village” sandwiches with feta, mozzarella, tomato, pepper, capers and olives. At 72H Artisanal Bakery (Ergon Bakehouse, 27 Mitropoleos, Syntagma), they prepare pizzadough buns and fill them to order with truffle paste, fresh mozzarella, rocket and extra virgin olive oil. Homemade bread and deli meats made in-house without preservatives are the highlights at Ateno Cook & Deli (52 Aiolou, Monastiraki). Grab a sandwich with black pig mortadella, olive oil, rocket and Aegina pistachios to go. Don’t miss Kora (44 Anagnostopoulou), which serves up a slowfermented bread filled with brie and green apple, egg salad and chives, as well as other combinations.

georgia papastamou

Τhe famous Black Salami sandwiches, with sourdough bread.

MYKONOS

A world of authentic French flavours

Drawing inspiration from the traditional Mykonian architecture, the PAUL store in Mykonos perfectly combines the laid-back vibes of the island with the notorious French sophistication. Discover a distinctive range of buttery viennoiseries, tempting sandwiches, fresh salads and mouth-watering desserts and create some unique PAUL memories on the famous island of the winds.

Seaside Adventures

DID YOU KNOW THAT JUST 10 KM from the center of Athens lies a stunning 70-km coastline stretching from Piraeus to Sounion, featuring diverse landscapes and crystal-clear waters – a privilege unmatched by any other European capital? Attica boasts 17 Blue Flag beaches. In the summer, city life shifts to a seaside that’s accessible by tram from Syntagma in just 40 minutes. For nearby beaches with easy public transport access, popular choices with facilities include Akti tou Iliou in Alimos and Voula A Beach (Athines by the Sea). The further out you venture, the more free beaches you’ll find – hidden coves, rocky spots for diving and idyllic sandy shores. Begin your beach-hopping by descending the steps to the beautiful Althea (28 km from Athens), visit Aghia Marina and seek out the sheltered Kataphygi (45.5 km from Athens) in Palaia Fokaia, featuring sand, fine pebbles and shallow waters. At Tsiou Beach (67 km from Athens) on the border of Sounio and Lavrio, you’ll find tranquility, an island breeze and stunning blue waters. Despite being a well-known secret among Athenians, it remains a small paradise.

alexandra mandrakou

© MARIKA

Τhe stunning blue waters at Tsiou Beach.

Artisan Made in Greece, since 1987 Kalliope founders, Kalliope and George, sought to express fashion trends through a unique lens, combining their travels and Greek heritage. They use natural materials and bronze to create jewelry that awakens a sense of self discovery and personal expression in the wearer.This connection between designer, artist, and wearer is the essence of the Kalliope story.

58, Perikleous Str, 10563, Athens T.: +30 2102716557 kalliope.jewelry

Inside INFORMATION

CREATIVE ATHENIANS OFFER THEIR OWN TIPS

BY VLASIS KOSTOUROS

EVAN MARAGKOUDAKIS

Cinematographer @evansteez

1. Cine Paris (22 Kidathineon) in Plaka is a must-visit. This newly renovated open-air cinema offers stunning Acropolis views. Arrive early to secure the best seats.

2. Cape Beach: the 100 steps down to this beach are worth every effort. Visit on weekdays for a tranquil experience and to enjoy the beach all to yourself.

3. Tigré (98 Mavromichali) is my favorite spot for an after-work drink, with a welcoming atmosphere and delicious snacks.

4. To Ellinikon (40 Iasonidou) in the southern suburb with the same name is my top pick for souvlaki, serving the best since 1990. Try the burger beef souvlaki.

5. Ministry Of Concrete (5 Athanasiou Axarlian) is a skate-focused sneaker boutique in downtown Athens. The owner, Alex, sold me my first skateboard at 13. They also host various events, so keep an eye out!

1. Cultural experience

2. For a swim nearby

3. Night out

Guilty pleasure

Shopping tips

GEORGIA HOPKINS

Travel Writer - Travel Advisor

@_itsbeautifulhere

1. A private walking tour of the Acropolis with archaeologist and guide, Michael Patmanidis (@michael_patmanidis). His passion, knowledge, and engaging storytelling make this one of Athens’s most enriching experiences.

2. The little beach beneath the Karamanlis Tunnel Holes is my go-to spot. It is easily accessible and often quiet, especially midweek, and has an island-like charm. Early mornings are particularly peaceful.

3. Santarosa Bar (69 Asklipiou) is my favorite for a night out. Its dark, atmospheric ambiance and the long bar create a perfect setting for enjoying a unique and eclectic music journey.

4. The Taverna Ton Filon (66 Argous) is ideal for friendly, unpretentious dining in a charming setting. The classic taverna food, excellent wine and Yiorgos’ warm hospitality make it unique. The pastel de nata from Sweet Nolan (6B Apollonos), however, might be my ultimate guilty pleasure.

5. For unique gifts, visit Ere Athens (30 Erechthiou), a cool concept store in Koukaki. Adad Books (1 Anteou) stocks beautiful coffee-table books, while the 2WO+1NE=2 showroom (26 Akadimias) has stylish clothing.

DIANE ALEXANDRE Designer, Illustrator,

Ceramist

@dianealexandre

1. Often overshadowed by the Acropolis Museum, the National Archaeological Museum (44 28is Oktovriou) is one of the world’s most important museums. Its stunning collection includes the Mask of Agamemnon and the imposing Kouros Statues.

2. Tsiou Beach in Sounion is a picturesque cove with white sand, impressive rocks, and crystal-clear waters. You can also take an afternoon walk to the nearby Temple of Poseidon.

3. At Wine is Fine (6 Vissis), enjoy natural wines and classic French bistro dishes amidst Athens’ most stylish crowd on a charming pedestrian street in Monastiraki. For lively dancing nearby, visit Angie Discotheque (9 Vlachava), the city’s new pop-up disco with a spacious dance floor, disco balls, frozen margaritas, and energetic DJs.

4. Nikolas of Schinoussa, a restaurant that’s famous on the island of the same name, has opened a new venue on Glyfada Beach in Athens, offering amazing seafood and stunning views of the Saronic Gulf. You’ll fall in love! (48 Diadochou Pavlou)

5. In Psyrri, you’ll find Dante (9 Pittaki), specializing in menswear but with items my boyfriend and I often share (and sometimes squabble over). Booktique (21 Patriarchou Ioakim) in Kolonaki, is a bilingual bookstore that’s one of Athens’ premier destinations for book lovers.

Inside INFORMATION

CHRISTOS POLITIS

TV Content Manager & Blogger

@christos.robin

1. Cultural experience 2. For a swim nearby

Night out

Guilty pleasure

Shopping tips

1. The perfect summer date spot is Cine Riviera (46 Valtetsiou), in the heart of Exarchia. This lush oasis offers a nostalgic summer movie experience. Once you part the red curtain and step inside, you’ll be transported by the ambiance and the classic films it plays.

2. Just a 40-minute ride from Athens, Limanakia offers rocky diving platforms into the clear waters of successive coves and provides stunning views towards Vouliagmeni, too. There’s a small canteen for basic needs. The peaceful landscape is perfect for swimming and sunbathing.

3. Ntylan (38 Aghias Zonis) in Kypseli is a recent addition on a vibrant pedestrianized street. From afternoon until late in the evening, enjoy exquisite drinks and delicious food from an elegant menu. The atmosphere is always lively and welcoming.

4. To Tromero Paidi (30 Papadiamantopoulou) is Athens’s go-to bakery for the best bread, pastries, and croissants. The delightful aromas will guide you to this spot, known for attracting customers from all over the city with its exceptional baked goods.

5. The Bohemian Athenian, located at 12 Zoodochou Pigis , is a cozy little shop in a third-floor studio apartment. Find items such as books, candles, vases, and small furniture pieces you never knew you needed, all carefully curated to inspire.

CACAO ROCKS

Artist

@cacaorocks

1. The Archaeological Museum of Piraeus (31 Charilaou Trikoupi) is an underrated gem with few visitors but remarkable exhibits. It’s currently hosting “Odyssey,” a contemporary art exhibition, curated by Marilena Koutsoukou, that allows visitors to admire modern Greek art alongside ancient Greek classical sculptures.

2. Votsalakia Beach, between the ports of Zea and Kastella in Piraeus, is a picturesque spot for a swim with views of Aegina. Locals cherish this beach for its beauty. Make your summer escape complete with an ouzo at one of the many tavernas in the nearby Stavros of Piraiki area.

3. On Theatrou Square, you’ll find the Selina Hotel, home to the spectacular Great Bear Rooftop, with breathtaking views, refreshing cocktails and relaxed DJ sets. The crowd is always lively.

4. Ikariotiko (17 Aristidou), a historic taverna at the port in Piraeus, takes you back in time with its authentic Greek dishes reminiscent of home-cooked meals. For those who prefer fine dining, Amber Cellar (16-20 Aristidou) is right next door, offering innovative modern Greek cuisine in a chic setting.

5. In Kallithea, visit Zatopek (209 Panagi Tsaldari), a café-bookstore that serves excellent drinks and snacks. For new editions, rare art books and souvenirs, head to Hyper Hypo downtown (10 Voreou), a haven for book lovers and art enthusiasts alike.

Inside INFORMATION

BILLIE KARK Singer, Songwriter @billiekark

1. For traditional music fans, I highly recommend the Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments in Plaka (1 Diogenous), which has a collection of over a thousand Greek folk musical instruments from the 18th century to the present, all curated from the extensive research of musicologist Fivos Anoyanakis.

2. Erotospilia, 36 km from Athens in Porto Rafti, boasts idyllic scenery, crystal-clear waters, and golden sand. It’s perfect for groups of friends and couples alike. Arrive early to get a shady spot in the small cave on the beach.

1. Cultural experience

2. For a swim nearby

3. Night out

4. Guilty pleasure

5. Shopping tips

3. On the rooftop of an old neoclassical building, you’ll find the Bios bar (84 Pireos) with a really nice view of the Acropolis. The DJ plays house music, images are projected onto the walls of the surrounding buildings and, instead of typical bar chairs, you’ll find comfortable loungers!

4. I’m a fan of street food, and the best spot I’ve discovered is Galiandra, in verdant Avdi Square in Metaxourgeio (4 Giatrakou). They offer many vegan options, incredible fries, and a sinful soy meat burger!

5. Anamesa(24 Nikis) has fabulous clothes from Greek and international designers, as well as other items. For tropical plants and stylish ceramics, Rizom Athens in Mets (5 Kilis) is your place.

An Evzone, or member of the elite Presidential Guard, is given water while on sentry duty.

Sizzling

ATHENS

Unprecedented heatwaves and record tourist numbers in Athens are challenging daily life and straining city resources.

BY DIMITRIS RIGOPOULOS

IIN 1916, CENTRAL and southern Greece experienced what was the hottest day for that region up to that point in modern times. In Athens, on June 21, 1916, the thermometer soared to 43°C, setting a record that would stand for nearly a century. This record was finally broken on June 26, 2007, when the Thiseio meteorological station, in the heart of the Greek capital, recorded a staggering 44.8°C, the highest Athens temperature since reliable measurements began in the late 19th century.

Heatwaves are not rare in the southeastern Mediterranean, but in Greece, they traditionally

occur in July and August. Until recently, June heatwaves were considered particularly unusual. Not anymore. Since 2007, June heatwaves have become more frequent (2016, 2017, 2021, 2024) and earlier dates were notable, too; on May 16 and 17, 2020, temperatures reached 37°C. But this year, what happened in the country was exceptional: not only did the heatwave arrive earlier than ever, but the days with significantly higher-than-average temperatures spanned almost the entire month. It was unprecedented and, unfortunately, July followed a similar pattern.

In a broader context, the statistics from the past year are much more than a warning sign. They provide a comprehensive understanding of the historical context of climate change, which is emerging as a significant threat to Athens, its economy and its tourism industry. The data is revealing: 2023 was the hottest year ever recorded in Athens, according to the historical climate archive of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA) that goes

With little shade and a heat-reflecting surface, the Acropolis is a particularly hot spot in the city.

Heatwaves

back to the mid-19th century. With an average temperature of 19.8°C, 2023 in Athens was 2.3°C warmer than in the pre-industrial period (1860-1900) and 1.3°C warmer than the average annual temperature of the most recent climate period, 1991-2020. Additionally, the decade from 2014 to 2023 was 1.7°C warmer than the average temperature of the period from 1860 to 1900 in Athens. Athens experienced the warmest winter (December 2023-February 2024) in at least the last 160 years, again according to the NOA climate archive, with an average temperature of 13.0°C, an average maximum of 16.7°C and an average minimum (nighttime) temperature of 10.3°C. High temperatures during the winter 2023-2024 were reached during all the months, but December 2023 and February 2024 were particularly warm. The recent winters of 2020-2021 and 2015-2016 were also among the warmest ever, but it’s worth noting the unusually warm winter of 1935-1936, too, which highlights the role of natural factors in climate variability as well.

The Athenian tourism industry is facing the situation with remarkable calm and resilience. Despite the challenges posed by climate change, there are no signs of a slowdown in the

Despite the high temperatures, the number of visitors to the Acropolis has not decreased.

ALTHOUGH ENVIRONMENTALISTS HAVE BEEN SOUNDING THE ALARM FOR YEARS, FEW IMAGINED THAT THE FIRST GENERATIONS OF THE 21ST CENTURY WOULD FEEL CLIMATE CHANGE FIRSTHAND AND TO THIS EXTENT.

wave of interest in the city. The first five months of 2024 ended for Athens hotels with an average occupancy rate of 72.3%, compared to 68.9% in 2023, while arrivals at Athens International Airport are continually setting new records.

Although environmentalists have been sounding the alarm for years, few imagined that the first generations of the 21st century would feel climate change firsthand and to this extent. “It’s one thing for a given summer to be hotter than usual, and another for temperatures to gradually rise over a succession of hot summers, potentially leading to a change in the established habits that shape the planning of an entire year,” says Elias Kikilias, general director of the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE), who speaks plainly about “adjusting the season” in the long term if the climatic conditions of this and last summer persist. Have we reached that point? “Not yet, thankfully,” says Kikilias. “However, if a certain perception about the Mediterranean summer gains traction in important international markets, we may witness shifts that will disrupt the underlying ‘doctrines’ of both the Greek and Athenian tourism economies.” One of these doctrines is that the most “productive” months for Athens have traditionally been June and July. Why shouldn’t this change? Why not shift to previously low-tourism periods, such as December and January? However, making such a drastic change is not easy. For one things, schools still close throughout the summer months.

