Insider Thessaloniki

THE CITY MAGAZINE OF

Winter 2013 Year 12. Issue 01 â‚Ź4.50 ISSN 1790-3114

Thessaloniki

Living and loving Thessaloniki Art in the city / Cinema's enduring allure / Heritage walks / Victoria Hislop's 'The Thread' / The Allatini-Dassault legacy / Youth Capital / A foodie's Salonika Interwievs with: Yiannis Boutaris, Katerina Koskina, Apostolos Tzitzikostas and Aristotelis Thomopoulos PLUS: ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, FOOD & WINE, NIGHTLIFE, SHOPPING, NOVELTIES, MAPS AND MORE

Thessaloniki Insider has been a long way in the making but we’re just delighted that it has finally

Sudha Nair-Iliades

come to fruition. From its modest beginnings 12 years ago, we, at Insider Publications, have been publishing magazines in six languages, promoting Greece’s charm and potential to residents and tourists alike.

publisher’s note But Thessaloniki Insider is special in more ways than one. It comes at a time of promise as Thessaloniki re-establishes itself as a cosmopolitan crossroads between the East and West, drawing tourists from neighbouring countries on a quest to discover their shared heritage while projecting an extrovert role for itself as a cultural and trade hub in the region.

We hope that Thessaloniki Insider will be both a tool and a friend guiding you through this city’s layered history, its meandering streets and its endearing traditions.

We need all your support to make Thessaloniki Insider a success, so please do subscribe. There will be three editions a year, with the next one scheduled for April 1. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy the launch issue of Thessaloniki Insider – we hope it will make you fall in love with the city all over again.

Kali arxi !

Sudha Nair-Iliades

Publisher - Editor Sudha Nair - Iliades

Contributors in this Issue

Art Director Eliza Mouzenidou

Epikouros,

Marketing and Public Relations Executive Maria Stergiou Photos Kostas Bekas, Marie-Irène Moschona, Maya Iliades Web Design www.studiozip.com

Alexia Kefalas, Maria Stergiou, Michael Sweet Founder Steve Pantazopoulos

Distribution Hellenic Distribution Agency Subscriptions *T hessaloniki Insider published in English in Greece € 20, Abroad €40 * Athens Insider published in English in Greece € 40, Abroad € 80 *B onjour Athènes published in French in Greece € 20, Abroad € 40 Also published in Chinese & Russian

Christos Christopoulos Prepress, Montage and Printing Grafima

Email: info@insider-magazine.gr Reproduction in whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, is forbidden except with the express written permission of the publisher.

info@insider-magazine.gr www.insider-magazine.gr www.bonjour-athenes.com

Although Athens Insider has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions it may contain. Athens Insider maintains a strict policy of editorial independence and preferential treatment is never guaranteed to advertisers.

Athens Insider is published monthly and its brand, logo and all editorial content is held worldwide by:

Athens Insider: Monthly Publication ISSN 1790-3114 Code: 6548

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Insider Publications Ltd. located at Markou Botsari 16 A 117 41 Athens, Greece.

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insider thessaloniki | Issue 01 1

contributors Michael Sweet

A documentary producer for BBC Television in the 90s, Michael worked in broadcasting in South Asia before establishing his TV production business in Australia. He lived in Athens for almost four years before moving back to Melbourne and has continued contributing to Athens Insider and for the English language edition of Australia’s largest circulation Greek newspaper, Neos Kosmos. Michael combines his writing with producing independent documentary films.

Alexia is half-French, half-Greek and lives between Paris and Athens. Alexia has been a correspondent for French newspapers such as Le Figaro and for French television channels such as France 24, TV5 Monde, Canal+ and RTL, and also writes for the Greek daily, Kathimerini. Alexia has been contributing regularly to Bonjour Athènes and Insider for the past nine years.

Epikouros

Epikouros is the pen name of restaurant critic and food writer Albert Arouh who writes for the Greek edition of Harper’s Bazaar and BHMAGourmet. He has written for several Greek magazines and newspapers.

Some of his books include «New Greek Cuisine» (Ikaros, 2012), Art Cuisine: Food as Art (Imako, 2006), Critique of Food Reason (Kedros, 2006), A Taste of Sephardic Salonica (Fytrakis, 2002), restaurant guides to Athens, Only the Best (Axon, 2001) and Athens Restaurant Guide 2011, and he has also edited a series of books under the title Gastronomy and Thought published by Polytropon.

Maria studied Marketing and Communication at Athens University of Economics and Business and then moved to Barcelona where she studied and worked in the events industry. On her return to Greece she worked in the marketing departments of multinationals in the hospitality and advertising sector. She speaks English, Spanish and French and has a passion for flamenco dance.

Dimosthenis Therianos

Maria Stergiou

Dimosthenis Therianos was born and raised in Athens. He studied accounting at TEI Piraeus and continued with studies in Human Resources. Always criss-crossing the city on his motorbike, he makes the most of the opportunity to visit the trendiest neighbourhoods to keep a lookout for new cool restaurants and bars in town.

Eliza Mouzenidou was born and raised in Athens. She studied Technology of Graphic Arts and graduated with the highest GPA amongst her colleagues. For the last six years she has been working as a graphic designer for prestigious publications, designing the corporate identity for art fairs and five star hotels. Her true passion is photography and during her free time she enjoys playing tennis.

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Alexia Kefalas

Eliza Mouzenidou

contents

08 14 18

Features The Mayor who walks the walk Up close and personal with the mayor Yiannis Boutaris.

Departments 8

A hub for trade and tourism 10 Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the Governor of Central Macedonia on the immense potential for the region.

Homage to Thessaloniki 12 Victoria Hislop, on her novel The Thread, set in Thessaloniki.

Art and the city 16 Katerina Koskina on the role of art in transforming a city’s image.

Jewish Sites in Thessaloniki The vital and hidden story of the city’s Jewish community in the 20th Century.

29

An affair with cinema Cinema magic is back again.

A peek into its history and the present festival’s screenings.

30

Heritage walks A heritage guide to the city’s historic past.

20

24 hours in Thessaloniki Discover the city’s charms in 24 hours.

24

Celebrating youth Thessaloniki is the European Youth Capital in 2014.

Old charm new vibes 28 Aristotelis Thomopoulos, promotes Thessaloniki as a city many stories, one heart.

Interview 8 Books 12

36

38

Heritage Walks 20 Cityscope 24 Hospitality 28 Cinema 30 History 34 Education 36 Youth 38

The gourmet side of Thessaloniki 42 Epikouros picks his favourite haunts.

Street food The koulouri and samali are Thessaloniki street staples.

Time lapse 14 Art 16

A family’s indelible legacy 34 The story of the Allatini-Dassault family whose history is entwined with that of Thessaloniki.

Sprouting new values The AFS now opens its doors to primary school-goers.

Arts 4

44

Beauty 39 Agora 40 Restaurants 42 Kaleidoscope 56

20 30 38 40 44 Find us on:

Cover picture: Tasos by Busy Bee

and at www.insider-publications.com

insider thessaloniki | Issue 01 3

Arts & events

01

02

2323 2513 8 2 october

november

october

november

november december

16

until

november

Nitra Gallery

Helexpo – Entrance Hall

Zina Athanassiadou gallery

Lola Nikolaou Gallery

Eirini Kana – Two Homes 01 The acclaimed painter presents her new works of art to the public in Thessaloniki. This is her seventeenth individual exhibition, entitled “Two homes”. Drawing inspiration for her themes from Chania and Hydra, her paintings are bold compositions, brilliant in colour and explosive in gesture. Kana’s compositions reflect Greek beauty and light.

Filippou 51 www.nitragallery.com

Books Bazaar The union of Northern Greek publishers organizes a 20-day bazaar that will take place at the entrance of the Thessaloniki Exhibition Center (HELEXPO). The event will showcase a large variety of books at highly competitive prices, starting at just 1 euro. On sale are fictional and non-fictional books, novels, science-fiction editions and children’s books, amongst others.

Egnatia 154 www.helexpo.gr

Vasso Gaivasse 02 Vasso Gavaisse’s works have been exhibited in art fairs, group shows in Greece and abroad and belong to some prestigious private collections, museums and public spaces such as the Athenaeum InterContinental Hotel, Bio Art Collection-Athens, the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art etc. In this exhibition, her works – a result of painstaking research and technique - portray ideas and meanings that reveal some of the seemingly crazy and confusing changes happening in our real world.

P.P. Germanou 5 www.zinaathanassiadou.com

New Artists The answer to tough times is not silence and fear, but trust and attention to the voices of the youth. This exhibition presents six new artists. Every artist sees contemporary art from a different perspective and together they demonstrate rather vividly that we live in an open-minded era. Participating artists: Kostas Giatsos, Thanasis Dapis, Dimitris Efeoglou, Dimitris Labrou, Anna-Maria Smirnaki, Konstantinos Tsakiris. Τsimiski 52

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On the town

03

04

& 16,714 2124 2215 252 november

december

Goethe Institut Thessaloniki Tales of the Brothers Grimm Three famous beloved tales : The Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel and The Frog King are presented in modern films for the old and the young in German with Greek subtitles At 18.00. Free admission.

Vas. Olgas 66 www.goethe.de/ins

november

Institut Français de Thessalonique Comics and Board Games Festival – “Ta paixame” Over 37 professionals and young comics creators along with the clubs of board games “Orionas” and “The Thermi Team of RPG” participate in the exhibition. Visitors can also navigate through interactive models / toys with historical topics such as the Battle of Thermopylae and The Battle of Leipzig! There will be an open bazaar with interesting offers and opportunities from publications such as Jemma Press, Web Comics, Inksitu, Hobby Gallery and Hobby Games stores etc Stratou Ave.2Α www.ift.gr

november

december

november december

Thessaloniki City Hall

Thessaloniki Concert Hall

Thessaloniki Food Festival 03 A month full of delicious food tastings, cooking workshops and masterclasses with renowned chefs, exhibitions and gourmet wine dinners, gastro - artistic interventions, street food events etc. The Greek Market, an exhibition of local products and flavours on 23 and 24 November in the courtyard of the Thessaloniki City Hall, opens the autumn activities of the festival. The festival closes on the weekend of 14 and 15 December when the Christmas Market takes centre-stage. http://foodfestival.thessaloniki.gr

Disney’s Fantasia, Live in Concert 04 A meeting between Walt Disney and Leopold Stokowski led to the creation of a global phenomenon of the seventh art, which has since been enchanting generations. The legendary Fantasia, which for the first time combines animation with classical music has been a phenomenal success.

The State Symphony Orchestra presents some excerpts.

25 Martiou & Paralia www.tch.gr

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Arts & events

05

06

1729 31 until

december

Thessaloniki Concert Hall St. Petersburg Ice Ballet, The Nutcracker 05 Experience the magic of Christmas with the famous ballet of St. Petersburg which comes to the Thessaloniki Concert Hall to give us generous doses of beauty, grace, colour and innocence, unravelling on ice the world famous and endearing Christmas tale, The Nutcracker. It is one of the most beloved compositions by Pyotr IlyichTchaikovsky, one of the first global successes of the St. Petersburg Ballet and a classical piece for the world’s most famous dance troupes.

25 Martiou Street & Paralia www.tch.gr

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december

31

until

december

Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art

Teloglion Foundation of Art – AUTh

The Mediterranean experience The exhibition comprises more than 120 emblematic art works

by Greek and foreign artists, who negotiate the manifold concept of free public space.

The Mediterranean is understood as a spatial paradigm and structure in which the traditional notion of centre is substituted by the function of an “opposite side”, which gives place to communication and exchange. The exhibition explores the formation of new cognitive and aesthetic categories as a topology of “The Mediterranean Experience”, within contemporary art, starting with Le Nouveau Réalisme and Arte Povera until now.

Egnatia 154 www.mmca.org.gr

Vasso Katraki: In Black and White Vasso Katraki was the greatest female engraver in Greece and her work has illustrated the agony of the difficult post-war period. Her socially and politically charged work echoed a universal message of humanism and renewed the art of engraving. The exhibition focuses on the politically charged work of Katraki, the emergence of material and folk art. The second focus is on Messolonghi’s lagoon, not only as an idyllic landscape, but also as an ecosystem in danger.

Agiou Dimitriou 159A www.teloglion.gr

1918 december

january

Myro Gallery Ink on paper The Myro Gallery presents a group exhibition presenting six of the most prominent young artists in Greece who sketch or paint with ink. Most of them focus on psychedelic landscapes and expressionist portraits. Also take in the solo exhibition of Giorgos Korbakis’ s works in charcoal while the sculptor Thanos Karonis presents an installation at Myro Vitrine.

Nikiforou Foka 8 www.myro.gr

On the town

07

08

31

until

january

Central Exhibition of the 4th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art “Everywhere but Now” 06 Over 50 artists from 25 countries - from Brazil and Cuba to Iran and India, as well as many Mediterranean countries, present their works, using media such as paintings, sculptures, photography, video installations, films and performances. The Curator of this year’s biennale is Αdelina von Fürstenberg.

Exhibition venues: Alatza Imaret, Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, Museum of Byzantine Culture, Geni Tzami, MMCA, Pavillion 6 (Thessaloniki International Trade Fair area), State Museum of Contemporary Art (Moni Lazariston) ww.thessalonikibiennale.gr

31

until

january

1223 february

Moni Lazariston

Thessaloniki Concert Hall

The Costakis collection and the Russian avant-garde 07 Celebrating 100 years since the collector’s birth, an exhibition, with over 250 artworks from the famous Russian avantgarde collection, dedicated to the collector himself. The Costakis collection is the largest collection of Russian avantgarde art (1900-1930) and has a great mobility in exhibitions in Europe and the USA. It is a big presentation of the collection and the archive which shows the collector’s gaze and method, through monographic artists’ presentations, enriched by guided tours, educational programs, talks and book presentations on the Russian avant- garde period.

Kolokotroni 21 www.greekstatemuseum.gr

Cats 08 The legendary musical, which has broken all records across the world for the past thirty years, comes to Greece. Cats, created by the leading composer Andrew Lloyd Weber, is the most explosive encounter of music, dance, song and poetry in the history of musicals.

Playful, funny, tender and utterly delicious, Cats emerged as the ultimate theatrical phenomenon: from its premiere in 1981 until today, it has entertained 50 million viewers in 26 countries and 300 cities worldwide.

25 Martiou Street & Paralia www.tch.gr

until

december State Museum of Contemporary Art Tradition-Reversal The exhibition consists of art works – paintings, sculptures, photographs, installations and videos – which aim to form a single language, an artistic intervention for the situation in the Mediterranean that they will stand at the same time as action, idiom, expression and image, in an era of dramatic upheavals and unexpected changes. The artists tell stories of personal and collective experiences, of contemporary political and social questionings such as alienation, violence, behaviour in the urban environment, economic crisis, globalization, as well as similarities and differences in the Mediterranean.

Kolokotroni 21 www.greekstatemuseum.gr

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The Mayor who walks the walk Thessaloniki Insider gets up close and personal with the charismatic mayor of Thessaloniki, Yiannis Boutaris, who has championed the allure of his 2300 year old city to its citizens and tourists alike. But more importantly, he has done the unthinkable - given public office a good name!

8 insider thessaloniki | Issue 01

Interview

b tw

Mayor Boutaris, one of the most striking things you have achieved during your tenure as mayor, has been to make the citizens of Thessaloniki proud of their identity. How did you reconnect the citizens with their city?

This is an ongoing effort that hopefully will come true eventually.

In fact the whole project regards making Thessaloniki an open, inclusive, cosmopolitan and welcoming city, through cultivating tourist consciousness.