Increased Activity

Speaking with hotel sector stakeholders, there appears to be both concern and optimism. Athenian hotels are expecting to have the best season in the city’s tourism history. “It is a shame they can’t enjoy it as much as they’d like,” says an experienced hotelier. “When the thermometer remains at 36 or 37°C for days, elderly visitors in particular are essentially excluded

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from numerous activities from noon to late afternoon, which is normally the most ‘productive’ part of their day. Furthermore, the heat has a greater influence on city tourism, particularly among older travelers, who typically spend more.” Athens hotel occupancy rates averaged 72.3% in the first five months of 2024, up from 68.9% in 2023. However, if there is a slight flaw in this positive picture, it is that while May this year had a higher occupancy rate than the preceding months (86.2%), it showed a -2.7% decrease compared to May 2023.

Unceasing Heat

“We are experiencing a climatically extreme summer for our region,” says Kostas Lagouvardos, head of NOA, noting that we just had the warmest winter on record. “With the exception of May, we’ve had 12 consecutive months of slightly or significantly above-normal temperatures since July 2023. June was extremely hot, and July appears to be following the same trend, with all of our data showing prolonged heat ahead.”

WE ARE EXPERIENCING A CLIMATICALLY EXTREME SUMMER FOR OUR REGION,” SAYS KOSTAS LAGOUVARDOS, HEAD OF NOA, NOTING THAT WE JUST HAD THE WARMEST WINTER ON RECORD.

He points out that the issue for Athens and all tourist destinations is not so much the heat itself, but its duration. “In June, we only exceeded 40°C for one day. The problem was that temperatures were significantly higher than average on practically every other day of the month, exacerbating the sensation of heat. It is the duration that becomes tiresome and exhausting for people.” Although Athens and Attica have always had hot summers, their climate, due to the north-northeastern breezes (the well-known meltemia), has been relatively more bearable than in locations that do not benefit from the north wind and lower humidity.

“This is particularly true for the northern suburbs and the eastern coastal areas, but not so much for the city center or the southern parts,” continues Lagouvardos, “where the temperature doesn’t drop sufficiently, even at night. Let’s assume that a visitor can tolerate the daytime heat but hopes for relief at night, and then that relief fails to materialize since the temperature remains around 31 to 32°C at midnight; their sense of discomfort grows even more acute.”•

Once-decorative elements of the city have now become practical sources of relief.

The architectural practice, The Hive architects was founded in 2020 in Athens, by Michael Xirokostas and Theodoros Panopoulos. The Hive Architects is an architectural team that aims to create spaces and experiences that adapt to the user, the resident, and the community. Integral principles of our design approach are, the respect for the built and natural environment, sustainably- driven design enhanced by locality and natural materials, all while achieving the optimum spatial qualities in each project. The core of our teamwork is based on the Hive Mind, the collective intelligence. We have the qualities of a small studio culture where individuals can thrive on the exchange of ideas and knowledge in a friendly and nurturing work environment. Each project stage (Concept design, planning application design and technical design) is approached with functionality and the client’s brief and needs in mind. All our projects are crafted carefully with attention to detail and an appreciation for the uniqueness of each context, thus our work is always exclusive to the client and the site. Our projects are found in many parts of Greece, both in the mainland and in several islands, with emphasis on the Cyclades. Most are luxurious residences and hotel complexes as well as apartment buildings in the highly demanding and complex urban areas of Attika. We have expertise in consultation, visualization, construction, interiors, and landscape. As architects, we are known for a tailored approach, one that understands the aspirations of our clients.

The Hive Architects

T: 211 419 7525

Iroon Polutexneiou 8, Agia Paraskevi 15342, Greece

www.thehivearchitects.com

The_ hive _architects

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A REGULAR VISITOR TO ATHENS, SARAH BAILEY,

INTERNATIONAL EDITOR-AT-LARGE OF VOGUE GREECE, SUGGESTS SOME DELIGHTFUL EXPERIENCES THAT MIGHT RESHAPE YOUR PERCEPTION OF THIS ANCIENT METROPOLIS. FOLLOW HER THROUGH A VIBRANT LANDSCAPE FULL OF CULTURAL TREASURES, CONTEMPORARY ALLURE, RENOWNED LANDMARKS AND HIDDEN GEMS.

SIMPLY

IRRESISTIBLE

PHOTOS: PERIKLES MERAKOS

The Erechtheion with the Caryatids up close (left) and the Acropolis from afar, specifically from the upper neighborhoods of Kolonaki. The allure of Athens lies in its diverse charms.

HHOW DO YOU MAKE the most of your time in a city like Athens? Whether you’re a frequent visitor, or discovering its allure for the very first time, it seems there are always more of this capital’s treasures to explore than time allows, but your efforts will be richly rewarded nonetheless.

Whenever I find myself on the capital’s labyrinthine streets, inhaling its particular perfume of bitter oranges and rosemary, I like to base my itinerary on tried-and-true favorites, supplemented by new recommendations from friends and taste-makers that capture some of the grit and the glamour of this dynamic modern city. Sometimes this takes me to the latest hip dining spot hidden behind graffiti-covered steel shutters

in less-frequented neighborhoods. Other times it leads me down elegantly shaded streets that are home to luxury boutiques and the Zeus+Dione-clad chic crowd who lunch there… Like the perfect DJ set, it’s really all about the mix. So, in this spirit, I present my own guide to some of the city’s most unmissable spots, with a little room for improvisation and fresh flavors along the way. And yes, that’s right, you’ll need good walking shoes!

The center of town

A perfect day of meandering around downtown Athens always begins with a coffee. The city is abuzz with cool, contemporary java joints these days; one

The Psyrri neighborhood is full of street art.

Drink in the atmosphere –as well as the cocktails –at the popular alternative venue

The sun-dappled sidewalks of

Exarchia.

Perch, sip, repeat: Kolonaki’s Samba Coffee Roasters is a local gem.

Chilling at a vintage clothing shop οn Mavromichali Street.

of my personal favorites is Samba Coffee Roasters (36 Solonos) in Kolonaki, where the hum of conversation competes with the thrum of mopeds on the street. The pleasure is not limited to sampling the dark arts of the expert baristas, who marry flavors with unmatched skill; it’s also about tuning into the energy of the place.

From Samba Coffee Roasters, it’s just a leisurely saunter to the legendary shopping street of Voukourestiou, where a sleek fleet of luxury flagship shops (Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Rolex) gradually give way to quirky independent boutiques, and some unique retro chic shopping spots. Greek-Egyptian designer Irene Hussein (42 Voukourestiou) offers an attractive line of vividly colored pop ceramics, as well as crocheted trinkets that are perfect for gifting, or for wearing to the beach.

High glamour and casual chic

Athénée – the iconic 85-year-old restaurant – sits at the corner of Voukourestiou and Panepistimiou (somehow it’s always cocktail time within its storied wood-paneled walls). From this den of movie-star glamour, I like to meander westward, enjoying the old-fashioned grocery stores offering candy and nuts piled high in huge baskets, the popular retro emporiums such as Modernon (3 Aghias Irinis), and the lively bar scene. Seek out Six d.o.g.s. (6-8 Avramiotou) –part cocktail bar, part pop-culture legend –and enjoy an apéritif in its courtyard as the sun goes down. It’s the perfect prelude to watching a movie under the stars at open-air cinema Cine Thision (7 Apostolou Pavlou), awash in the heady fragrance of the large basil plants. Close by, the enchantingly

THERE ARE ALWAYS MORE OF THIS CAPITAL’S TREASURES TO EXPLORE THAN TIME ALLOWS.

The all-day café-bar Walk In

Chelona Athens

Cava Nektar’s gastro rooftop is the ultimate destination in the historic centre of Athens.

CHELONA ATHENS is a gastronomic spot, the only one in a liquor store, that takes the dining experience to new heights, combining excellent dishes with the enjoyment of wine, but also with a series of cocktails, each telling its own story.

In a place where warmth shines through, CHELONA ATHENS, with over 2,000 beverage labels, including rare bottlings and limited editions, invites you to discover the magic of Mediterranean fusion gastronomy in the most idyllic setting in the city, with a glass overflowing with gourmet luxury. The elegant and stylish bar-restaurant of the city centre is a secret on the rooftop of 121 Ermou Street that will take you to the most hidden paths of Mediterranean cuisine through the uniqueness of its dishes. For example, the light and fragrant seafood linguini with fresh prawns, squid, mussels, octopus and ouzo is a main course with all the flavours of a Greek summer. On the other hand, if you are a meat lover, the pappardelle with braised goat meat, olives, capers and dry myzithra will definitely win you over. All the roots of the early Mediterranean cultures in a dish full of freshness and grandeur. The tasteful journey at CHELONA continues with the excellent list of seasonal and classic signature cocktails by Alexandros Kontinis, instructor of the Bar Academy.

Cava Nektar

121 Ermou Str., 10555 Athens

+30 210 3222 216

cava_nektar cavanektar.gr

Chelona Athens

121 Ermou Str., 10555 Athens +30 210 3222 243 chelona.αthens chelona.cavanektar.gr

eclectic streets of Psyrri (traditionally the city’s central craft district) teem with odd shops, quirky bars and packed eateries. Here and there, surreal rope and twine sculptures – a nod to the neighborhood’s artisanal roots – are suspended from the upper floors of the buildings. The effect is theatrical and otherworldly.

Rich flavors in Pangrati

There’s a culinary movement taking place across Athens with the rise of “simple” restaurants (using local seasonal ingredients on pared-down menus) driven by some of the country’s most acclaimed chefs returning to their roots and riffing on the earthy (often plant-centric) cooking they ate at their grandmother’s. At Akra (12 Aminta), the latest talked-about venue in the newly trendy neighborhood of Pangrati (a 15-minute cab

ride east of Psyrri), chefs Ioannis Loukakis and Spyros Pediaditakis have created a space not unlike a local bakery, but be warned –you may have to fight fashionable diners to get a table. Inside, the scenes of open-fire cooking and the close proximity of chefs busy creating dishes in the open kitchen are intoxicating… and that’s before you get to the tempting wine list. As for the food itself, I’m still swooning over a dish of creamy fava bean purée, served with a lentil salad so piquant it gave me goosebumps.

For post-prandial browsing, head across the street to Threesome Ceramics (13 Aminta), where you’ll find sublime handcrafted vessels and humorous Lilliputian sculptures displayed with minimalist elegance and just a pinch of humor. Downstairs is a studio space where you might catch one of the artists creating a piece, or a workshop in full flow.

THERE’S A CULINARY MOVEMENT TAKING PLACE ACROSS ATHENS WITH THE RISE OF “SIMPLE” RESTAURANTS USING LOCAL SEASONAL INGREDIENTS ON PAREDDOWN MENUS.

Fresh ingredients at Akra.

Enjoy a glass of wine at Gamay.

A café on Voukourestiou Street.

© ANGELOS

GIOTOPOULOS

Ermou Spirits Cava Pittaras is located in Monastiraki, right in the heart of Athens’ historic centre, and attracts people looking for unique wine, beer and spirits labels. It boasts a great collection of spirits and accompaniment snacks, which are handpicked to satisfy the customers' demands, as well as rare labels for collectors and fine drinking aficionados. Here you can purchase exquisite gift baskets for your colleagues and loved ones that can be delivered promptly to celebrate a special occasion. A range of freezers and wine coolers ensure your bottle is kept at the right temperature and ready to drink. The shop is open 7 days a week from 10:00 am until the early morning hours.

more than a LIQUORSTORE

90 Ermou str., Monastiraki, Athens. T.: +30 210 3229999

14-16 Argirokastrou str., Ζografou, Athens. T.: +30 210 7704627

3-5 Spirou Trikoupi str., Εxarchia, Athens. T.:+30 210 3803801

Exciting Exarchia

Time for a mood change (and another cab ride) back west to the street art-daubed buildings of Exarchia, the anarchist district, famous for its bar culture, artist collectives and experimental pop-ups. This is the area that has earned this city its reputation as the new Berlin, a cauldron of raw creativity. Visit by day to browse the paperback bookstores, to pick up vintage clothes, or to listen to musicians practicing behind yawning rehearsal-room doors. Come evening, stop for a drink at Walk In (56 Mavromichali) or grab a table at Pharaoh (54 Solomou), the hottest restaurant in town. At 18:00, the heavily graffitied shutters are flung open and the hollowedout industrial bones of the building play host to a fashionable crowd. Star chef Manolis Papoutsakis commutes from Thessaloniki,

bringing the robust aromatic ingredients of northern Greece with him. A changing vinyl playlist printed inside the menu is a cute touch, and half portions can be served to allow diners to sample more dishes (a genius idea). On a recent visit, I ate treacly sourdough bread, woody mushrooms and grilled wild greens with manouri cheese, paired with an orange, natural skin-touched wine. It was all voluptuous and intense – the flavors match this seductive and restless city to perfection. Where to finish the evening? In the casually decadent Art Deco ambiance of the wine bar Gamay (42 Zoodochou Pigis), the last stop of a long day.

So what exactly is special about this city? Just like that cup of coffee with which we started our morning, it’s the blend of exceptional elements that makes an Athenian adventure irresistible. •

Left: The Horologion of Andronikos Cyrrhestes, also known as the Tower of the Winds, in the Roman Agora.

The Academy of Athens, one of the three neoclassical buildings that make up the Athens Trilogy.

Not all the art in Athens is ancient.

“ATHENS IS THE CITY that never sleeps,” says my photographer friend Terry Tsiolis, a New Yorker, albeit one who has lived in Athens for extended periods. “I love the intensity of the place. I love that you make plans for an evening with one friend and end up in a group of ten for dinner.” But it’s not just food for the body that tempts him: “I also love to go to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center at sunset and walk through the gardens – the light and the breeze are magical.”

I SECOND THAT EMOTION . Even to those on a relatively short sojourn in the city, I recommend visiting one or two of the spectacular museums and ancient archaeological sites. The Acropolis Museum (15 Dionysiou Areopagitou), with its heart-stopping views and serene modern galleries, never fails to astonish. The Acropolis itself is absolutely unmissable, and so is the Ancient Agora. The Kerameikos archaeological site, too, transports you back in time to the Golden Age of Greece. The National Archaeological Museum (44 Patission) is the largest museum in Greece and a veritable treasure trove of unique artifacts; the splendid Mycenaean Collection on the ground floor features the glistening Mask of Agamemnon.