So we launched several programmes, such as the “museum sleepovers” for children, as well as thematic free guided tours (Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, Jewish, Architecture, etc) throughout the city. We created the Monuments and the Museums maps as well as the map of the 15 UNESCO monuments of Thessaloniki. We set up a second tourist info kiosk at Aristotelous square – the first is at the Galerius Arch – in cooperation with the Thessaloniki Professionals’ Chamber which served more than 12.000 visitors during the first 6 months. We plan to set up a third info kiosk near the White Tower, hopefully on a permanent basis, and where souvenirs of the city are going to be sold for the first time. And we promote and support civil society initiatives that highlight the fact that citizens care about their city and their neighbourhood and act for them.

You have also re-defined Thessaloniki as a tourist destination, attracting tourists from new and traditional markets. What was different about your approach to promoting Thessaloniki?

The basic idea was that Thessaloniki has a rich history of 2.300 years and an equally rich heritage – Hellenistic, Roman, Ottoman, Byzantine, Jewish – visible in the city, making it more than logical to turn to certain countries that have a relation either with the past of the city or with Orthodoxy, such as the Turks, the Jews, the Russians and the Balkan countries. So we tried to highlight the Ottoman and the Jewish aspects of the city that were long hidden under the carpet. This was the first difference.

Then, we put forward “city diplomacy”, meaning the cooperation with cities of these countries in several sectors, in order to promote our city and enhance its profile. For example, in the case of Russia’s St. Petersburg, the Thessaloniki Municipal Gallery collection was exhibited there and we celebrated 2013 as the Year of Cyril and Methodius.

In the case of Turkey, there were many delegations to Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara and the Black Sea region. In the case of Israel we organised visits to tourism fairs and got in contact with local authorities and institutions. In the case of Bulgaria, the Thessaloniki Municipal Council honoured the Bulgarian President, and we also took part in a tourist forum promoting Thessaloniki to Bulgarian tourist agencies.

Finally, we strive to host great cultural or sports events of international importance. In 2011, the 15th Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean took place at Thessaloniki, in 2012, the World Music Expo (WOMEX) was organized in Thessaloniki, in 2013 the 12th World MaxiBasketball Championship happened here, and in 2014 Thessaloniki will be the European Youth Capital.

Photo: Nondas Stylianidis

We try to make the citizens of Thessaloniki love and appreciate their city, by knowing more about it, about its treasures and its touristic advantages.

From a political standpoint, you have been a role-model for aspiring public figures and a beacon of hope for Greeks tired of politicians short-changing them for quick gains. Is it possible for ‘clean politics’ to survive in Greece?

Thank you very much for all your kind words.

I’m not really doing anything special, just speaking my mind out loud.

Since I’m not a politician, but an active citizen in a political post on a local authority level, I don’t care about the “political cost”. I think that Greeks have indeed been tired by the political system, although they are at the same time the ones who have empowered it.

But I don’t think that what you call “clean politics” is something to be awaited for in the short term; not only for Greece, but for the whole world. Politics is not clean, anyway. This doesn’t mean that we have to abstain. On the contrary, active and informed citizens are the ones who make the difference and keep things moving.

That’s why I’m optimistic about my country, too. You see, efforts in that direction already take place in Greece. The “initiative of the five mayors”, working in a reformist direction, away from party politics on the local authorities level, is such an example. The mobilization of civil society, through citizens’ groups that take initiatives for better quality of life, social cohesion, solidarity, is another such an example.

And then, the “silent majority” of Greeks, that calls for a reformist effort, for a drastic change in every negative aspect of the public sphere, the state, the country’s development model. And, probably, there are many other examples that I might be forgetting.

Thessaloniki Insider is proud and honoured to launch its first issue dedicated to this historic city. What role would you like Thessaloniki Insider to play in the promotion of Thessaloniki?

A magazine like the Insider can serve as an ambassador of the city; or, simply put, as a guide for any foreign visitor coming into Thessaloniki; It can highlight both the basic tourist attractions as well as the not-soobvious-but-beautiful-and-interesting-Thessaloniki, along with the gourmet and gastronomic traditions of the city and together with the great events that take place organized by the local institutions. So, I wish you good luck in this new publishing effort.

insider thessaloniki | Issue 01 9

Interview

b tw

A hub for trade and tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the Governor of Central Macedonia in conversation with Thessaloniki Insider on the immense potential for the region.

As the Governor of Central Macedonia, what is your main agenda in terms of economic development for the region? With interesting projects in the energy sector and as the only Euro-zone member in the Balkans, how can Thessaloniki play a pivotal role in the economic life of the region?

Our primary goal is to turn Central Macedonia into a transit and freight hub of our wider region, since these core sectors play a major role in modern economies. It is a reachable objective, considering our comparative advantages. Central Macedonia has a strategic geographical position between Asia and Southeast Europe and proximity to the economies of the Mediterranean and Balkan countries. Moreover, we have a modern and wide infrastructure network that includes the Macedonia Airport, the Port of Thessaloniki, and extensive highway and railroad connections. Therefore, Central Macedonia can credibly assert its position on the map of international logistics, and become the gateway for goods and products that are directed from and to Europe and Asia. Moreover, Central Macedonia is on its way to becoming an energy hub with the construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline and a dynamic growth engine for Greece.

You have very close ties to the agricultural and dairy sector and you were a pioneer in the standardization of dairy products and organic labelling. How do you hope to build on your experience to boost standards and exports from the food sector in Macedonia?

The proportion of the agricultural economy in the GDP of Central Macedonia is above 20%. We are the leading region in exports of agricultural products and second in export activity. We have a solid primary sector, and our efforts are focussed on enhancing it, along with the other nucleus sectors of our economy, with three key elements:

Competitiveness, extroversion and innovation.

These three elements are the core of a modern economy, the kernel of a modern society that meets up the challenges and expectations of the contemporary globalized environment.

You were the first to brand the Central Macedonia region with a tag line, Very Macedonia. What are the values that Macedonia embodies?

Central Macedonia consists of seven regional units: Thessaloniki, Pieria, Chalkidiki, Pella, Serres, Kilkis and Imathia.

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“Very Macedonia” expresses the fact that our region offers an overwhelming tourist experience to its visitors, on an all year-round basis.

Firstly, its beautiful landscape that combines coastal and mountainous areas is ideal for both summer and winter vacations. Secondly, the infrastructure network includes modern highways, contemporary exhibition and conference facilities, and fully organized medical centres. And finally, its religious monuments and rich history of 3000 years, beginning from the age of the Kingdom of Ancient Macedonia, and passing through the Roman, and the Byzantine era, until Modern Greece. The combination of all these aspects offers a large and differentiated variety of tourism experiences to the visitors of Central Macedonia.

You have been actively promoting ties with new markets and Central Macedonia’s role as a hub for religious tourism. How do you hope to boost tourism in this region?

In 2013, Central Macedonia recorded a significant rise in tourist arrivals, with increased visitors both from neighbouring Balkan countries, and from countries such as Israel, Turkey, Ukraine, Poland, the UK and Germany. Moreover, for the second consecutive year, there has been a significant increase of visitors from Russia. We are pleased with these data, since the tourism market of Russia has been a solid choice for the Region of Central Macedonia, in which we have invested our efforts. We are constantly enriching and upgrading our services, in order to boost alternative forms of tourism, along with the ones that are more traditional. This is the direction we are moving towards, and that is the reason why the Region of Central Macedonia, has prepared and launched the tourism marketing campaign for the new season. In this context, we created the new tourism brand name «Very Macedonia - Can You Miss This?», to accompany the participation and presentation of our region at international tourism markets. We are also utilizing modern tools for tourism promotion and marketing, creating the portfolio of Central Macedonia, including both printed and digital presentations. Moreover, we are establishing “verymacedonia.gr”, which will be our brand new tourism portal. Finally, we continue the organization of familiarization – trips with the participation of reporters and tourism agents from different countries, so that they can inform the public about their experience of their visit to Central Macedonia.

Thessaloniki in National Geographic’s Picks

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Homage to Thessaloniki

Shooting of “To Nisi”

Victoria Hislop confirms her place as one of the most popular storytellers of Greece’s 20th century history. Mike Sweet talks to her about her novel The Thread, set in Thessaloniki.