THE MUSEUM OF CYCLADIC ART (4 Neofytou Douka), whose contemplative modernist interior – courtesy of architect Yiannis Vikelas – is home to an extraordinary collection of stunning early Cycladic figures and hosts fascinating temporary exhibitions; it also has a stylish café. If you’re after something more modern, the Allouche Benias Gallery (1 Kanari) is close by; it puts on bold, provocative contemporary shows that always intrigue, challenge and even, on occasion, seduce their audience.

AT THE BASIL & ELISE GOULANDRIS FOUNDATION (13 Eratosthenous), there are artworks by Cézanne, Picasso, Kiefer, Monet, Braque, Miró, Botero, Bacon, Lichtenstein and many others. The Greek artists featured here are also amazing; it’s worth the price of admission just to spend time with the vast panoramic street scenes of Panayiotis Tetsis, the Hydra-born painter.

Art & history

VISITORS TO ATHENS HAVE A SACRED OBLIGATION TO LET THIS FABLED CITY TOUCH THEIR SOULS.

From the Acropolis Museum to the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, the city is awash with cultural treasures.

soundtrack of the city

ERMIS, 29, WRITES ORIGINAL MUSIC

that ranges from cinematic scores to pop songs streamed millions of times on Spotify, and from orchestral themes for the campaigns of the Greek National Tourism Organisation to refreshing new arrangements of classic Greek songs, such as those of Harris Alexiou. At the airport you might have been be greeted by his “Cantada” or “42”. It’s also possible that you saw a video promoting Greek summer tourism with the sweet sound of his composition “Oinousses” as its soundtrack.

Ermis lives in the southern suburbs of Athens, and takes a daily morning dip on one of the beaches of the Athenian Riviera. The sound of the sea inspires him, finding its way into his addictive music.

“Music sweetens our experiences, but I believe that the most beautiful moments are those where even music is unnecessary: walks through the lovely lanes of Anafiotika in Plaka, where you feel you’re on a Cycladic island, or an evening tour of the Observatory on the Hill of the Nymphs, with bright stars above.” vlasis kostouros

→ Spotify: Ermis | Instagram: @ermismusi

SEVEN CREATIVES MAKING WAVES IN THE CAPITAL

The New At

music artist

hens Cool

Eftihia STEFANIDI

photographer and creative director

EFTIHIA IS A PHOTOGRAPHER and the creative director and co-creator of the boutique hotels Mona and Shila. For Stefanidi, it’s important that Athens, her home, still maintains a love of community and a desire to preserve traditional crafts, notions that fit well with its respect for a quality of life that many other places seem to have left behind. There’s also a sense of freedom to the city, she feels, that goes hand in hand with an enormously appealing sense of spontaneity. She enjoys the city’s varied architecture and the fact that it can offer both cultural rewards and escapist relief in equal measures: “You can literally be

at play in the urban jungle

transported from the center to the beach in short order, making it feel as if you’re on an island instead of a city.” Only a bit further out than those beaches lies the Temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounion. “You can combine a visit to this magical place with a swim in one of the nearby coves.” Within the city itself, there’s another kind of magic: “A stroll through the old parts of the city center is an act of romance. Follow that with a movie at one of the open-air cinemas, and you have a great summer outing.”

nena dimitriou → Instagram: @eftihia

THE HAUTE COUTURE CREATIONS

of designer Markellos Polydorou impressed singer-songwriter R is n Murphy so much that she chose a stunning yellow dress from his collection for her Athens concert a few years ago. After finishing his Master's degree in Fashion Design at the Polytechnic University of Milan, Polydorou moved to Amsterdam, working for a year alongside the legendary Iris Van Herpen. After gaining a wealth of experience, he returned to Athens and opened a studio on Filopappou Hill, one of the most interesting neighborhoods in Athens. “There I design my collections and undertake custom orders. My designs have subversive cuts and geometric shapes, and highlight specific parts of the body. The aim is

for my clothes to flatter the woman who wears them and allow her to express herself as she wishes,” he says. His return to Athens was fueled by his love for the city. "The contrasts in Athens mean that I never get bored. Its charming anarchy is refreshing.” Summer in Athens for Polydorou means: “Afternoon hikes on Mt Imittos, the closest green space to the center of Athens, or Sunday visits to museums such as the National Museum of Contemporary Art.”

The freedom he feels in Athens, he says, helps to bring out his best self. "The Greek light, the warm people, the smells of Greek cuisine, the sea... everything helps me discover who I am and fills me with inspiration.” vlasis kostouros

→ Instagram: @markellospolydorou

Markellos

POLYDOROU

fashion designer

inspired self

THERE’S SOMETHING INTERESTING happening nearly every day at 10AM Lofts, a multipurpose hub in Gazi created by Eva Papadaki, who transformed an old warehouse into a center open to creatives in advertising, film and digital content, an alternative multi-purpose space that has so far hosted such important personalities as Giorgos Lanthimos – he completed the editing of “Poor Things” here – and Marina Abramovic, who rehearsed her performance “As One” in this space. The hub also hosts art exhibitions, photographic productions, private dinners, live music performances, pop-up stores, workshops and artist residencies. In the basement of the building can be found the center’s most recent undertaking, 10AM Apotheke, a large space with a wide range of traditional products – frankincense; candles with natural honeycomb sourced from a monastery on Mount Athos; natural soaps; herbs; and olive oil – as well as ceramic objects by Greek and foreign artists. “I want to offer a special shopping experience through products that connect with the senses and with memory, engendering recollections of a purer time," 10AM Loft’s founder says.

Papadaki loves Athens for its heterogeneous character, on display at its best in Gazi. “I think this is where the capital’s reputation as a ‘city of contrasts’ is best captured. Besides, how can you not be inspired every day by a city that doesn’t narrate its past, but contains it, like a hand contains its lines? I’m never bored here.” Among the many things that keeps boredom at bay are the exhibitions at studios such as Theodore Psychoyos’. She’s also quick to praise the city’s great eateries and its wonderful nearby beaches, like the one at Aghios Nikolaos Anavissos, a charming spot just 90 minutes from downtown. nena dimitriou → Instagram: @ev_pap

connection and expression

Eva PAPADAKI

founder and managing director of 10AM Lofts

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Noura DJURIĆ painter image and energy

NOURA DJURI C is a 25-year-old Serbian-Moroccan painter working mainly with oil painting and drawing. In her Athens studio – she also lives and works in Paris part of the year – a visitor can find portraits which approach the sense of self by covering subjects such as intimacy, body memory and tenderness. She’s currently working on an upcoming Athens exhibition; her last three shows took place in Brussels and Paris, but she wants to show these works in Athens first: “They’ve been strongly inspired by the environment here.”

Djuric loves the city: “I’m very fond of the kafeneia (traditional coffee shops), the hills, the churches, the architecture and the older shops,

but what I love most about Athens is its people.”

She identifies a powerful energy in the youth and the way young people express themselves. “I love the way people interact here; I find that the connections are very natural.”

A must-see in Athens for her is the National Archaeological Museum. When it comes to art galleries she suggests visits to The Breeder, the Rebecca Camhi and the Alkinois galleries. “For an outing beyond downtown, I'd recommend a tour of the Piraeus art galleries, followed by dinner at the fish taverna Yperokeanio,” Djuric says. giorgos psomiadis → Instagram: @nouradjuric_

DIMITRA LOUANA MARLANTI STUDIED

architecture at the Polytechnical University of Milan, and fashion communication and marketing at the Instituto Europeo di Design in the same city. Her client roster has included renowned brands such as Gucci, Fendi, Ferragamo and Zara. Alexandros Kalogiros spent most of his working life in Rome before moving back to Athens in 2021. He worked at Riccardo Ruini and Olivia Mariotti Studio and as an independent art director, collaborating with prestigious brands that included Bulgari, Valentino and Ferragamo. Their new joint venture PH ON is a perfumery and flower store in Athens. Every month, the shop offers a selection of bouquets composed by renowned designers and

artists. A selection of artworks from upcoming ceramists, painters, sculptors and photographers are also on display at the store, which is located in Kolonaki, just below Lycabettus Hill. Marlanti and Kalogiros recommend that visitors to the city explore the slopes and enjoy the vistas from the summit of this iconic urban peak: “Gazing down upon the cityscape, which stretches all the way down to Piraeus and the sea, is an experience you’ll remember.” Another destination they’d suggest to travelers is the Vorres Museum of Folk and Contemporary Art. “With its collection of over 6,000 pieces, this museum showcases a remarkable blend of traditional and modern art.” nena dimitriou → Instagram: @phaon.athens

Dimitra LOUANA MARLANTI & Alexandros KALOGIROS

owners of PH ON

fragrant and flowering

CHILL and THRILL

BY GEORGIA PAPASTAMOU PHOTOS: ΑΝGELOS GIOTOPOULOS

From fine drinking to all-night disco dancing, and from gourmet burgers and souvlaki to dining under the stars, our curated mini guide offers something for everyone.

Foodie Guide

GOURMET BURGER BLISS

The containers have been converted into kitchens at the Athens Street Hub, which hosts a bar and pizzeria in addition to the burger joint 4Hands.

Giorgos Papazacharias and Thanos Feskos of Michelin-starred Delta restaurant fame have created a must-try burger. Despite the use of multiple processes, fermentations, double glazing, smoked butters, and other special preparations, the end result is a precisely constructed, well-balanced smashburger that invites you to simply enjoy without overthinking it. The fluffy potato bun alone merits admiration. The patty is made from 100% Black Angus and comes in three variations: cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, and Oklahoma style, with caramelized onions and smoked pancetta. The fries are also quite tempting, as they’re fried mashed potatoes, similar to savory churros. The burger joint 4Hands is open Wednesday through Sunday (19:00–00:00) at the Athens Street Hub outdoor food court, a beautiful garden in Kerameikos surrounded by colorful containers that have been converted into food stalls. ➢4Hands, Athens Street Hub, 111 Kerameikou & Mykalis

Foodie Guide

Aphaia, a modern kafeneio offering a simple menu, is near the Thiseio metro station.

02 MEZE MAGIC

Aphaia, located close to the old Poulopoulos Hat Factory in Thiseio, has been open for a while; it’s a café, meze restaurant, and bistro all rolled into one. With views of the chimneys of the Technopolis cultural park in the old gasworks of Athens, and the trains on Green Metro Line on the bridge opposite, patrons enjoy cold beers from Greek microbreweries or sip on tsipouro and ouzo while nibbling on cheeses; tomato salad with ladenia; fava with caper leaves; thick-cut fries served with thyme aioli; a goat’s cheese log from Maltezos Farm; pirozhki; and other meze or heartier dishes such as paccheri pasta with chopped meat and cream of Amfilochia pecorino.

➢Aphaia Athens, 1 Ethras, Thiseio

Foodie Guide

FROZEN FANTASY

Delicious new flavors can be found in the city's best gelaterias, allowing grown-ups to carry on the childhood tradition of counting how many ice cream cones they eat every summer. Maraboo Ice Cream uses fresh fruits, herbs, spices, nuts, nut butters, and unique additives such as beer and jalapeños to create novel flavors. They recently began preparing pavlova ice cream with homemade meringues and fresh strawberry sauce, as well as cream with thyme and lemon marmalade, chocolate mousse with salt and olive oil, and a refreshing yoghurt ice cream with cherries. The gianduja prepared from roasted almonds at Django Gelato is a musttry, as is the sorbet made from Pella cherries with aromatic Matis ouzo from Mytilene at Epik Gelato. Maraboo, 17 Archelaou, Pangrati / Django Gelato, 15 Veikou, Koukaki / Epik Gelato, 2 Dorileou, Mavili Square

PIZZA, SPRITZES, AND MOVIES

The historic Aigli Cinema (the city’s oldest outdoor cinema, which began screening films in 1910) has been renovated and is once again open for business in the cool Zappeion gardens. The sound and picture quality are better than ever, and the concession stand has been updated to include tray-baked pizza by chef Dimos Balopoulos along with popcorn, nachos, and other snacks. The pizza, baked on the spot, comes in two versions: margherita and pepperoni. Bartender Dimitris Roussos has created the four cocktails on the menu, including a peach spritz and a rich, super-refreshing mango colada in slush form. ➢Aigli Cinema, Zappeion Garden ©

Pavlova ice cream with homemade meringues and freshly made strawberry sauce at Maraboo.

ALINA LEFA

Brunello is a modern classic Italian wine restaurant open for lunch and dinner. We serve handmade pastas, Italian-style pizzas and dishes from Italy, using the finest ingredients.

Wine and food are two elements that –when brought together– can raise a good meal into an extraordinary culinary experience. We have created a wine list that we believe will complement our food and enhance the overall experience of your visit.

Wine in Brunello has a leading role as it covers a very large part of the European vineyard and there is a special one-page feature on Brunello di Montalcino. In the kitchen, there are many Italian recipes for the perfect wine pairing.

Foodie Guide

COURTYARD CHARM

One of the most delightful recent restaurant arrivals, Taverna ton Filon (“The Friends’ Tavern”) has opened its new courtyard for the summer. Serene and atmospheric, and adorned with hanging lights and a scattering of rose-filled pots nestled beside tables dressed in crisp white tablecloths, it’s the ideal place to meet friends and try the dishes, prepared by chef Giannis Mousios and his team, which range from tomato salads with kopanisti to green beans with grilled apricots, and from stuffed vegetables to fried melanouri (saddled seabream) with skordalia. The selections on the wine list are particularly noteworthy.

Taverna ton Filon, 66 Argous, Kolonos, Tel. (+30)

A quiet courtyard in Kolonos is home to the cozy eatery Taverna ton Filon.

Discover Our s TO ry

Ytrian street where Greeks

spot of Athenian locals, who love it first and foremost for its original Neapolitan pizza made with the finest ingredients and baked in the traditional Italian oven. Well known chef Stefano Rossi daily prepares a selection of fresh pasta, meat and fish with his very own Italian character. During summer, take a seat outside and enjoy the beautiful Greek summer nights!

sine. Cupola is a modern Trattoria, situated in the cozy neighborhood of Pagrati, 10’ from the Acropolis. A favorite spot of Athenian locals, who love it first and foremost for its original Neapolitan pizza made with the finest ingredients and baked in the traditional Italian oven.

YY ou will find it in the heart of Athens on a small pedestrian street where Greeks enjoy original Italian cuisine.

www.cupola.gr T

ou will find it in the heart of Athens on a small pedestrian street where Greeks enjoy original Italian cuisine.

will find it in the heart of Athens on a small pedestrian street where Greeks enjoy original Ital

Well known chef Stefano Rossi daily prepares a selection of fresh pasta, meat and fish with his very own Italian character. During summer, take a seat outside and enjoy the beautiful Greek summer nights!