V

ictoria Hislop’s The Thread is a romantic saga entwined with the turbulent 20th Century history of Thessaloniki, and it continues to reflect a love affair with Greece that is as deep and passionate as that felt by any non-Greek author writing today.

“Yes, the truth is, I think I’m obsessed with Greece,” says Victoria.

Today Greece is Victoria’s second home. She owns a family house on Crete (near Aghios Nikolaos) and speaks Greek fluently.

The Thread is a homage to Thessaloniki and its citizens, and their desperate story that unravelled in the first half of the last century. The book is Hislop’s most ambitious to date. In both its historical scope and in terms of its political, as well as romantic narrative, it interweaves the lives of its characters into the backcloth of Greek history over three generations.

rich, authoritarian merchant, is among their neighbours.

The eventual relationship between seamstress Katerina and Dimitri who becomes a Partisan, forms the backbone of The Thread. Beside the lovers’ narrative, the tortuous story of Thessaloniki is drawn out through the experience of the two families and their friends - Christian, Jewish, and Muslim.

“It is a homage to the city,” says Hislop, who first visited Thessaloniki nine years ago when she was invited by the University to talk about The Island. “I fell in love with the place.”

Reading about the population exchange convinced the author that the subject would be the starting point for a new novel.

The Thread touches on deep and sensitive themes: the effects of the Asia Minor ‘Great Catastrophe’, anti-semitism and the Civil War.

“I hadn’t realised what a huge impact that this exchange had on Greece. I thought if I didn’t know about this, then most who read my books also don’t know.”

As in The Island, Hislop partly tells the story through the voice of the family today, travelling through time, connecting the past with the present.

One of Hislop’s favourite pastimes on her visits to the city was to sit in a Niki street café and look across the water to Mount Olympus. It was here that the two main characters in The Thread first appeared to her.

In the first chapters of The Thread the reader is transported to Thessaloniki harbour in May 1923.

“I’m very aware of the different stature, different style of older people in Mediteranean countries. They’re always much smaller: always frail but also strong.

A teeming mass of Greek refugees from Turkey pours from a ship, newly swapped for Greece’s Muslim population. It is just one poignant scene of one of the most painful exchanges of peoples ever conceived.

Among them is five-year-old Katerina Sarafoglou. Separated from her mother in their flight from Smyrna, Katerina is adopted by Eugenia, another refugee. When they are allocated a new home, whose previous occupants have been driven out. Dimitri Komninos, the son of a

12 insider thessaloniki | Issue 01

“I was sitting drinking my lovely coffee, and there was a particular elderly couple on the seafront that I watched surreptitiously, if anything, they’re the inspiration for Dimitri and Katerina.”

Given the success of The Island and To Nisi, and the added dimension and scope of The Thread, the new novel promises to elevate Hislop further as an internationally acclaimed author. Her storytelling, as has

Books

T ZR

been proved by the remarkable To Nisi production, can also be transferred to the screen with huge commercial potential.

Hislop was recently approached by a large British film company who wished to make the The Island into a major feature film. But the discerning author isn’t about to agree to just any invitation, however financially appealing.

“I sat there finding myself saying, ‘no I’m not really interested at the moment’,” says Hislop, “because I don’t think at the moment anything can be better than the To Nisi production. I don’t want to rush into something else.”

Hislop describes the reaction in Greece to To Nisi overwhelming, but that she wasn’t surprised by the audience’s reaction.

“I knew from the first day of filming that it was going to be something out of the ordinary. It had the best actors, the director Theodoris Papadoulakis is immensely talented, and it had the most amazing music and costumes. It’s ecstatic reception was deserved.”

Talking about The Thread, Victoria says that although she consciously avoided reflecting on Greece’s current crisis and its repercussions, the story nevertheless has some underlying connections.

“I hope people will read it and think ‘Gosh this tiny country has had a very rough time, and very often it’s not the fault of the people’.”

“There is a link with now, a kind of a continuum of catastrophe that leads right up to the present day.”

One thing is clear when talking to Victoria: her passion and empathy for Greece is not something shallow and cosmetic, and far from a commercial convenience.

Horrified to hear that Greek schools’ budgets had been so severely cut, that there was no budget this term for books, Victoria is doing something about it.

“I had emails from teachers in schools, people I’d probably met at signings saying we’ve come back to school and the kids just have a note book. To me it’s like hearing they’re not eating properly, they’re being mentally starved,” says Victoria.

As well as donating her own works, she has now embarked on a campaign to persuade fellow authors who are being published in Greek, and their publishers, to donate quantities of their books directly to the schools.

“I’ve got two other British writers on board so far,” says Victoria,“ Giles Milton who wrote the very successful book on Smyrna Paradise Lost and Anthony Horowitz, the children’s novelist. They too are very fond of Greece.”

“I don’t know where it’s going to go at the moment, it’s just in the early stages. I’d like it to snowball. I really want to do something, and this is an area where maybe I can help.”

Plainly, Victoria Hislop’s actions speak as loudly as her words. The Thread by Victoria Hilsop is published in Greek by Dioptra and in English by Headline Review.

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Time Lapse Then:

A group of ‘tsoliades’ in their traditional uniform celebrating the National Day festivities by Thessaloniki’s eternal symbol, the White Tower, a few decades ago.

Now:

The White Tower this time serves as a backdrop to an impromptu rehearsal of the Greek National Opera’s ballet in September 2013, with the whole city participating in this beautiful display of dance and camaraderie.

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The art of Greek hospitality T

he largest tourism exhibition in the country, PHILOXENIA showcases new trends in Greek tourism from 21 to 24 November at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Center. The exhibition this year has an extrovert character with over 100 Hosted Buyers from 33 countries around the world participating - including large tour operators and international tourist agencies. PHILOXENIA is the most important meeting point of creative businesses and institutions related to tourism, which not only informs about new trends in the industry but also showcases the wealth of Greek destinations.

Greek tourist enterprises will have the opportunity to get in touch with foreign trade visitors, opening ways for new partnerships and agreements. Beyond the international element in PHILOXENIA, an interesting trend has been the eager participation of several Greek prefectures, highlighting the virtues of their regions and inviting the international tourism market to get to know them better.

As part of the parallel events at PHILOXENIA, a conference will be held on religious tourism, a form of tourism that has been gaining momentum, particularly in Northern Greece.

The Thessaloniki International Fair and HELEXPO, being consistent with their strategy of the internationalization of exhibitions, “opens” PHILOXENIA to even more markets and trade visitors while promoting the tourism prospects of the country, which in recent years, has emerged as one of the key pillars for overcoming the crisis.

In particular, PHILOXENIA will host trade visitors from the following countries of the international tourism market: • Over 10 from India and China • 10 from Russia & Ukraine • Over 10 from the Balkan countries and Turkey • Over 15 from the traditional markets of Germany, France and Italy • A significant number from UK and wide participation from the U.S.A, Brazil, Canada and Northern Europe.

Countries participating as Hosted buyers are: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lithuania, Malta, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sweden, The Netherlands, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA.

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Personality

A woman on a mission Katerina Koskina is doggedly determined to put Thessaloniki firmly on the world’s art map as a ‘renewed old intersection’.

K

aterina Koskina straddles her time between Thessaloniki, Athens, Paris and everywhere else where art takes centrestage from New York to Istanbul; she juggles her myriad responsibilities as the President of the State Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki, the Director of the 4th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art and as curator of the J.F. Costopoulos Foundation art collections; she copes with ‘working mother’s angst’ while managing her busy schedule and raising her young daughter. When Katerina Koskina walks in at the Hilton Athens for an interview on a Saturday morning, the first impression is of a persistently resolute woman, in a tearing hurry, out on a mission to “attract the art lovers’ interest in Thessaloniki.”

At the helm of the SMCA since 2009, she has achieved her goal somewhat and is undaunted to take on an even more ambitious project this year.

The central theme of this year’s 4th Biennale of Contemporary Art is the Mediterranean, while the generic title for all exhibitions is ‘Old Intersections – Make it New’- particularly appropriate when it comes to the role Thessaloniki hopes to play, building on its rich, layered history to a more defined role in the Balkans.