Cupola is a modern Trattoria, situated in the cozy neighborhood of Pagrati, 10’ from the Acropolis. A favorite spot of Athenian locals, who love it first and foremost for its original Neapolitan pizza made with the finest ingredients and baked in the traditional Italian oven. Well known chef Stefano Rossi daily prepares a selection of fresh pasta, meat and fish with his very own Italian character. During summer, take a seat outside and enjoy the beautiful Greek summer nights!

YCupola is a modern Trattoria, situated in the cozy neigh borhood of Pagrati, 10΄ from the Acropolis. A favorite spot of Athenian locals, who love it first and foremost for its original Neapolitan pizza made with the finest ingre dients and baked in a traditional Italian oven.

YYou will find it in the heart of Athens on a small pedestrian street where Greeks enjoy original Italian cuisine.

ou will find it in the heart of Athens on a small pedestrian street where Greeks enjoy original Italian cuisine. Cupola is a modern Trattoria, situated in the cozy neighborhood of Pagrati, 10’ from the Acropolis. A favorite spot of Athenian locals, who love it first and foremost for its original Neapolitan pizza made with the finest ingredients and baked in the traditional Italian oven. Well known chef Stefano Rossi daily prepares a selection of fresh pasta, meat and fish with his very own Italian character. During summer, take a seat outside and enjoy the beautiful Greek summer nights!

Cupolas’ Executive chef is Tasos Theotokis and head chef the very talented Dimitris Pandelios who daily prepares a selection of dishes of fresh pasta, meat and fish with his very own Italian character. You have to try Arancini Bolognese, their original Carbonara, mezzi rigatoni with pistachio pesto, as well as Fregola with fresh shrimps.

www.cupola.gr

T +302114117444 facebook:/cupolatrattoria Instagram: cupola_trattoria

www.cupola.gr

ou will find it in the heart of Athens on a small pedestrian street where Greeks enjoy original Italian cuisine.

Cupola is a modern trattoria situated in the cozy neighborhood of Pagrati, 10 minutes from the Acropolis. A favourite spot of Athens locals, who love it first and foremost for its original Neapolitan pizza made with the finest ingredients and baked in the traditional Italian oven. Well known chef Stefano Rossi daily prepares a selection of fresh pasta, meat & fish with his very own Italian character. During summer, take a seat outside and enjoy the beautiful Greek summer nights!

ou will find it in the heart of Athens on a small pedestrian street where Greeks enjoy original Italian cuisine.

T +302114117444 facebook:/cupolatrattoria Instagram: cupola_trattoria

Don’t leave without trying Tiramisu with fresh espresso. During summer, take a seat outside and choose a glass of wine among many options offered in the wine list enjoying the beautiful Greek summer nights!

www.cupola.gr

T +302114117444 facebook:/cupolatrattoria Instagram: cupola_trattoria

ITALIAN TRATTORIA

GREEK FUSION REVISITED

Chronis Damalas, a talented chef with an impressive career, has recently launched his first restaurant in his home district of Ampelokipoi. RawBata, with tables on tranquil and verdant Lakonias Square near the Panormou metro station, does not have a set menu; instead, it serves different dishes depending on ingredient availability: red rooster with cranberry beans and cinnamon; mutton wrapped like dolmades in eggplant slices; and a summery salad with purslane, bogue, Armenian cucumber and a sour grape juice and vinegar dressing. Damalas uses whatever is in season, which currently includes cherries, amaranth greens, peaches, zucchinis and zucchini flowers, and purslane.

➢RawBata, 33 Lakonias, Ampelokipoi

Left: Salad with purslane, raw fish and cucumber. Below: Chef Polychronis Damalas.

OX CHOP HOUSE is the new meeting point for meat lovers in Athens. At Ox, the stars are the spit roaster, the wood-fired oven, the charcoal and the frying pan, as they are in the Greek tradition. The menu is comprehensible and from start to finish emanates a meaningful creativity, just as envisioned by the award-winning chef Michalis Nourloglou, who not only signs the menu but is also at the forefront of the open kitchen.

THE WINE LIST has been curated by wine expert Giannis Makris and includes approximately 100+ meat-friendly fine labels, mainly from Greek winemakers, along with choices from international producers. Of course, there is also a wide variety of beers and carefully selected spirits.

DESIGNED with simplicity and minimalism in mind and fully accessible and friendly to people with disabilities, OX is dominated by the earthy tones and comfortable seating.

The focal point is the open kitchen with the Spanish custom-made parilla, while the glass walk-in cellar steals the show with its vaulted ceiling reminiscent of an old cellar.

9 Chatzigianni Mexi Street, Athens (behind the Hilton) Τηλ.: 2107107070 Instagram: ox_athens

OX CHOP HOUSE

Foodie Guide

COOL SIPS FOR WARM EVENINGS

07

Located on vibrant pedestrianized Kleisovis Street in Exarchia, the experienced team at Ham on Rye dedicates itself to perfecting classic cocktails. Walk In, which recently opened in the same area, serves an alternative Negroni with homemade beet vermouth, and a Penicillin with cognac, kombucha, and pineapple. If you find yourself near CV Distiller, check out their new menu, which includes a summer version of Hot Buttered Rum, made with two different rums, freshly grated nutmeg, and crushed ice. At Lokali, try the mojito, made with strawberry-flavored rum and homemade mint soda, while enjoying their lovely garden.

➢Ham on Rye, 12 Kleisovis, Exarchia / Walk In, 56 Mavromichali, Exarchia CV Distiller, 7 Chatzigianni Mexi, Ilisia / Lokali, 44 Sarri, Psyrri

08 HEATWAVE SOUVLAKI

Christoforos Peskias, one of Greece's most versatile chefs, named his souvlaki establishment Kapsa (“Heat”). It’s a fitting name: it opened during a heatwave, and one of its main draws is its spicy sauces. This summer, the chef decided to explore the country's favorite street food, paying attention to the details but not changing its DNA. Pork neck skewers are grilled over charcoal, potatoes are peeled and fried on the spot, and sauces are homemade and varied, ranging from classic tzatziki to a fiery sauce made with green horn peppers, coriander, parsley and olive oil. The gyro meat spins in front of an upright rack containing flaming charcoal, rather than a simple heating element.

➢Kapsa, 4 Skouleniou

Panos Ioannidis one of the Greek Master Chef judges along with Panos Politis of the Italian restaurant Cupola created this unique place and brought fresh Italian air in the very heart of the new hot culinary destination in Athens, Syntagma.

‘Ovio’ which means clear, obvious, represents exactly the “cucina contemporanea”: Creative ideas, clear casual flavors, twisted versions of classic recipes and products coming straight from Italy, in an elegant and stylish place with warm atmosphere and hangout spirit.

The authentic Italian risotti cooked on demand in Ovio’s cuisine, as well as the fresh pasta are the big stars of the menu. Other special dishes on the menu are the Greek versions of risotto kouskousotto (fregola), recipes that chef Ioannidis has proved that he loves equally with the Italian prototype as well as smoked beef carpaccio, the very unique Tonno Tonnato, fresh scallops and oysters.

Of course, as in every authentic Italian menu, pizza has its own distinctive place. Although Ovio’s pizza with its very flyffy “cornicione” is baked in a traditional ‘closed’ Neapolitan oven and is served in a totally different way! The wine list is very well studied with more than 80 labels focused especially on the Italian and then on the Greek vineyard.

Don’t miss the cocktails, as Ovio offers a focused menu of classic and twisted Spritz, Negroni and Martini

Foodie Guide

SO QUIET, SO GOURMET

Amen, led by chef patron Giorgos Stylianoudakis, is housed in an 1890 neoclassical edifice on one of the center's quietest pedestrianized streets. Despite its proximity to the Panathenaic Stadium, Vasileos Konstantinou Avenue, and crowded Proskopon Square, Ironda Street provides a unique and peaceful atmosphere. The menu includes dishes such as tomato stuffed with a Greek salad “tartare” (olive, tomato, cucumber and onion), xigalo cheese, and a cracker made from filo dough with graviera cheese and thyme; Aghia Galini fish soup (one of the chef’s specialties) with poached grouper, olive oil, and celery; and trahanas, with a shellfish broth and Kolymbari shrimp. The desserts, including the cherry and soumada tart, bear the signature of pastry chef Nikoletta Tsaliki. ➢Amen, 8 Ironda, Pagrati

DISCO FEVER

How many places are there to go dancing in Athens? Not many. It was this lack that led to the creation of Angie, a pop-up disco operating over the summer at the site of the famed bar Boiler. They created a large dance floor in the center of the room and installed vintage, colored lights and a disco ball. The music is selected by an in-house team, as well as by guest DJs from Greece and abroad (SoMe, Tako, Terra Exotika, K.atou, and others). The bar serves a great selection of wines and there’s a frozen Margarita machine, too. The disco is open Wednesday through Saturday from 22:00 until late.

➢Angie Discotheque, 9 Vlachava

Right: Amen sets out tables on pedestrianized Ironda Street. Left: Tomato stuffed with horiatiki salad "tartare".

AEGINA Bright with art and INSPIRATION

Just a 40-minute boat ride from Piraeus, the island of Aegina feels like a world apart, a place where the creative spirit prevails, both in the studios of renowned 1930s-era artists, now transformed into museums, and in the spaces occupied by today’s creative talents.

BY ISABELLA ZAMPETAKI

PHOTOS: DIMITRIS VLAIKOS

“The Gate of Aegina” is a large-scale sculpture by artist Kostas Varotsos that welcomes visitors to the island.

Upon arriving at the port, one is immediately welcomed into Aegina’s artistic realm by “The Gate of Aegina,” a large-scale sculpture by Kostas Varotsos. Crafted from glass and metal, it mirrors the proportions of the wooden doors found adorning the island’s neoclassical buildings. Of his piece, Varotsos, a sculptor of international note, says: “Arriving in Aegina is akin to passing through a magical gateway into paradise. Though the journey is brief, the destination feels remarkably distant.” The gate marks the start of a 45-minute art walk along the beachfront, leading to the Kapralos Museum, once the residence and workshop of the foremost Greek sculptor of the 20th century.

Τheodora Chorafa’s amorphous, cylindrical ceramic sculptures reflect the interconnected cycle of life and death.

AA Journey Through the History of Modern Greek Art

As the road ascends to the left of the harbor, it leads to the archaeological site of Kolona, once a strategic vantage point crowned by the Temple of Apollo. Beyond this point, the path winds past impressive villas from the 1900s, built in line with Western architectural ideals of that era. Fifteen minutes further on is the stone house of Nikos Nikolaou, a prominent visual artist of the 1930s. His nephew, the architect Thodoris

Zoumboulakis, meticulously restored the studio based on an old photograph. Inside, the presence of Nikolaou can almost be felt; his brushes, paints, and personal belongings are carefully arranged in a corner, evoking his spirit. The studio houses his vibrant paintings and the ceramic items and stones he painted, along with sculpting tools he used to shape stones that he placed into the walls.

Thodoris recounts how the stone bench outside the studio was where his uncle sat with close friends to watch the sunset and to dine together – a tradition that became legendary. A sculpture across the street, crafted by the renowned painter Yannis Moralis and donated by gallery owner Peggy Zoumboulaki, is a testament to one of Nikolaou’s significant friendships, subtly continuing the dialogue between those two artists. Just two blocks away, at 7 Yannis Moralis Street, stands the house where Moralis himself lived, designed

THE PRESENCE OF NIKOLAOU CAN ALMOST BE FELT; HIS BRUSHES, PAINTS, AND PERSONAL BELONGINGS ARE CAREFULLY ARRANGED IN A CORNER, EVOKING HIS SPIRIT.

Panagiotis Marinis’ work recalls styles from past centuries, while the unique shape of each stone dictates the form he carves.

by the architect Aris Konstantinidis. It is open to visitors each September during the Pistachio Festival.

The tour’s next highlight is Christos Kapralos’s residence. Opposite his home and studio, a majestic statue of a female figure looms. Areti Pigiaditi, an art historian and the museum’s curator, explains that it depicts Kapralos’ mother, whom the artist cherished deeply; although she was an uneducated and impoverished woman, she supported her son’s artistic ambitions. Like many sculptures in the studio and garden, the statue references archaic sculptural forms.

The Art of Living, Embodied in a Home

A singular surprise awaits in the Mesagros region, where the home of Alexandros Rodakis is located. Rodakis was a man of simple means who lived in the late 19th century and is remembered as a renowned representative of folk architecture. His home, which he built by hand, has been studied by many significant architects, including Le Corbusier, who recognized its aesthetic and sculptural qualities. The unique nature of the Rodakis house, where the creator lived with his wife and eight children, inspired its current owner, architect Dionysis Sotovikis, to restore it to its former glory. Looking out from the living room, Dionysis points to the remains of a boat that once adorned the front door’s threshold. “Rodakis believed that we embark on a new journey each time we leave our house. And that’s precisely what he wanted to signify with this boat,” he explains. “He also preached that a home is founded on concepts, not just stones.” It is for this reason that four sculptures decorate the facade of the main building, symbolizing luck, time, strength, and knowledge respectively.

Over the years, Rodakis expanded the main structure, giving physical form to both his physical and emotional needs. Among the added spaces is the wine press, where he inscribed

the verses: “Better for man/To be a dumb stone/Than to have reflection/ And measure of mind.” His personal philosophy is also evident in the stone fireplace he crafted, leaving imprints of his palms on both sides of its facade. This was the “legacy” he left behind, allowing his friends to feel they connected with him even after his death. As I touch the imprints of his hands, I wonder whether living truthfully might be the highest form of art.

Soil and Stone

THE SOIL, BOTH AS A RAW MATERIAL AND A PART OF THE LANDSCAPE, IS ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS THAT ATTRACTED CERAMICIST THEODORA CHORAFA TO AEGINA DECADES AGO.

The art of Theodora Chorafa, one of the most significant contemporary Greek ceramicists, exudes a certain sense of authenticity. Her studio, located in the Aghios Vasileios area, is surrounded by pistachio trees organically cultivated by her partner. The soil, both as a raw material and a part of the landscape, is one of the main reasons that attracted her to Aegina decades ago. At one point, Theodora was buried in the soil inside a cocoon she’d crafted from clay, as part of a ritual of self-reinvention. In recent years, she has incorporated natural materials collected during her walks around the island into her works – from

Christos Kapralos' sculptures often reference archaic sculptural forms.

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feathers and animal hair to bones and pieces of wood. When we meet, she holds out a large, amorphous ceramic object and invites me to press my ear against an opening at one end. As she speaks from the other side, we enjoy the acoustic play created by the curves inside the object. I notice that one end is made from an animal bone, out of which the clay “body” of the object seems to grow. As Theodora explains, her creations reflect the interconnected cycle of death and life.

Apart from its clay-rich soil, Aegina is also known for its tufa, a form of limestone that Panagiotis Marinis chose for his sculptures. The human forms made by this artist recall styles from past centuries, while the unique shape of each stone dictates the form he carves into it. Combining wood and stone, Panagiotis has also created a series of “primitive” tools, each possessing its own aesthetic value. He explains that he explores many different spots across the island to gather suitable stones and

Nikos Nikolaou used to host his extended family and circle of friends at his home in Aegina. The six guest houses have been renovated with great attention to detail. Their walls are adorned with sketches, stage designs and replicas of the artist’s paintings. In the common areas, there are objects from his personal collections as well as a number of stones on which he painted human figures.

39 Nikou Kazantzaki, Aegina, book@nikolaouresidence.gr

points out that the island’s history is closely intertwined with tufa: from it was made the most significant monuments of antiquity, major works of art, and many traditional dwellings.

A Unique Light

Many artists who live and work on Aegina today cherish the island for the quality of its natural light, which lends objects a magical veneer, especially at sunrise and sunset. It’s certainly worth visiting the ancient Temple of Aphaia just before sunset, when its columns appear lighter in tone and simultaneously more “vivid” and “textured” than at any other time of day. No sunlight is needed for the dreamlike sight of the lone remaining column of the Temple of Apollo at night, surrounded by a dance of stars.

Aegina and art simply go together. Look around the island and you’ll find places of your own where you’ll want to grab a sketchpad and a couple of pencils, and let the creator inside you emerge.•

Α ΤΗΕ NIKOLAOU RESIDENCE

Nikos Nikolaou’s studio houses his vibrant paintings and the ceramics and stones he painted on, along with his library and sculpting tools.

YOU SIMPLY CAN’T VISIT Aegina without trying its trademark crop, tasty PDO Aegina pistachios. Buy your nuts from Kypseli (4 Dimokratias & Leonardou Lada), the Agricultural Cooperative of Pistachio Producers of Aegina (in the port) or Mourtzis Traditional Sweets (57 Ireioti Square), which also sells incredible pasteli (sesame brittle), fistikata (pistachio marzipan) and more.

If pistachios aren’t enough to satisfy your appetite, head to the fishing village of Perdika, which resembles a Cycladic settlement. Stroll through its narrow alleys or find a table at any of the fish restaurants by the waterfront promenade and order some of the island’s famous pink fish, red mullet or striped red mullet, to be enjoyed with stunning sea views.

Alternatively, you could stay in Aegina Town and drop by the kafeneio Miras, a traditional Greek café, to catch up on local and national news as the regulars air their opinions on political issues, sports and everything else that comes up in conversation. It’s an easy, unpretentious place where thirst is slaked and hunger abated in the simplest and most satisfying way. Treat yourself to an ouzo or an aperitif and they’ll provide a side snack: salami, graviera cheese, tomato and cucumber slices, and a few sardines.

For something more substantial in town, try the nearby Skotadis Ouzeri, one of the island’s historic restaurants, with its famed taramasalata (fish roe spread) and a wide range of fresh seafood. They also have perhaps the largest list of Greek spirits available at any Greek restaurant.

If you’d rather see more of the interior, head inland instead for a meal at Argyris in the village of Mesagros, where most everything, including the house wine, is either homemade or locally sourced.

The 5th-century BC Temple of

For those in search of history, one of ancient Greece’s most beautiful structures can be found on the island: the Doric Temple of Aphaia, which dates to the 5th century BC. Perched on a shady pine-covered hill above the beachfront settlement of Aghia Marina, this sacred, elegant structure lines up with the Parthenon in Athens and the Temple of Poseidon at Sounio in a pattern that forms a long-distance isosceles triangle.

Pistachios, Seafood, and Ancient Wonders

• Nikolaou Studio, 39 Nikou Kazantzaki, nikolaouresidence.gr, Tel: (+30) 698.187.0416

• Kapralos Museum, Plakakia Aegina, Tel. (+30) 22970.220.01

• Artistic Garden of Panagiotis Marinis, 48 Vasileos Konstantinou, Tel. (+30) 22970.254.36

• To schedule a visit to the Rodakis house, contact info @rodakishouse.org/ rodakishouse.org

• To participate in a ceramic workshop with Theodora Chorafa, visit theochorafas.eu or call Tel. (+30) 697.585.9454

• The kafeneio Miras, 38 Dimokratias, Tel. (+30) 22970.223.62

• Skotadis Ouzeri, 46 Dimokratias, Tel. (+30) 22970.240.14

• Argyris, Dimokratias, Mesagros Tel. (+30) 22970.713.03

Aphaia.

A hearty snack with your drink at Miras.

The trip goes on! 22 years have passed since "E/G Taxidevontas" started its operation, with the aim of offering seafood culinary delight. From Keratsini to its new "port" in Nea Erythrea, it continues its unnegotiable commitment to authentic Greek dishes, with great flavors, based on seafood and fish. Consistently searching for quality and fresh raw materials and with chef Iordanis Iliadis as "captain" in the kitchen, "E/G Taxidevontas" sources, as always, 90% of the products from Greek fishermen to bring to the menu seafood and fish exclusively from the cooperating boats.

With emphasis on raw materials that arrive in the kitchen of "E/G Taxidevontas", the chef and his team support Greek producers, from Kavala to Crete, choosing from them as many of their products as possible, from cheese, tomatoes and the olive oil to the greens, lemons and salt. Here, almost nothing comes imported or processed. Even the pulses are organic and together with the traditional olive oil based dishes complement the fish dishes of the day. Everything is selected in season, while accompanied by wines and spirits from our renewed list.

72 Platonos Street, Keratsini

T: +30 2104324368

36 Evangelistria Street, Nea Erythraia

T: +30 2106201572

www.taxidevontas.com

T h e s l i g ht l y f r e s h e r f i s h s w i m i n t h e s e a!

It is the combination of warm hospitality and quality raw material that makes the dining experience with "E/G Traveling" unique and unforgettable!

IN DEPTH

Nikos HadjikyriakosGhikas, Kifissia, 1954, egg tempera on wood (see p. 132).

Discover: The new Excavation Museum at the Acropolis Museum | The storied career of Professor Bonna Wescoat, director of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) | The Katakouzenos Legacy | Three famous urban art spaces worth visiting | The mesmerizing archaeological site of Delphi

The Acropolis Museum Beneath the Surface

OUT FROM THE GROUND COMES A FRESH ARCHAEOLOGICAL

EXPERIENCE

IN AN AGE-OLD CITY.

BY JOHN LEONARD

GREECE IS — 107

ATHENS

PHOTOS: DIMITRIS VLAIKOS

The ancient Athenian neighborhood beneath the Acropolis Museum, with the circular remains of a tower (Building E, 6th century AD).

HHERE IN THE CAPITAL, our museum experiences just seem to get better and better. In late June, the Acropolis Museum inaugurated an entire new exhibition level, this time beneath the main museum, in association with its already-open archaeological site. Together, the fascinating cityscape of an exposed ancient neighborhood and the rich array of ordinary household objects, workshop remnants, commercial goods and stunning statuary displayed alongside it comprise an impressive addition to an institution already well deserving of its world-class standing. What we have here is essentially a completely new museum beneath the existing exhibition galleries. And once again, the new sub-floor spaces, like those above, are experiential for the visitor. Just as we “ascend the Acropolis” when we make our way upwards through the Acropolis Museum’s Acropolis Slopes and Archaic Galleries, ultimately reaching the Parthenon’s sculptural decorations at the top, so today can we “descend below ground” as we explore the archaeological excavation dug into the earth below the museum, with its stone walls, narrow streets, bath complexes, courtyards and collection of historical treasures that, now more than ever before, bring daily life in ancient Athens into sharp focus.

Acropolis Museum

Another neighborhood lies below

With the Acropolis Museum in June celebrating its 15th anniversary of opening to the public, its original construction southeast of the Acropolis seems a distant memory. Who now recalls all the effort expended on finding a suitable location for the new Acropolis Museum, or the fact that an old and well-established neighborhood of modern Athens once stood where the Acropolis Museum rises today? The old must indeed make way for the new, and much was removed to allow for the construction of the Acropolis Museum. Nevertheless, a wonderful surprise awaited archaeological investigators, as few expected the building site to contain such a complex web of well-preserved ruins that represented the successive phases of an even earlier neighborhood spanning the centuries between the Classical era and Middle Byzantine times (5th century BC-12th century AD). This was a golden opportunity for archaeologists and, through the collab-

Museum officials and other dignitaries view the new exhibition on opening day, June 25, 2024.

orative work that followed, what became apparent was the extraordinary spirit of determination, innovation and far-sighted vision that continues to characterize the Acropolis Museum and its operations today.

Probes and preservation

The archaeological “journey” that has now resulted in the Acropolis Museum’s new Excavation Museum stretches back to the 1980s, when the 3rd Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities (EPKA) sunk test trenches at various spots around the area that would become known as the “Makriyiannis plot” – the future site of both the new Acropolis Museum and the Acropolis metro station. In the same decade, further probes were made by the 1st EPKA beneath the historic Weiler Building (1985-86; now home to the Acropolis Museum’s administrative offices) and in the southern part of the plot (1987-89), as well as by the University of Athens north of the Weiler (1986-91, 1996-97). After the final

location for the new Acropolis Museum was chosen in 1989, two major excavations were launched: the first by the metro company in the area of the new metro station (1993-96, with the 1st EPKA supervising); and the second by the 1st EPKA where the Acropolis Museum now stands (1997-2008). It had long been suspected that important remains might lie in the Makriyiannis plot, but once the full significance of the rich finds became clear, the 1st EPKA recommended that the archaeological site be preserved as much as possible. Accordingly – and to the great credit of the Acropolis Museum’s planners, architects and builders – a new design for the museum was created and a close collaboration with the archaeologists was embraced, which allowed the precise, least-harmful placement of the museum’s support columns and the preservation (for display or protective backfilling) of much of the ancient neighborhood.

A WONDERFUL SURPRISE AWAITED ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATORS…

A COMPLEX WEB OF WELL-PRESERVED RUINS THAT REPRESENTED THE

SUCCESSIVE PHASES OF AN EVEN EARLIER NEIGHBORHOOD SPANNING THE CENTURIES BETWEEN THE CLASSICAL ERA AND MIDDLE BYZANTINE TIMES.

Transparent floors and a 3D museum experience

With the Acropolis Museum’s new design, the stunningly modern building became an avatar for the actual Acropolis, by virtue of which visitors can not only “climb the Sacred Rock,” appreciating its ancient sacred places and treasures along the way, but also look up or down through the structure, thanks to glass floors, and view the museum and what lies below it in three dimensions. This remarkable architectural vision transforms the visitor’s experience from an ordinary museum tour into something truly special – for specialists and lay visitors alike – and unforgettable. In 2018, it was decided to provide even greater visitor access to the museum’s millennia-old urban setting, and today’s Excavation Museum soon became a reality: with the thoroughly conserved, now-visitor-friendly archaeological site opening in 2019, and the inaugural ex-

Above: Portrait of the Byzantine Empress Eudocia, a leader in Athens' transition from paganism to Christianity; AD 421-430.

Right: Tools for personal grooming (2nd6th century AD): needle, spatula probe; tweezers; ear probes.

Above: A woman carries an ornately decorated box, on a red-figure painted vase; 350-325 BC

Below: Oil lamp with flowers (3rd century AD), one of many lamps regularly used by the neighborhood's residents

Above: A black-glazed kantharos (drinking cup), used during men's banquets or symposia; early 3rd century BC

Below: A baby's child-shaped rattle that once likely brought great delight to a young Athenian; 4th-early 5th century AD.

Acropolis Museum

The head of a beautiful woman, from a small molded terra cotta figurine; 4th-2nd century BC.

hibition this summer of the ancient neighborhood’s amazing artifacts.

Easy-to-follow narrative

The new exhibition, accessed via a signposted path that descends from the Acropolis Museum’s external entrance deck, consists of a long row of display cases and an enclosed sculpture gallery standing along the southern baulk (a segment of unexcavated archaeological deposits left standing between the trenches) of the open excavation site. Arranged in 20 thematic units distinguished by clearly-written storyboards, the artifacts illuminate the history and development of the Makriyiannis plot’s human occupation, which began as early as the mid4th millennium BC. The two initial displays (Before Joining the City, and The Final Farewell) take us from the handmade pottery and packed-earth house floors of Late Neolithic settlers (3500-3100 BC) on the Acropolis’

WHAT IS TRULY GREAT ABOUT THE NEW EXCAVATION MUSEUM IS THE AMOUNT AND THE EXCEPTIONAL DIVERSITY OF THE MATERIAL RECOVERED, FINDS THAT SHINE A BRIGHT LIGHT ON… THE DAILY RHYTHMS OF LIFE IN A BUSTLING NEIGHBORHOOD…

slopes to the small communities of Middle and Late Bronze Age people that appeared sometime between 2000-1600 BC and 1600-1100 BC respectively. Subsequently, until the mid-8th century BC, the area was used only as a cemetery, but after about 750 BC (In the Footsteps of the City-State), residents returned, mostly farmers, who established the district’s first roads. During the 7th and 6th century BC (At the City’s Outskirts), small, extra-urban, casually arranged communities continued to exist, but ultimately were destroyed, as was the Acropolis summit itself, when the Persians invaded Attica in 480 BC.

Emphasis on the people

The Greeks’ defeat of the Persians in 479 BC marked the start of a new era for Greece, and for those living around the Acropolis, as now their communities were incorporated inside Athens’

Visitors take in a special display of decorated and functional architectural elements: finely carved moldings, column capitals, bases and ceramic water pipeline; 2nd c. BC - 6th centuryAD.

Acropolis Museum

newly constructed defensive walls. A new, well-organized neighborhood gradually arose, with proper urban planning that delineated streets, city blocks and public and residential areas which, over time, would come to have extensive water-supply and drainage systems. The daily life of this district, as it prospered, declined and rose again over the next 17 centuries, is illustrated through the new exhibition’s remaining 11 thematic units. What is truly great about the new Excavation Museum is the amount and the exceptional diversity of the material recovered, finds that shine a bright light on almost every aspect of ordinary human existence, including the daily rhythms of life in a bustling neighborhood filled with small and large private houses; baths, fountains and latrines; shops and workshops; crossroad shrines; and numerous wells and cisterns that often became refuse pits after being abandoned, or following episodes of destruction.