Katerina concurs, “It is a large and aspirational project, funded by the Operational Programme Macedonia-Thrace 2007-2013 and co-financed by the European Union. Our goal is to promote Thessaloniki’s strong intercultural identity with exhibitions, art events in museums and monuments; installations, performances, workshops, conferences, educational programs, interventions in public spaces and guided tours.”

Reflecting on the challenges to organize an artistic event of this magnitude with the extent of red tape and budgetary cuts involved, Koskina observes, “As the Director, I am very proud that the Thessaloniki Biennale has now established itself as a major European event.”

Photo: Aris Rammos

Anti-Apparatus, Maria Papadimitriou

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State Museum of Contemporary Art

Paris Petridis

Art as political commentary The fourth edition of the Thessaloniki Biennale addresses political and social struggles in the Mediterranean through art. Coinciding with a period of acute self-introspection in Greece and the Mediterranean, the Biennale addresses the role of artists as chroniclers of troubled times

En Deuil, Micha

Rotonda, Christos Kountouras

Self Portrait oil on canvas, Vasso Katraki

A

Dangerous Games, Marina Abramovic

Fluxus of girls on Europe, Inci Eviner

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n ambitious exercise spread tentacularly across the city, the Thessaloniki Biennale’s fourth edition treats the city as a sprawling canvas to express its objective: of demystifying art as a lofty, narcissistic experience to a record of visual creations that have a common, unifying message.

Stretching from Warehouse B1, in the city’s port complex, to the Lazariston Monastery, the Alatza Imaret mosque, the Teloglion Foundation of Art, the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Byzantine Culture, the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art and the Yeni Cami (New Mosque), all the way to the Thessaloniki International Fair (Pavillion 6) where the biennale’s core exhibition, “Everywhere but Now” curated by Adelina von Fürstenberg-Herdringen (née Cüberyan) is located, art here is part of the urban conversation, a thought-provoking presence in the city’s gritty landscape.

Adelina von Fürstenberg has always had an unorthodox, flexible approach to contemporary art bringing art in spaces such as monasteries and madrassas. Born in Istanbul, this Armenian-Swiss curator has striven to make art a more vigorous part of people’s lives, by creating a more vivid dialogue

Red river and mountain, Nicos Charalambidis

Art

Adelina von Fürstenberg

Burning of P.I.G.S., Claire Fontaine

A story I never forgot 2013, Video Installation, Rosana Palazyan

Self Portrait, Kazimir Malevich

Re: Evolution, Bill Balaskas

for it with other arts, and relating it more to worldwide social issues that resonate across borders. In Thessaloniki, she succeeds in doing so.

Her commentary here focuses on the Mediterranean region – not as the clichéd crib of humanity, but as a way of life.

One of the first curators to show an interest in non-European artists, her exhibition “Everywhere But Now,” showcases works by artists from diverse backgrounds stretching from the Mediterranean region to Cuba, Brazil and India.

Images of angelic little sleeping faces in Barbie-pink clutching their guns, is part of Serbian-born Marina Abramovic’s video on child-soldiers in war-torn areas. Poignant photographs by Algeria’s Zineb Sedira portray a ship graveyard along the coast of Mauritania, from where innumerable Africans in search of a better future set off on their clandestine, often fatal, journeys to Europe (all the more relevant after the recent boat tragedies in Lampedusa). Depicting the rupture caused by civil war, Lebanese artist Raed Yassin presents porcelain vases manufactured in China. Capturing the grimness of the Greek crisis, photogra-

Icon of St. Mamas and St. Demetrius

Performance, Aymeric Hainaux

phers Vasilis Zografos and Yiorgis Yerolymbos depict a destitute African child sleeping on the street and blurred silhouettes along the Thessaloniki harbour, respectively.

Five of the city’s major museums are taking part in the biennale effort: “Tradition-Reversal,” an exhibition curated by Katerina Koskina and Yiannis Bolis, is on display at Warehouse B1 at the port while works by noted Turkish artist Gulsun Karamustafa are on display at the Alatza Imaret mosque. The Museum of Byzantine Culture is hosting a mosaics exhibition as well as a beautiful video by Albania’s Adrian Paci, while at the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Denys Zacharopoulos is curator of “The Mediterranean Experience: The Mediterranean as a Spatial Paradigm for the Circulation of Ideas and Meaning.” The Lazariston Monastery hosts “The Costakis Collection and the Russian Avant-Garde: 100 Years Since the Collector’s Birth,” while the Teloglion showcases the impact of master-engraver Vasso Katraki.

TheThessaloniki Biennale runs to January 31, 2014. More info on www.thessalonikibiennale.gr.

Animation 2, Mike Kelley

Hollow Mountain, DeAnna Maganias

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teni

Bezes

Heritage Walks in Thessaloniki W

e start with Thessaloniki’s most identifiable landmark, The White Tower and meander through its streets to reveal the city’s architectural gems.

The White Tower – City Museum The emblem of Thessaloniki, the White Tower, built on the site of an old Byzantine tower, is intimately connected with the city’s history and is the focus of many legends reflected in its various names. It was referred to as the Fort of Kalamaria (18th century) and later as the Tower of the Janissaries and Tower of Blood (Kanli Kule), referring to the use of the building as a prison. In 1890, the tower was whitewashed by a convict in exchange for his freedom, and was henceforth known by its current name, the White Tower. This complex that was constructed in 1535-36, now houses a museum where visitors can enjoy a digital reconstruction of the city’s history.

Louloudadika, the Baths of the Great Market (Yahudi Hamami) In Turkish records, the baths, built in the 16th century are known under a variety of names: the Baths of the Great Market (Pazar-i kebir hamami), the Women’s Baths (Kadinlar hamami) and the Jewish Baths (Yahudi hamami).

The latter, and best-known, name is owed to the location of the baths in an exclusively Jewish district.

Historic market sites: Vatikioti-Athonos, Vlali, Un Kapani Within the commercial centre of the city, between the streets of Ermou, Dragoumi, Egnatia, Yennadeiou and Karolou Diehl are three market complexes which have defined the commercial life of the city for centuries. It was within the narrow streets and alleys of this quarter that most of the city’s commercial activity took place. At the heart of the district stood the Flour Market (Un Kapani) or the Kapani, a name still used by local people to refer to the market.

The little square in the centre of the Vlali market was occupied by stalls selling pets and other animals like sheep and chickens.

Bezesteni (covered market) One of the most important legacies of Ottoman history in Thessaloniki, this

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Heritage Walks

Named after Alexander the Great’s sister, Thessaloniki, is in fact, an open-air museum showcasing its Byzantine and

of Housetaturk lA Kema

Ottoman influences. A heritage guide to the city’s historic past by the Thessaloniki Hotel’s Association.

building was located right at the heart of the market area and represented a focal point in the life of the city under Turkish rule. Derived from the Turkish word bez, meaning cotton, the textile market, built in the 15th century, is a rectangular structure with entrances at the centre of each side, covered by six lead-covered domes. It is one of the very few Ottoman buildings in the city which has retained its original use, although modern visitors will probably not enjoy the same wealth of sounds, sights and smells that the market must have once offered.

Hamza Bey mosque (Alcazar) Originally constructed as a mesçid or parish mosque without a minaret in 1467/68 by Hafsa Hatun, daughter of Hamza Bey, Beyler Bey of Anatolia, the building is known locally as the Alcazar, after the cinema that was housed inside it for many years. It is one of the most important examples of Ottoman architecture in all of south-eastern Europe.

Bey Hamami (Paradise Baths) This large bathhouse was constructed in 1444 by Sultan Murat II and was designed for use by both sexes. It remained in use until as recently as 1968.

Ottoman Bank (formerly the Frangon National Insurance Fund office, now the State Conservatoire) The present building was constructed after 1903, on the site of the mansion of Jek Abbott. The main feature in the layout of the building is the internal atrium, which appears closed on the ground floor, with a vaulted glass roof. Its style is neobaroque with clear French influences.