One such informative archaeological deposit from Cistern III in House L, resulting from the ravaging

Below: Bronze statuette of Heracles; the ravages of time leave what he is holding a mystery; 2nd-3rd century AD.

Above: An array of funerary gifts from the tombs of early Iron-Age people discovered around the Acropolis.

Bottom: Athenian men played games with dice of clay (large, 5th-4th century BC) or bone (1st century BC - 6th century AD).

Left: Zeus Heliopolitanus, protector of agricultural nature and fertility, patron deity of Syrian Heliopolis; late 1st century AD.

DISCOVER of the neighborhood by the Roman general Sulla’s troops after they breached Athens’ walls in 86 BC, reflects the post-conflict clean-up of what had likely been a shop, connected to a residence, that sold oil, wine or solid foodstuffs. A mix of commercial and household equipment includes ceramic items for transporting, storing and measuring products, as well as for preparing and serving food; containers for oil, herbs, perfumes, cosmetics and jewelry; jugs and cups for wine; beehives for honey production; lamps; and loom weights. Lead tokens from the cistern, displayed separately – bearing images of a bird, hare, cicada and mouse playing a flute – show how customers may have paid for their purchases.

Illuminating 17 centuries

Along the row of thematic displays we also find a diachronic selection of handmade, wheel-made and molded oil lamps of clay and glass from Classical through Byzantine times. Sections highlighting men’s and women’s lives feature bronze jurors’ ballots; luxurious finger rings; bone eyelets for shoelaces; banqueting equipment; dice and other game pieces; jewelry box keys and hinges; glass and alabaster vessels for creams, powders and perfumes; mortars with their pestles; and bronze implements for body care or minor medical procedures, including tweezers, stirrers, spatulas, spoons and even probes for checking one’s ears and cleaning out the wax. In the section on children called “Growing Up in the Neighborhood,” there are simple one-piece or articulated dolls, colorfully painted child-shaped rattles, animal figurines, horses on wheels, spinning tops, and even knucklebones, used in the game of the same name, from sheep. Evidence for writing ranges from inkpots and bone styli to a note scratched on a roof tile fragment; makers’ marks on lamps; storage container labels; and personalized drinking cups

A UNIQUE, INTRICATELY DETAILED IVORY FIGURINE OF TYCHE OF THE CITY OF ATHENS, WEARS A MURAL CROWN, THE SYMBOL OF CITIES, AND MAY DEPICT THE CHRYSELEPHANTINE CULT STATUE IN TYCHE’S TEMPLE BUILT BY HERODES ATTICUS…

bearing either names (for example, “Philippou”) or initials. Cooking was done both inside and outside the home in ovens or on portable braziers, using clay pots, funnels and grills. Commerce is attested by coins, money boxes, balance weights and amphora stamps, while industry, especially apparent later in the neighborhood’s history (7th-8th, 11th-12th century AD), can be traced through clay figurine and bronze-casting molds, marble statue fragments, lead tools, kiln spacers, defective pots, and lumps of foundry slag.

Sculptural masterpieces

The motley host of male citizens, women, children, foreign residents (metics) and slaves who once popu-

lated the Makriyiannis plot’s longlived neighborhood comes vividly to mind through this myriad of personal possessions. Perhaps the most visually impressive displays are found at the end, however, when we enter the dramatically lit sculpture gallery. There, the spiritual life of the district’s residents is highlighted with finely carved stone statues and reliefs of Athena, Artemis, Asclepius, Hygeia, Aphrodite, and Eros, as well as of Cybele, the protector of cities, public life and social norms. Selene (the moon) and Hekate (darkness, magic, and guardian of crossroads) were also revered, and there are bronze figurines of Apollo and Heracles, too. A unique, intricately detailed ivory figurine of Tyche (fortune) of the city

Acropolis Museum

of Athens, wears a mural crown, the symbol of cities, and may depict the chryselephantine cult statue in Tyche’s temple built by Herodes Atticus in the 2nd century AD, on Ardittos Hill beside the Panathenaic Stadium. With the embrace of Eastern deities and mystery cults during Hellenistic and especially Roman times, we are reminded of the increasingly international, multi-ethnic character of Athens. Serapis and Osiris become melded with Zeus and Dionysus, seen here also in ivory. Artemis of Ephesus and the Trinity of Palmyra (Baal, Iarhibol, Aglibol) also appear. But most striking are the marble statues of Osiris-Dionysis Chronokrator, assimilated with Aion (symbolized by the coiled serpent) who represents eternal

15 Dionysiou Areopagitou, Tel. (+30) 210.900.0900, theacropolismuseum.gr

With new paths now in place over old streets and a wealth of objects on dosplay, we can truly begin to appreciate the ancients’ arduous but elegant life.

and cyclical time, and Zeus Heliopolitanus, the patron of Heliopolis in ancient Syria (Baalbek, Lebanon), god of agricultural nature and fertility. Never before has this statue type been discovered in Greece. His tunic is decorated with the seven planets of the ancient cosmos – Kronos (Saturn); Zeus (Jupiter) and Hera (instead of Aphrodite/Venus); Helios (Sun); Selene (the moon); Ares (Mars); and Hermes (Mercury). With the sculpted portrait of a stern-faced lady (AD 421-430), the Excavation Museum offers us a glimpse of the Byzantine empress Eudokia, Theodosius II’s Athenian-born wife – thought to have founded the first Christian church in the city of Athens, established in the courtyard of Hadrian’s Library.•

“A PERFECT LIFE”

BY NIKOLA ZOË

TRANSLATED, EDITED BY JOHN LEONARD

PHOTOS: PERIKLES MERAKOS

Prof. Bonna Wescoat, director of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA), speaks about her life in Greece, her favorite archaeological sites, and some of her past excavation projects where tents and intermittent water were the order of the day.

PProfessor Bonna Wescoat, director of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA), works from an office within a complex of buildings filled with books, research laboratories, and exhibition halls, all surrounded by the beautiful, well-kept gardens of the enviably verdant ASCSA campus on Souidias Street in Kolonaki. Most days, however, her thoughts travel elsewhere; she’s thinking about the recent, current or upcoming activities of the School, where she has been the head since 2022. These activities are myriad. There are, for instance, the major excavations being carried out by the ASCSA, under the aegis of the Greek Ministry of Culture, at the Athenian Agora, at Ancient Corinth, or affiliated field and research projects associated with the School. There are also the ASCSA’s Blegen and Gennadius Libraries (with 122,000 and 145,000 holdings, respectively), along with the Wiener Laboratory of Archaeological Science, the Regular Member program, and the summer seminars, now underway, offered to students studying Greek culture. ASCSA lectures, events, and workshops that have either taken place or will soon appear cover topics such as Sappho during the Renaissance; the relations between the Orthodox Greeks and the Ottomans from the 17th through the 19th century; the writer Stratis Myrivilis; the mythological monsters found in ancient Greek culture; and so much more. After all, we are talking about the largest of the foreign archaeological schools in Greece, which was founded in 1881. “We cannot even use the word ‘classical’ anymore to fully encompass our interests,” Prof. Wescoat says, “as our mission now is really the study of Greek culture from prehistory to the present day.” Besides her many administrative duties, Wescoat also has her own cherished research interests. They can be summed up more or less in one word: Samothrace. “It was the first place in Greece that I visited, in 1977, and has been my touchstone since the beginning of my career,” she tells us, displaying the obvious pleasure of someone who has come to deeply love a particular spot. As a specialist in the history of architecture, Wescoat is the director of excavations at the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, on the north side of the island of Samothrace, and of the study of the ancient city wall. “There is something magical about Samothrace; people who have been there say it is a different kind of place. There’s an electricity, a vibe, something that feels really special. The only other place I’ve experienced this so strongly is at Delphi,” says the archaeologist.

The Sanctuary of the Great Gods itself – where the sacred rites of a mystery cult were practiced from the 7th century BC onward – is similarly described by Wescoat as a very special place, “both intimate and vast at the same time,” whose “powerful environment makes the visitor feel connected with all the main elements of the earth, even though you’re standing in a very narrow valley.”

She goes on to speak enthusiastically about important archaeological discoveries, such as the city’s western gate, saying “As in all excavations, in Samothrace we resolve some questions while others arise.” Her passion for science is clear when she explains the significance of the archaeological mapping of the island, a project she is preparing with others, and reveals she delighted that the Samothrace Archaeological Museum open again after a decade of renovation works were completed in June of 2024. As the conversation turns to the Victory of Samothrace, the iconic sculpture excavated in the 19th century and now on display at the Louvre in Paris, Wescoat opens her laptop to help us understand exactly what the latest, extensive conservation treatment of the sculpture has involved, a project in which she herself has participated. “The power of the sculpture is just amazing, both aesthetically and technically,” she says, noting that in 2025 the ASCSA will organize an exhibition about the captivating allure of the island across the millennia, entitled “Imag(in)ing Samothrace: From Homer to the HoloLens.”

Wescoat holding a plan drawing of the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on Samothrace.

Who were the Great Gods of Samothrace?

“The question amounts to an intractable puzzle. It is certainly no easy task to define the Samothracian Great Gods, as even the ancient Greeks themselves were not clear on who they were. There was no single perception of their identity. The fact that they were named in only a general way solves some problems, but creates others. As they were amorphous and undefined, the concept of the Great Gods could be applied in many ways. Thus, for some they were believed to resemble the deities worshiped in the Eleusinian Mysteries, while for others they were more like the Dioscuri. To the Romans, they were Heaven and Earth. Their original name, however, known from Herodotus, was the “Cabeiri.” Their worship was practiced in Lemnos, Imbros, and Samothrace. The first two islands retained this name, while on Samothrace they came to be called the “Great Gods” and were seen as powerful and supportive figures. After being initiated into their mysteries, you received promises of divine favor – the most important being salvation at sea. The Cabeiri were said to protect seafarers from storms and shipwrecks, which makes sense for an island located just beside the Dardanelles and the further narrow passage into the Black Sea. In general, you would receive divine assistance in times of need, and would become a better, more pious person. Initiation and participation in the mysteries was transformative. You emerged with new perspectives, feeling like a different person.”

Architecture and Emotion

Architecture, Wescoat points out, is essentially an intervention in the natural world, with the aim of shaping one’s environment for the benefit of human existence. Whether providing shelter from the elements, accommodating various activities, or serving as a representation of ideas,

it can have a huge effect on our emotions. Ancient Greek architecture did all these things, and played a role in religion, too – especially during the Archaic and Classical periods. In the Bronze Age, emphasis had been placed on fortifications and palaces; in the 6th and 5th centuries BC, religious architecture became more important, and monumentality began to characterize sacred architecture. Buildings had to be experienced by moving in and around them, not just by viewing them from one spot.

The ancient Greeks knew very well how to position a building in the landscape so as to achieve maximum visual effect as one approached it. This is certainly clear to those who visit the Athenian Acropolis, where one enters the hilltop sanctuary through a very dramatic, ascending entranceway to reach the rear flanks of the Parthenon and Erechtheionbefore being channeled around those

buildings so as to experience their entirety, not just one particular facade.

In Samothrace, although visitors experienced a similarly orchestrated approach to the Sanctuary, one would instead descend, stop at a certain point, proceed further down, stop again, and then continue on in the same way, moving ever lower and lower. This downward linear progression was incredibly intense, while one’s exit from the sanctuary required a returning upward climb. Wescoat suggests the whole process had a chthonic feel; you entered the earth, experienced mystical and transformative rites, and then re-emerged, a changed person.

“THE ATHENIAN AGORA TELLS A FUNDAMENTAL STORY ABOUT THE FORMATION OF DEMOCRACY, ONE WHICH HAS AN IMPACT AROUND THE WORLD. DEMOCRACY WAS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE THEN, JUST AS IT IS NOW.”

Professor Wescoat speaks with similar ardor about Ancient Corinth, where the ASCSA is conducting its oldest and still ongoing excavation – work began there in 1896. “I think the prospects for Corinth are remarkable,” she says, referring to the strategic management plan for the archaeological site, which was prepared in collaboration with the Greek Ministry of Culture, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Corinth, and the architectural firm Thymio Papayannis and Associates. Another of Wescoat’s favorite places is the Athenian Agora. There, the ASCSA is organizing an exhibition this summer on the theme of Vrysaki, the modern neighborhood that disappeared as excavations revealed more and more of the ancient city’s central square. Displays will include everything from archaeological artifacts to old photographs of the district. “The Athenian Agora tells a fundamental story about the formation of democracy, one which has an impact around the world. Democracy was of great importance then, just as it is now, given how difficult and important it is to enact and maintain it,” the director points out, indicating that the goal of archaeological excavations is not always simply to bring to light impressive material finds.

Should the media and the public have lofty expectations of a major excavation? Or is it necessary to have a certain amount of patience?

“When you locate an important ancient monument, the urge to connect it with some important historical figure or event is almost irresistible. It’s natural to think such a connection is possible when it comes to something extraordinary and special. It’s not a mistake. But we must also be ready to adapt our thinking if data emerges that suggest the opposite. This is the hard part. You know, we’re committed to our ideas and it’s hard to move away from them if others come up. So, having expectations is, I think, a good thing. That’s why we devote so much energy and so many resources to understanding the past. And I think the public has a right to know what’s going on. Archaeology is an evolving science and ideas develop and change as evidence emerges. That should be exciting, not disappointing.”

What first sparked your interest in archaeology and ancient Greece?

“I can’t even remember when it started. I don’t know. That’s just how it’s always been. I had a wonderful mother who took me to museums. We were living outside of New York City, going in to visit the Metropolitan Museum; I felt like I was in heaven, and then I started visiting on my own. My mother had worked with a professor at Smith College, Phyllis Williams Lehmann, whom she thought I would also appreciate. So, that’s how it happened. I studied at Smith, as had my mother and my sister, and I collaborated with Williams Lehmann. She worked with her husband, the archaeologist Karl Lehmann, who was the director of the Samothrace excavations. She worked on the island every year, and it was so exciting to hear about her

discoveries and later to see her at work. I felt it was a perfect life. Later, I learned a lot from Jim McCredie, who also served as director of the Samothrace excavations for fifty years.”

How do you find life in Greece in the 21st century?

“I think it’s great. We love it here – my husband is here, too. Our children also came for a year (20062007) and felt very much at home. Greece seems like a place with a lot of energy right now. I find it very special to walk around Athens and see how many people are strolling around. It’s a great outdoor culture. You see people out and about. It also applies to American city centers, but in some of the suburbs you don’t see a lot of people on the street. It's not just Athens – with our students we go all over Greece, and we find that every place (it could be Arta, Preveza, Alexandroupolis, or Patras) is full of life. Greece also has great food and lots of beautiful nature. And while I’m not an economist, I think the country has integrated into the world economy, maintaining a rising and increasingly important position. I think 21st-century Greece is a place where things happen.”

In what ways has life as an archaeologist improved since you started? Has technology made the biggest difference?

“The most significant changes since my first dig have been hot water and air conditioning. Once upon a time, you know, these were unimaginable luxuries. In fact, even staying in a room was considered pretty fancy, compared to a tent. In terms of technology, computers and the internet have transformed archaeology. In the past, you’d discover something, record it, photograph it, and then go to the library to study it. Now, you can discover it in the morning and the same evening study electronic databases or consult with a particular colleague. I remember the transformative moment; shortly after we got internet in Samothrace, we found a vase whose style we hadn’t seen before on the island. We photographed it and sent off an email to Susan Rotroff (a leading American archaeologist who specializes in ancient Greek pottery), who answered immediately. It was a game-changer: one we take for granted today.”

“I FIND IT VERY SPECIAL TO WALK AROUND ATHENS AND SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE STROLLING AROUND. IT’S A GREAT OUTDOOR CULTURE. YOU SEE PEOPLE OUT AND ABOUT.”

The other thing that has changed, Wescoat says, is that excavations now proceed more slowly, because the quantity of data being collected is vast in comparison to before. In addition to the sites, the architecture and the artifacts, archaeologists look for and analyze traces of foodstuffs and seeds, as well as animal bones and human remains. As part of the American School’s project at the ancient cemetery of Faliro, the conservation treatment of approximately 1,100 skeletons excavated there has just been completed, so bioarchaeologists can begin to study ancient living conditions. Soil and other geological materials are now important subjects of investigation, as they can tell the story of a place. Pentelic marble is easily recognized by eye, but some marble materials require laboratory analysis to determine their quarry of origin.

Today, with the help of a large toolbox of scientific techniques, archaeologists are able to better understand how marbles and ceramics circulated around the ancient Mediterranean. Recently, changes have also been taking place in museums, as some are now choosing to face questions regarding the origins of objects held in their collections. In January, 2024, the Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where Wescoat had previously held positions of responsibility, returned three ancient artifacts to Greece that

had been illegally exported from the country and sold by antiquities dealers before finally ending up at the American institution. “We’re in a new chapter, one that emphasizes collaboration and understanding,” says Wescoat. The return of these Greek antiquities was made possible as part of an agreement between Greece’s Ministry of Culture and Emory University, which signals a new era in cultural and scientific cooperation and offers both parties the sense that a just resolution has been reached.

Considerations such as these helped shape the last question for the professor:

Of the various aspects of the issue of the Parthenon Marbles, what do you consider to be the greatest difficulty?

“Of course, that Greece and the British Museum cannot agree. I don’t have anything more to add that hasn’t already been said, but I think eventually a solution will be found. I cannot predict when and how. But I think it’s in everyone's best interest.”•

Top: An exhibit hall in the Archaeological Museum of Samothrace.

Above: Zoe Chalatsi and Dimitris Roussos in the Malcolm H. Wiener Laboratory of Archaeological Science with geological samples from archaeological excavations.

the katakouzenos house

theSettingStage

Through strong friendships, inspiring evenings and significant encounters in a single house in Athens, modern Greek culture took shape and left its mark on the international stage.

BY AMBER CHARMEI

Left: Ghika’s “Four Seasons” is a highlight among the many significant works in the Katakouzenos House Museum.

Right: Angelos and Leto at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus. They enjoyed frequent cultural excursions with friends.

In the role of Leto, the actress Despoina Giannouli gazes out at the serene dignity of the Parliament building.

T“THERE WAS ALWAYS MUSIC and joy in the Katakouzenos house. This was the salon of Athens, drawing together the painters, the poets, everyone in the world of the arts. Leto would play the piano. They danced; they sang. They didn’t just sit around and philosophize.” For Sophia Peloponnissiou, curator of the Angelos and Leto Katakouzenos House Museum and member of the board of the Katakouzenos Foundation, the singing is a meaningful detail; that illustrious circle that Greeks call the “Generation of the ’30s” filled mid-century Athens not just with culture, but with optimism: “They were people who had been through so much; they knew how to live.” There’s no better place to experience the magic of mid-century Athens than at the Katakouzenos House Museum. During that era, Greece was in the midst of a cultural renaissance, and Angelos and Leto were at the heart of it. Angelos, a pioneering neurologist and psychiatrist deeply engaged in the arts, and Leto, an accomplished writer and pianist who spoke five languages with ease, shared a gift for forming meaningful connections with others. The rooms at the museum hold memories of wonderful evenings: the surrealist poet Andreas Embirikos reading his work, or the composer Manos Hadjidakis trying out a new piece for them on the Steinway, as he’d often do. On a given night, Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika might have been painting his magnificent “Four Seasons” on the two mahogany double doors (he lived with Angelos and Leto here for half a year, working in situ), William Faulkner might have stopped in for an informal session with Angelos, or Leto could have been deep in a tête-à-tête with Camus. It was an era of inspiration.

It was also an era of great friendships and idealism, a shared sense of purpose. Born, for the most part, during the first decade of the 20th century, the individuals who made up the Generation of the ’30s had, by mid-century, been through a lot together: the Balkan Wars, WWI and the National Schism, the Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922 (when the millennia-old Greek-speaking community in Turkey was forced to flee the country), WWII and the occupation of Greece, and then the Greek Civil War. Of these, the catastrophic defeat in Asia Minor was perhaps the most pivotal event for the collective Greek psyche. The generation that created modern Greek culture takes its name from the decade following that catastrophe; amid their profound examination of Hellenic identity, a quest for “Greekness,” or “grécité,” took shape. This search would inspire a range of rich expressions in the arts throughout the decades to come, a unique cultural output that gave spiritual strength to the nation as Greece also emerged as a dynamic presence on the international scene.

VLAIKOS

Above: The “Mermaid Virgin” – copied (likely by Alex Mylona) from a post-Byzantine work in Lesvos’ Pervole Monastery – held profound significance for Angelos.

Below: Photographs and mementos fill the space with warmth.

Right: In the Green Room, a portrait of Leto by French Ambassador Jean Gustave Adolphe Baelen.

The Katakouzenos circle formed the generation’s core; Angelos was particularly close to two of the era’s most influential figures. The poet George Seferis – a 1963 Nobel Laureate – and Angelos had been friends since their university days in the 1920s in Paris, where they even lived in the same hotel. The painter Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika (“Nikolis” to those who knew him well) was with them in Paris, too; he and Angelos were close friends for over half a century.

Elias Venezis, a great friend to both Angelos and Hadjikyriakos-Ghika, would often join them. As much as anyone, Venezis embodied the Generation of the ’30s, both in his life and in his art; originally from Ayvalik in Asia Minor, he was taken prisoner by Turkish forces and assigned to a labor brigade during the conflict that ended so catastrophically for the Greek community in 1922. His books, including “Number 31328,” “Galini” (Tranquility) and “Aeolian Earth,” are uniquely moving documents of the war, of Asia Minor Hellenism, and of the refugee experience. George Katsimbalis (the “Colossus” that inspired Henry Miller’s famous travelogue “The Colossus of Maroussi”), and Tériade (Stratis Eleftheriadis of Lesvos, publisher of the seminal Parisian journal “Minotaure”) were also among their intimate friends. A younger generation could find inspiration in such company – as indeed did the writer Costas Taktsis (best known for “The Third Wedding,” his internationally well-received novel): “With Angelos and Leto,” Taktsis said, “I learned how to love.”

Arts and letters

This is a small sampling of their close acquaintances – there’s scarcely a book on the heavily laden shelves that isn’t affectionately inscribed to Angelos or Leto. Many volumes of handwritten correspondence fill the rich archives, while photographs of their dear friends cover the tables. There’s art everywhere – all the more precious

THERE’S ART EVERYWHERE – ALL THE MORE PRECIOUS AS EACH WORK WAS A GIFT FROM THE ARTISTS.

as each work was a gift from the artists. Besides Ghika’s splendid doors and several other works, there is Gounaropoulos’ series “The Kiss,” inspired perhaps by Angelos and Leto’s mutual adoration. These works hang in the large blue living room, where you can also see the portrait of Leto by Chagall, and two very fine pieces by the sculptor Tombros (one, delightfully named “Flirtation of the Bird and the Flower,” was created expressly for them). There are works by Theofilos, the profoundly influential folk painter of Lesvos, of whom Angelos was a great supporter. The artist Yannis Tsarouchis, in addition to some fine paintings, left something more behind here; inspired by his work in the theater (which included creating the sets for “Norma,” the first opera production staged at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, with Maria

“The Blond Head of Leto in the Blue of Chagall” is a favorite of many visitors.

Callas in the title role), Tsarouchis created a delightful boudoir for Leto – it unfolds from the wall like a hidden stage. Towards the back of the house, a small salon with dark green walls holds stories of its own. “This room brings us to the 1930s,” says Peloponnissiou. “There was a similar room in their home at 7 Pindarou Street.” (That building was torn down in the 1960s, so they recreated their world in these grand rooms overlooking the National Gardens.) With its whimsical lamp and its velvet drapes done in salmon pink, that earlier space made an impression on the painter Spyros Vassiliou, who captured it with his signature charm. It was this painting – now hanging here –that inspired Peloponnissiou: “When I discovered those very same velvet drapes in a drawer, I decided to recreate that salon as it had once been,” referring to the room in the couple’s previous home.

The sofa in this room, a Josef Hoffmann piece, has its own story as well; snug, with high sides, it’s really more a loveseat, all the better for intimate conversation among three, with the guest of honor seated between Leto and Angelos. This sofa was a favorite of Seferis, Camus, Elytis and Faulkner. Peloponnissiou light-heartedly dubbed it “the sofa of the Nobels”.

THE SOFA WAS A FAVORITE OF SEFERIS, CAMUS, ELYTIS AND FAULKNER. PELOPONNISSIOU LIGHT-HEARTEDLY DUBBED IT “THE SOFA OF THE NOBELS”.

Enlightened Envoys

Many international figures, Nobel winners and others, joined their circles from time to time; with Angelos’ post as president of the Greek-French Cultural Union and his Paris education, and Leto’s easy, multilingual warmth, the couple were excellent cultural ambassadors. Angelos and Camus had met in France; Angelos invited him to speak about the future of European civilization. With Leto, Camus found an immediate intellectual rapport, which she made the subject of her book “In the

A work from Gounaropoulos’ dreamy series “The Kiss,” dedicated to Angelos and Leto.

Company of Albert Camus.” Faulkner would later call his evening here one of “the most fascinating of his life.” He also sent a photo of himself, dedicated to “the face Marlowe wrote about,” a nod to Christopher Marlowe’s famous reference to Helen of Troy as “the face that launched a thousand ships.” Leto had clearly made quite an impression. Leto also made quite an impression on Peloponnissiou, who knew her well. Their friendship began in 1989, when she read Leto’s book “Angelos Katakouzenos: My Valis,” a tribute to her husband. Peloponnissiou, moved,

wrote her a letter. Leto replied with an invitation, by telegram. So began what the curator describes as the most inspiring friendship of her life. When Leto died in 1997, Peloponnissiou was surprised to find herself entrusted with a foundation. The house looks today as though nothing has been touched from the days of Angelos and Leto. In reality, the restoration and the archiving were monumental tasks; Peloponnissiou involved her whole family – even her little daughter, who was three at the time. It was and is a labor of love; Peloponnissiou has always been, and still is, a volun-

teer, devoted to preserving a magnificent cultural legacy. What’s more, she has ensured that these inspiring rooms retain their original sense of purpose; while preserving the memories and works of a significant era, the Katakouzenos House Museum remains a place for culture. A full calendar of exhibitions, talks, recitals, performances and other events keeps the house filled with music and joy. “People tell me,” the curator says, “that events here have a special quality, something intimate, something that touches the heart.” Angelos and Leto would be pleased.•

Ghika’s splendid doors define the intimate dining area.

Three small museums in Athens, former residences or studios of artists, are works of eclectic, interwar, and 1970s architecture respectively. They are worth visiting both for their collections and to see how the artists shaped their spaces to reflect their own aesthetics.

BY XENIA GEORGIADOU

Bottom

ARTISTIC WORLDS

IN ATHENIAN SPACES

Above: View of the second floor with sculptures and drawings by Alex Mylona. Top right: The workshop with the tools of her trade.

right: The Acropolis is clearly visible from the roof of the building.

MOMusMuseum Alex Mylona

ALEX MYLONA WAS BORN in Athens in 1920. At the age of eight, she began her first painting lessons with an English painter. In 1945, she studied sculpture at the Athens School of Fine Arts, and in 1951, she met Henry Moore, one of her main influences, during his exhibition here. In 1959, she exhibited “Cry of Medea” in Paris; it caught the eye of art critic Christian Zervos and sculptor Hans Arp. In 1960, she represented Greece along with three other artists at the 30th Venice Biennale. “Here is Greece, with the brilliant personality of a woman, the painter-sculptor Alex Mylona, who fills the Greek pavilion and brings it to prominence,” wrote the international press. Mylona started with figurative works, such as “Medea” in cement and “Adam and Eve” in aluminum, and gradually transitioned to abstraction, incorporating modern art elements. Though she worked with various materials, she ultimately devoted herself to marble; on the rooftop of the museum, you’ll find the marble statues “Kouros” and “Kore”. The building, featuring art nouveau influences, was built in 1920 by architect Vasilis Tsagris, an advocate of eclecticism in Greece. In the early 1990s, Mylona purchased a then-dilapidated building in Aghion Asomaton Square to create a space to exhibit her works and those of other artists. Today, the ground floor of this space holds her workbench, tools, and models; her artistic journey from the 1950s to the late 1990s unfolds from the second floor to the rooftop.

→ MOMus - Museum Alex Mylona, 5 Aghion Asomaton Square, Thiseio momus.gr

THE GHIKA GALLERY

THE FAMILY HOME OF PAINTER, engraver, and stage designer Nikos HadjikyriakosGhika is a quintessential example of interwar apartment architecture. In 1955, the artist renovated the 4th floor of the building at 3 Kriezotou Street, and added an extra story for his studio. An advocate of modernism and a vital figure of the Generation of the ’30s, Ghika, whose works hang in the Tate Gallery, MoMA, and the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris, found his unique style in Greece by combining the principles of cubism with the distinctive light and architecture of his homeland.