Pasa Hamami (Phoenix Baths) Located at the junction of Zefyron, Kalvou and P. Karatza Streets, Pasa Hamami founded by Cezeri Kasim Pasa around 1520-1530 remained in use until 1981.

Tradit i Turkisonal Kafen io h Con sulate Vardari Fort (Top Hane) The fort, located at the south-western corner of the city wall system, was constructed in 1546 by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (15201566) in order to protect the western flank of the port. Top-hane (arsenal tower) was designed to allow the use of artillery and must have formed part of a programme to modernize the city’s fortifications.

Home of Mustafa Kemal – Ataturk (Turkish Consulate) Next to the Turkish Consulate General stands the house, in traditional architectural style, whose historical significance lies in the fact that it was the birthplace of the founder of the modern Turkish state, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938). The house is now a museum.

Yeni Hamam (Aigli Baths) Built by Hüsrev Kedhuda in the late 16th century, this was a bathhouse with separate facilities for both sexes. It underwent radical modification when it became the Aigli cinema, which remained open until 1978.

Alaca Imaret Camii or Ishak Pasa Camii (Alaca Imaret Mosque) The mosque was built by Ishak Pasa in 1484 and formed part of a vakif or charitable foundation, which also included a poorhouse and school.

It took its name Alaca from the multi-coloured walls of the minaret, of which only the base remains. The building is now used for staging cultural events.

Konaki, now the Ministry of Macedonia-Thrace The building was home to various departments of the Turkish administration (accounts, land registry, mortgage registry, magistrate’s court, the great hall of the prefectural council, the foreign affairs directorate, the police and gendarmerie, the court of first instance etc).

In 1907, the building housed the Turkish Law School. Since 1954, it houses the Ministry of Macedonia-Thrace.

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Heritage Walks

Bey H

amam

i

aret

Im Alaca

The vicinities of Aghia Aikaterini, Tsinari and Taxiarchon Church This north-western area of the Upper City corresponds more or less to the old Turkish quarter of Yakub Pasa – known for its many public fountains, school, opium den, poorhouse and mosque with graveyard. The features these buildings share, in common with their counterparts all across the Upper City, are traditional architecture with certain neoclassical features, sahnisia or projecting upper floors and the symmetry of ground plans and facades. The area of Tsinari, (from the Turkish word çinarli, meaning a plane tree) also boasts a few architectural gems, especially The National Map and Cartographic Heritage Centre and the last example of a typical kafeneion of the Turkish period, the Tsinari, opposite the fountain of Murat II. In Iki Serife, around Romfeis Square examples of Balkan architecture dominate.

The Gardens of the Pasha A small group of buildings intended to adorn the huge gardens that once belonged to the hospital (where the Ag. Dimitrios hospital now stands), this great open space was surrounded by high walls and planted with pines, with fountains and other decorative features, intended to provide cooling relaxation for the visitor, as well as a splendid view of the city below.

Alysseos Tower or Trigonio Tower (Tzintzirli Kule or Kousakli Kule) During Turkish rule, known as Tzintzirli Kule (tower of the chain) or Kousakli Kule (girdled tower), the Trigonio Tower, together with the White Tower and the Vardari Fort, formed part of the system of defences constructed by the Turks to strengthen critical but vulnerable points in the Byzantine fortifications.

Eptapyrgio Fort (Yedi Kule) The Eptapyrgio Fort is an adaptation of an earlier Byzantine fort, which underwent modification in 1431, immediately after the capture of the city by the Turks. The Eptapyrgio owes its name, like its namesake in Constantinople, to the seven rectangular towers of which it is composed, together with the curtain wall and the central tower of the gateway, laid out in the shape of the Greek letter P. In the late 19th century, the fort was converted into a prison, Yedi Kule. The prison was closed down in 1989 and the fort now houses the offices of the 9th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities.

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24 hours

in

Thessaloniki

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Cityscope Take an extra day to follow in Maria Stergiou’s steps along its waterfront walkways, assuage your sweet tooth with tsoureki and trigona, and dance till dawn down by the docks.

A

charming city with a vibrant past, Thessaloniki lives up to its reputation as one of the most attractive and hospitable destinations in Greece. From ancient Roman baths and Byzantine churches to modern cafes and storefronts, the main attraction here is the city itself.

Saturday 10:00 Tsimiski: Shop till you drop The corner of Tsimiski and Agias Sofias is the ideal starting point for a morning stroll down one of the most renowned avenues in Thessaloniki.

Tsimiski, known as a shopper’s paradise, boasts elaborate storefront displays and several cafes ideal for people-watching. Exuding enticing wafts of freshly baked tsoureki bread, one of the most famous local bakeries is Terkenlis (Tsimiski 30; tel 2310 271148). A Thessaloniki staple since 1948, it’s sure to satisfy your early morning sweet tooth with its irresistible tsoureki and sugar-dusted, cream-filled bougatsa.

11:30 Aristotelous Square: The heart of the city A square of immense proportions, running from Egnatias Street all the way down to the waterfront, buzzing Platia Aristotelous is surrounded by characteristic Neo-Byzantine buildings, archaeological sites, cafes, restaurants, and long established hotels. Take a seat and take it all in.

12:30

Lefkos Pyrgos: A bit of history Besides being a characteristic landmark, the Lefkos Pyrgos (White Tower) is a restored 16th Century Ottoman structure that has been converted into a unique museum of the city’s Byzantine past and is definitely worth a visit (tel 2310 267832; website www.lpth.org). Using the White Tower as a starting point, walk along the waterfront to enjoy the breathtaking views of the gulf, finishing up with an iced coffee at popular Thermaikos Café (Nikis 21; tel 2310 239842). If you prefer more sedentary sightseeing, take a seat on one of the ships moored in front of the White Tower. Offering refreshments and music of all sorts, these floating cafes will take you on a magnificent ride around the bay.

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Cityscope

15:00 Old town: Travel back in time Situated high above the city centre, the old town of Thessaloniki lies within the city’s old castle walls. As if time has stood still, the old town is a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city below. Get lost wandering the narrow cobblestone streets, admire the enchanting architecture, and take a peek at the incredible view.

16:30 Panorama: View from the top One of the most affluent neighbourhoods of Thessaloniki, Panorama is also known for delicate triangle-shaped pasties filled with cream known as trigona. Stop off at Elenidis (Venizelou 12; tel 2310 344948) and buy a box of delicacies, or take a seat at Tasos (Kominon 16; tel 2310 345589) and enjoy them then and there.

18:00 Agios Dimitrios Church: An air of mystery Thessaloniki is dotted with Byzantine churches, but this one is dedicated to the city’s patron saint, and was built over an ancient archaeological site that was once a Roman Bath House and later became known as the crypt of St Dimitrios. Access to the church and the catacombs are open to the public.

20:30 Ladadika: A pleasant transformation The conversion of the gritty Ladadika district into a nightlife hub has attracted visitors and locals alike. A walk through the pedestrian streets leads to the popular Zithos restaurant (Katouni 5; tel 2310 540284) serving a range of mezedes, beer and wine, and speciality soutzoukakia.

23:00 Mylos: Where art and nightlife come together Continue the evening at the Mylos art and cultural centre (Ag Giorgiou 56; tel 2310 551836) offering anything from art galleries and live music shows to an ouzeri and dance club. A distinctive venue with a laid-back atmosphere that is sure to please the most distinguished clientele.

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Hospitality

FH

Thessaloniki: Old charm, new vibes Aristotelis Thomopoulos, President of the Thessaloniki Hotel’s Association promotes Thessaloniki as a city-break destination with many stories, one heart.

Mr. Thomopoulos, as the President of Holiday Inn Thessaloniki and the President of the Thessaloniki Hotels Association, what needs to be done to further promote Thessaloniki as a city-break destination?

What are your predictions and forecasts for 2014?

We believe that Thessaloniki has all those features that can make it a popular city break destination. Only by the design and implementation of a proper marketing plan, Thessaloniki can become a city break destination and compete with other European cities.