In 1989, Ghika donated his collection and family home to the Benaki Museum. Part of the elevated ground floor and two more floors now serve as a repository of Greek intellectual and artistic creation from the end of WWI to the onset of the Greek military junta (1967-1974). The gallery features paintings by prominent artists such as Tsarouchis, Moralis, Kontoglou, and Theofilos, along with engravings, photographs, manuscripts, the Nobel Prizes of George Seferis and Odysseas Elytis, and the Lenin Prize, awarded to Yiannis Ritsos in 1977. The building’s fourth and fifth floors, where Ghika lived and worked, are also open to visitors. The use of exposed concrete in the columns, frames and ceiling beams, the oil painting “Kifissia” in the dining room, and the terrace with terracotta Caryatids are particularly striking. The studio holds furniture from the family mansion in Hydra, souvenirs from his travels, and books.

→ The Ghika Gallery, 3 Kriezotou, benaki.org

The living room of the 4th floor apartment with the artist’s ink drawings depicting landscapes and scenes from his travels in the Far East.

ALEKOS FASSIANOS, THE RENOWNED Greek painter who had a significant presence on the French art scene for five decades, was born in the Aghios Pavlos neighborhood of Athens in 1935. His childhood was spent in a neoclassical house with an inner courtyard and a tiled roof, where his extended family lived. In the 1970s, the artist’s mother had the house demolished to build an apartment building. In the late ’80s, Fassianos collaborated with his friend and architect Kyriakos Krokos to redesign it, creating a small

ALEKOS FASSIANOS MUSEUM

exhibition space for the painter’s works. The project was completed in 1996, but the museum did not open until April 2023, as the artist would not consent to have a museum in his honor while he was alive (Fassianos passed away in 2022). The museum reflects his own taste from floor to ceiling. Sheaves of wheat, a favorite motif, are engraved on the marble surfaces, and a large colorful dragon looks down from the ceiling in the basement. On the ground floor are works depicting scenes from his neighborhood and the city at large; mythological heroes, references to Cavafy, and Byzantine themes; and portraits of everyday protagonists such as “The Smoker” or “Café Goers.” Furniture pieces of his own design add to the atmosphere

and reveal a genius that extended beyond the canvas. Display cases contain toys he made as a child, including a puppet priest, in tribute to his grandfather, who served at the Aghios Pavlos church, and correspondence with other artists, archival photographs, and theater set designs.

On the third floor of the building, his workshop and bedroom, complete with his wardrobe, have been recreated. Hats and shirts, embroidered by the artist with his favorite motifs, are on display. For Fassianos, art was a way of life, evident in his works, his clothes and his home.

→ Alekos Fassianos Museum, 15 Neofytou Metaxa, Athens, alekosfassianos.gr

Paintings coexist with the furniture designed by the artist. Fassianos has worked on nearly every surface of the space, engraving sheaves of wheat and birds, favourite subjects in his works.

Magic on the mountain

The Tholos (380 BC), at the Temple of Athena Pronaea, is a masterpiece of the Classical period and perhaps the best-known monument at the archaeological site of Delphi.

Impressions from a fascinating stroll around the famed site of Delphi.

BY ELIZA SYNADINOU

PHOTOS: PERIKLES MERAKOS

The Dancers of Delphi (c. 330 BC). Three women with finely sculpted features are visible.

The impressive Naxians, with a lion the breast and wings of a bird, and the head of a maiden. It dates to 560 BC.

Delphi

The Charioteer of Delphi (478-474 BC), the museum’ s most famous exhibit.

OON THE DAY I MADE my way up to Delphi for the first time, along with many other visitors from Greece and abroad, the sunshine, the light mountain breeze and the enchanting landscape above the Pleistos valley left little doubt that I would fall in love with the moment and the place. And this is precisely what happened to me and what must have been happening to first-time visitors for centuries.

It helps, nonetheless, to be prepared. The “well-informed” visitor, or whoever comes accompanied by a qualified tour guide, is certain to live the Delphic experience to the fullest. It’s important to note this. There are also interactive applications, developed by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Fokida, which you can download to your mobile phone.

Otherwise, you might see, for example, a temple-shaped building and read the sign “Treasury of the Athenians” without realizing that Athenian hoplites dedicated their shields here to the god Apollo as a token of gratitude for their victory at the Battle of Marathon (though not the Athenian general, Miltiades, who dedicated his helmet – which is on display at Olympia – to Zeus). You may also recall stories about the Pythia, the high priestess who sat atop a tripod seat, chewed bay leaves, and delivered oracles in an ecstatic trance state. However, would you know that, according to certain geological studies, the Temple of Apollo, where these rites took place, may have stood

above the intersection of two fault lines, which might have allowed gases to accumulate in the oracular chamber causing confusion, mild amnesia, and so on? The uninformed visitor, looking at the foundations of the Temple of Apollo, one of the most important gods in ancient Greek mythology and Artemis’ twin brother, will be unaware that worship of this god began in the 8th century BC, replacing the worship of Gaia, the primordial chthonic goddess who preceded Apollo at Delphi. Similarly, the unenlightened may not be aware that the basic principle of the Apollonian spirit, as explained by our licensed tour guide Vassi Traka, was the taming of human passions on both a collective and personal level, gradually leading the ancient Greeks to adopt humanitarian values. Our knowledgeable guide also referred to a text by Panos Valavanis, a professor of classical archaeology, who claims that at the heart of Apollonian teaching are “two basic concepts of ancient Greek wisdom: moderation and self-knowledge. Which, not coincidentally, are the two fundamental principles in human history.”

Center of Greek civilization

For over ten centuries, the Sanctuary of Delphi served as both a cultural and religious center, as well as a symbol of ancient Greek unity. It was the only place that was unaffected by wars or foreign enemies, including the Persians, during its heyday. Instead, all the Greek tribes banded together to protect the sanctuary, forming the Delphic Amphictyony. This league, which met twice a year, was similar in some ways to the modern United Nations.

Another phenomenon observed for the first time in the history of world civilization was Delphi’s ability to intervene as an intermediary in city-state conflicts. “The Sanctuary consented to the laws introduced by Lycurgus, the lawgiver of Sparta, and Solon, the lawmaker of Athens, while its contribution to Ionian

colonization was decisive,” observed Traka. The oracle’s responses appear to have directly influenced the development of Greek and, by extension, Western civilization.

Some scholars believe that much of the wealth of the ancient world was gathered at Delphi. Although there is no concrete evidence to back up this belief, Athanasia Psalti, director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Fokida, told me that, “Due to its strategic geographical position, the undisputed dominance of the worship of Pythian Apollo and the oracle throughout the Mediterranean basin, and the prestige of the Pythian Games, Delphi had become a place that attracted many offerings of particularly valuable objects – statues of silver and bronze, gold jewelry, elaborate sculptures, luxury vessels, bronze and solid gold tripods, bronze statues (such as Heniokhos, the amazing Charioteer of Delphi), and exotic ivory items, as well as ornately decorated architectural creations such as the Siphnian Treasury and the Athenian Treasury.”

“Ikseis afikseis”

It is known that the oracles delivered by the Pythia were inexplicit and ambiguous. Heraclitus provides the key: “Phoebus (Apollo) neither reveals nor conceals but gives a sign.” When a hoplite, concerned about his future, consulted the oracle, Apollo – through the Pythia – seemingly responded: “Ikseis afikseis, ouk en to polemo thnikseis” (“You will go, return you will, never in war will you perish”). However, simply changing a comma transforms the prophecy into: “Ikseis, afikseis ouk, en to polemo thnikseis” (“You will go, return you will never, in war will you perish”). And when the Athenians were alarmed by the advance of Xerxes’ army, the oracle delivered by the priestess at Delphi was again open to interpretation: “The goddess Athena cannot save her city. But the Athenians can be saved by the wooden walls.” As a result, the Athenians prepared to construct wooden walls around the city; but

The magnificent landscapes in the valley of the Pleistos River contributes to the overall Delphic experience.

the politician and general Themistocles offered an alternative interpretation, claiming that the “wooden walls” actually referred to their ships, ultimately leading to a decisive Greek victory at the Battle of Salamis.

Aside from representatives of the city-states, Delphi also attracted private individuals who were burdened with troubles that have remained virtually unchanged over the centuries. In inscriptions that have been discovered, they ask if they should marry or have children, if they should purchase land, or if they will be cured of some illness. The aim of Apollo was to calm their passions, cure ignorance and serve the process of human evolution through his priests (the first priests at Delphi were Cretans who possessed the wisdom and knowledge of the Minoan civilization). The wisdom of Delphi, a legacy passed down through the centuries, was summed up in the Delphic maxims that were inscribed on the pronaos (and possibly elsewhere as well): moral precepts believed to have been authored by the Seven Sages of Antiquity and “useful for

THE WISDOM OF DELPHI, A LEGACY PASSED DOWN THROUGH THE CENTURIES, WAS SUMMED UP IN THE DELPHIC MAXIMS ... MORAL PRECEPTS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN AUTHORED BY THE SEVEN

SAGES OF ANTIQUITY.

the life of men,” according to Pausanias. The 147 succinctly worded sayings are based on the values of the era, such as “Help your friends” or “Control anger.” The last item on the list is perhaps the most important: “On reaching the end, [be] without sorrow.”

The Twins of Delphi

It is worth keeping this last maxim in mind when touring the wonderful Archaeological Museum of Delphi, since there, among other famous exhibits, you’ll find the Kouroi of Delphi, two male marble statues thought to have been dedicated to Apollo by the Argives. They were previously identified as two young brothers who, according to Herodotus, were from Argos, which was said to be Europe’s oldest city. At some point, their mother, a priestess of Hera, asked them to yoke themselves to her cart in place of the oxen (which could not be found) and pull her to the temple for a festival. Their mother then begged Hera to give her sons the highest honor she could bestow on mortals. That night, the two brothers

fell asleep but did not wake up, having been rewarded with a peaceful death while still in their prime. (However, the museum curators point out that a more recent interpretation identifies the two youths as the Dioscuri, sons of Zeus and Leda.)

The masterpieces in the Delphi Museum are many, but the most famous are the Charioteer, that majestic youth with his piercing gaze, and the imposing Sphinx of Naxos. I asked Psalti if there was perhaps an overlooked gem. “That’s a difficult question,” she replied, before continuing: “I greatly admire the Statue of Antinous, a young Greek of extraordinary beauty from Bithynia, beloved companion of the Roman emperor Hadrian, who dedicated the statue at Delphi after Antinous drowned in the Nile. It’s a nearly 2,000-year-old statue of a young man who died prematurely.”

The Great Excavation

The Statue of Antinous and the Charioteer were unearthed during the Great Excavation (“La Grande Fouille”), which was carried out by the French Archaeological School between 1892 and 1902 and involved the expropriation of the settlement of Kastri that had been built over the ancient site The historian and journalist Kyriakos Simopoulos points out that, until the 19th century, “very few foreigners made their way to remote and desolate Delphi during the centuries of the Ottoman occupation, and even fewer archaeologists searching for the remains of ancient Delphi.” The travellers George Wheler and Jacob Spon first identified the area as the Sanctuary of Delphi in 1676 but, with only a few exceptions, no systematic archaeological investigation was attempted until the arrival of the Swedish priest Adolf Fredrik Sturtzenbecker in 1784. The latter died prematurely in Livadia, shortly after his visit to Delphi. However, Simopoulos says, research trips by lovers of ancient history became more frequent thereafter. Although English traveler Thomas

Smart Hughes found “a place worse than a pigsty” at Kastri in 1813, he did take some time to explore the ancient monuments, which by this point were attracting attention from all over the world. “The numerous foreign visitors to Delphi during the 19th century, from the English architect William Gell to the Swiss philhellene Alfred Gilliéron, made significant contributions to the sanctuary’s emergence from obscurity and to the strengthening of the memory of the famous oracle. Τhey thus helped the idea of the Great Excavation to mature,” said Psalti.

In 1903 the Archaeological Museum of Delphi opened following the conclusion of the Great Excavation. In its present form, the museum is a true gem of modernism, the work of several well-known Greek architects, including Patroklos Karantinos and Alexandros Tombazis. Nowadays, there aren’t many locations in Greece that can provide a visitor with complete intellectual, moral and aesthetic fulfilment, but the Delphi Museum is unquestionably one of them, thanks to its exquisite architecture, the outstanding curation of its treasures, and its location in a spot of such natural unspoiled splendor.

Last year marked the 120th

THE MAGNITUDE OF THE LEGACY LEFT BY SO MANY CENTURIES OF HISTORY AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DELPHI FOR GREECE ʼ S CULTURAL LIFE TODAY CANNOT BE OVERSTATED.

anniversary of the the museum’s opening, as well as a decade since it was designated as an honored museum by the International Council of Museums (ICOM): “This was a very favorable and particularly instructive development in its long history, which contributed towards the museum becoming more deeply integrated into the life of the local communities that surround us. Even during the pandemic and the painful period of isolation, the inhabitants of Delphi, Amfissa, Chrysso and Itea stood at our side and supported our efforts,” noted Psalti, adding that there has been a noticeable rise in both Greek and international visitors. The magnitude of the legacy left by so many centuries of history and the significance of Delphi for Greece’s cultural life today cannot be overstated.

Delphi has long served as an inspiration for people and organizations active in the arts, history and culture who wished to establish important cultural institutions, including Angelos Sikelianos and Eva Palmer’s (1927-1930) Delphic Festivals, which arguably paved the way for modern performances at ancient theaters and for the Athens-Epidaurus Festival; the European Cultural Centre of Delphi, which was founded in 1977; and Theodoros Terzopoulos’ Attis Theatre, which was founded in 1985 and which held its groundbreaking production of Bacchae in the ancient stadium at Delphi a year later.

I asked Psalti if one ever tires of delving into the history and the other aspects of Delphi. “I don’t believe so, because of the enormous conceptual, intellectual and artistic value of the site,” she said, before adding: “Perhaps the words of the poet Nikiforos Vrettakos best capture the emotion that even we, who daily serve this place, feel each time we visit the oracle: ‘A teardrop is a language that speaks with countless words, / beneath the sanctity of the firmament, when you return from Delphi…’”•

The excavations by the French School of Archaeology unearthed, among other finds, the splendid Statue of Antinous.

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