We need a clear identity as a destination and we have to work not only on it, but on increasing the awareness of the city itself.

So, we have to work together just to determine precisely the proper elements of our destination that can attract guests from specific markets and communicate them through a targeted campaign in foreign countries. We believe that 2014 will be a better year for tourism, as the statistics indicate that the present year will end without losses and perhaps with a positive sign.

What is the most important factor that defines a successful city break destination that Thessaloniki must work on?

The international identification and awareness of the city is the most important factor for a successful city break destination and Thessaloniki must work on it, if we want to be competitive. For this reason we must use all available marketing and communication tools in the major tourist markets. At the same time we have to identify the needs of individual markets that for us are new targets. We also need to improve the overall image of the city and our transportation network.

On the contrary, the strong point of the city is the excellent accommodation conditions that we offer to our visitors.

Do you believe that there is potential in further developing MICE tourism?

We strongly believe that there is potential of developing MICE tourism in Thessaloniki. It is widely known that Thessaloniki has currently the largest academic community in southeastern Europe consisting of four academic institutions. So, the city can be the largest potential producer of conferences in the association market in the area. This

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can be done in two ways. By the direct reactivation of the Thessaloniki Convention & Visitors Bureau - more widely known as the TCVB - and also by the construction of a new convention and exhibition centre according to international standards.

What policy changes would you like to see implemented for the development of Thessaloniki as a modern and attractive destination?

What about making Thessaloniki’s port more cruise-friendly and completing infrastructure projects to attract more tourists?

The key for the development of our destination is to improve the image of Thessaloniki, to be more modern, accessible and functional.

This will not happen from one day to another, but if we want to catch the train of development, we have to run. For that reason, the completion of infrastructure projects as the metro or other construction works should be faster. A big challenge for Thessaloniki is also, to become a home port, but this will take time, as the cruise companies have already completed their programs till 2016. In that case, the direct and indirect benefits to the local economy and society would be as ten to fourteen times larger than in the case of transit cruises.

Thessaloniki was mainly a destination for Greeks. Turkey and Russia have been significant markets for incoming tourism over the past couple of years. What other markets would you like to focus on?

In recent years there has been effort to increase the tourism from abroad, because the city tourism was heavily dependant up to 75 % from the Greek market. Extroversion that we apply as a strategy has been efficient, as you mentioned, but we have to broaden our horizons and work on it more extensively. For us all markets are significant targets. Thessaloniki is a city that can accommodate and satisfy tourists from every corner of the world. The Balkans is for us a very good tourism market and also Turkey, Israel, Ukraine and Russia. In addition, Thessaloniki Hotels Association has made plans to promote our destination in new distant markets such as India, the Gulf countries and China.

Could you describe Thessaloniki in four words‌ Many stories, one heart!

Books

T ZR

Jewish Sites in Thessaloniki The surviving buildings in Thessaloniki reveal the vital and hidden story of the city’s Jewish community in the 20th Century. Another gem from Lycabbetus Press, this fastidiously researched title reveals more than any common travel guide. Mike Sweet reviews.

R

ena Molho has been researching the Jewish history of Greece, and particularly the city where she still lives, for 30 years, having begun the task as her own ‘identity quest’ into the history of the twenty-five generations of her forefathers who were born and raised in Thessaloniki. Rena can trace her family right back to Spain at the time of the Inquisition, when her ancestors were among the thousands of Spanish Jews who were expelled by force and who settled in Salonika. Having previously published two of the most important studies on the subject The Jews of Thessaloniki 1856-1919: A unique community and Salonika and Istanbul:Social, Political and Cultural Aspects of Jewish Life, Molho’s motivation for this new title is to make a popular guide book for the visitor who “strolls around Salonika convinced he or she is visiting a city that was always Greek”. This guide, a collaboration with Vilma Hastaoglou-Martinidis, Professor of Architecture at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, is an indispensable reference point for anyone interested in the rich and tragic history of what was Greece’s most multicultural city. With photographs and information on thirty-five of the most important buildings and sites that remain in Thessaloniki, this work is simply unique. Molho’s commitment to

revealing, what has often been literally covered over, is clearly absolute. For those unfamiliar with the detailed history of the city, it is a revelation. “Thessaloniki was a city with a 450-year Ottoman past that was conquered by the Greeks in 1912, hardly 100 years ago. It was a multinational city that the new masters tried to Hellenize in every way” Molho says, adding that there still is opposition from the Greek state to her and others’ work on the subject. Until recently, “anyone who reminded them of the city’s Jewish and Ottoman past was looked upon with suspicion.” Many of the buildings identified are of great significance architecturally, in addition to their vital place in a community’s history; a mix of art nouveau, neo-Gothic and neo-Moorish elements, many show a bold architectural synthesis of western and Ottoman design, telling us much about the eclectic and sophisticated artistic sensitivities of their original owners. With more than half the buildings referred to being owned by the Greek state, the guide is not just a timely device for remembering and celebrating Thesaloniki’s Jewish identity; it is a rallying call for pressure to be exerted on the Greek government to recognize the enormous cultural significance of these heritage sites, and to safeguard them for future generations.

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The photographic material comes from the Digital Archive of the Thessaloniki Film Festival.

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1.

Cinema

The timeless allure of cinema One of the longest running film festivals, the Thessaloniki Film Festival has been regaling audiences since 1960. It acquired its international character in 1992, when the Festival began screening avant-garde films by foreign directors alongside productions by Greek filmmakers. In its 54th edition now, the festival has left an enduring mark on the city and has, in some ways, defined the character of its residents. A brief look at the history of the festival.

D

rama, political upheavals, glamour, scandals, larger-than-life-personalities: The Thessaloniki Film Festival has almost mirrored the strife and glory of the films it has screened over the years. From its debut in the heyday of Greek cinema in the’60s when Irene Papas and Tzeni Karezi and ruled Greek silver screens, the Festival has survived the tumultuous years of censorship under the junta in its infancy, celebrated the onset of democracy with a Festival and Anti-Festival, gone international in 1992 and is now, an established veteran as far as film festivals go.

What started off as a “Week of Greek Cinema” in September 1960, just after the International Fair of Thessaloniki at the legendary Olympion theatre, the Festival soon acquired a more permanent stature and was absorbed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry two years later. With the junta coming to power in 1967, censorship and film selection turned out to be sensitive issues and foreign films weren’t screened until the early ‘70s.

The 15th Greek Film Festival in 1974 coincided with the restoration of democracy in Greece and the positive ambience was palpable in the cin-

2.

3.

4.

Photos: 1. Kostas Kazakos and Tzeni Karezi, 13th Greek Film Festival, 1972. 2. Dennis Hopper, Trevor Howard, 22th Greek Film Festival, 1981.

3. Stratis Myrivilis and Katina Paxinou, 1st Week of Greek Cinema, 1960. 4.Giorgos Fountas and Elena Nathanail, 9th Week of Greek Cinema, 1968.

insider thessaloniki | Issue 01 31

Cinema ema halls. Avid cinephiles who had shied away from screenings during the trying junta years thronged back to the theatres and initiated the Audience Awards. Cherishing their precious democratic traditions which had been cruelly brushed aside for seven years, cinema fans insisted that movies that did not make the cut be screened in an ‘Anti-Festival’, parallel to the official screenings. It is a custom that continues to-date.

Political strife and union troubles plagued the latter half of the seventies but in 1981, the Festival, by then in its 22nd year, moved from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry to the Ministry of Culture as did the Greek Film Centre, established in 1977. With the charismatic Melina Mercouri at its helm, the Festival soon acquired some much-needed glamour and recognition internationally.

New changes were swiftly introduced: a special category of awards for documentaries and tributes to personalities and retrospectives from

Greek cinema become a regular feature and the Festival no longer includes short films, which now have their own festival in Drama.

By the mid 80s, Greek film production had declined considerably and the responsiveness of the public to screenings at the Festival was tepid at best. This triggered serious self-analysis and the Festival underwent a radical revision. In 1992 the Festival is re-christened the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The festival quickly established itself in the international film circuit as the place for first-time directors to present their screenings. This was not a random coincidence but a strategic choice to emphasize the new forces of cinema internationally and for the festival to gain a distinct identity from the outset.

Despite its ups and downs the Festival remains a mainstay of Thessaloniki’s rich cultural life, entertaining generations of its residents with the magic of cinema.

6.

5.

7.

5. Lampros Konstantaras and Maro Kondou, 10th Greek Film Festival, 1969. 6. Anthony Quinn, 12th Festival.

7. Irene Papas and Michael Cacoyannis arrive at Olympion for the official screening of the film Eroika, 2nd Week of Greek Cinema, 1961.

32 insider thessaloniki | Issue 01

Film Festival

a z n a n o b e i Mov

s magoer e in c s r offe festival s. lm fi i ik ten day n in lo a ld s r s e wo ar’s Th nd the u o r a This ye ip tr -tinged an indie

Photo credits: The photographic material comes from the Digital Archive of the Film Festival

A sneak peek: The 10-day festival will be opened by American director Jim Jarmusch, who is showcasing his latest film, Only lovers left alive.

Greece’s top movie event, the Thessaloniki international film festival, will feature 32 Balkan films to cap a 20-year contribution to the region when it opens on November 1.

Over the years, the festival has made a major contribution to the promotion and development of Balkan films.

French directors Claire Simon and Alain Guiraudie (who won the Award of Best Director at the recent Cannes Film Festival for his film Stranger by the lake) are also among featured guests, as are Croat Vinko Bresan, Romania’s Corneliu Porumboiu and Reha Erdem of Turkey.

Fourteen films from Chile, the Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Greece, Mexico, North Korea, Sweden, the United States and Venezuela are in competition for the Golden Alexander Award, the festival’s top accolade.

The awards jury will be presided by Alexander Payne, the US director of ‘Sideways’.

The 54th TIFF also pays tribute to Contemporary Argentinean Cinema revealing the

diverse filmography of a country caught in the whirlpool of political and social changes.

Known to take risks, experiment stylistically and focus on the thorny subjects that concern them, Argentinean directors address issues of class differences, generational conflicts and identity issues.

Corneliu Porumboiu, and film “Jin” of Reha Erdem, “The Japanese Dog” of Tudor Cristian Jurgiu and “The Priest’s Children” of Vinco Bresan.

A new addition to the festival is Agora Industry, a networking opportunity for the global film industry in an informal, hospitable and professional atmosphere.

Screening rooms • The Olympion and Pavlos Zannas cinema in the Olympion complex at Aristotle Square • The four Warehouse cinemas are on the Pier (Provlita) complex

or naughty feta sauce-covered chips at Patafritas. The Hatzi chain specializes in Asia Minor sweets (Venizelou 50, tel 2310 279058).

For food, festival-goers congregate at both Kitchen Bar (tel 2310 528108, on the Pier) and Zithos (Katouni 5, Ladadika district, tel 2310 540284). Comfort food is the specialty at Louloudadika (Komninon 20, tel 2310 225624), with its perfect fish soup.

Festival staff/guests often go to Sante (Kapodistria 3, tel 2310 510008), with its Latin music touch, for post-film drinks.

Action stations Want to stretch your legs between films? The harbour’s long pedestrian stretch is perfect for running. You can also take a nice walk, winding your way uphill to the old town and castle walls overlooking the city. Or do like locals do: walk up and down Tsimiski Street, window-shopping.

Pit stops

Party time

Popular spots include the two Olympion cafes and the Pier’s loud, smoky Warehouse C café. In Aristotle square, grab a tahini-covered bun at Terkenlis’ aromatic pastry shop

Abundant festival parties/concerts are held at Warehouse C, and at café/bars around town. Most have invites, but really now, who’s checking?

insider thessaloniki | Issue 01 33

A family’s indelible legacy

The Allatini factory, Photo by: Serge Dulud

34 insider thessaloniki | Issue 01

History

Images and postcards of Villa Allatini

The story of the Allatini-Dassault family whose history is entwined with that of Thessaloniki and whose ancestral home now houses the prefecture. Alexia Kefalas recounts the tale of the entrepreneurial family and the indelible legacy it has left on the city.

T

he very mention of Villa Allatini conjures up images that transports one to a few centuries ago. Thessaloniki was then known as Salonica, and it was referred to as the “Jerusalem of the Balkans”.

A vibrant city, the flavours and smells of East and West blurred and mingled with each other in perfect harmony in the city. Eager to be part of its cosmopolitan setting, an Italian family named Allatini moved from Livorno in 1802 and established a company called Modiano and Allatini, which operated in the trade of cereals and flour. The family installed and integrated itself with Thessaloniki’s large and thriving Jewish community.

As the business prospered, the family constructed an impressive array of buildings including the Allatini flour-mill equipped with 650 steam engines at the junction of Antheon and Laskaratou Streets, right at the entrance of the city in 1854. Designed by French architect Darblay de Corblay, they held a position of pride as one of Thessaloniki’s industrial and architectural gems.

Towards the end of the century, in 1888, Noémie Carlo Allatini decided to build a three-storey villa overlooking the golf course and the city in the area of Depo, to the east of the city. The villa was designed by Italian architect, Vitaliano Poselli. The tram line snaked by not too far from the magnificent structure in brick red and the villa was host to many a social and cultural event.

But in 1898, the family suffered a setback. A devastating fire ravaged the imposing flour mill and it was completely destroyed. A new mill was soon rebuilt at the same location, based on the designs of the same Italian architect who designed Villa Allatini. The new mill was inaugurated in September 1900, heralding in an era of prosperity for the family. By then, the Allatini family was the third largest fortune in the Ottoman empire, active in various commercial sectors, such as banking, breweries, tobacco goods and other products and they had

entrenched themselves as an integral part of Thessaloniki’s social fabric, committed to their city’s prosperity.

Initially built as a country house, once the Allatini family left Thessaloniki, Villa Allatini was eventually used as the residence of Sultan Abdul Hameed II and as a prison from 1909 to 1912. It briefly housed the then newly founded University of Thessaloniki in 1926 and during the Second World War, it even served as a hospital. Today, the villa houses the prefecture of Central Macedonia, having borne witness to the transformation of the city over a tumultuous century.

The family has however remained very attached to Thessaloniki, despite one wing of the family moving to Marseilles and the other moving to Italy in the early 1900s. The family had two traditions that have been upheld to date. Each generation of Allatinis was to have a doctor and each generation, a son named Darius in memory of the founder of the dynasty.

The renowned Dassault family of France (whose company Dassault Aviation manufactures Falcons, Mirages and Rafales and whose prestigious media group publishes the French daily, Le Figaro) traces its roots back to the Allatini family and Thessaloniki. They were in Thessaloniki in June 2012 to christen the grand auditorium at the French Institute of Thessaloniki as the Darius Allatini-Dassault auditorium. In a poignant ceremony, members of the Dassault family, Nicole, Marie-Hélène, Laurent and Thierry Dassault were re-introduced to the glorious history of their ancestors through carefully preserved archives from the city’s library. They visited the ancient Allatini factory site and Villa Allatini. Underling their affection and commitment to a city that was once home to their ancestors, the family has undertaken to finance the reconstruction of the Allatini factories.

insider thessaloniki | Issue 01 35

Sprouting new values The American Farm School, a leading higher education centre in Thessaloniki since 1904, now opens its doors to primary school-goers, inculcating an early sense of eco-consciousness and mastery of the English language.

A centre for excellence: Since the founding of the American Farm School in 1904, education has focused on the “learn by doing� approach that helps students take control of their lives and build successful futures. Today, the School and its division of higher learning, Perrotis College of Agriculture, Environment and Life Sciences, concentrate hard on preparing graduates for professions that will help to build recovery in the Greek and Balkan economies.

36 insider thessaloniki | Issue 01

Education

In the BSc program of Perrotis College, AFS has responded to the wide demand for agriculture-based knowledge with three newlydesigned majors: Precision Agriculture, International Business (with emphasis on the agrofood sector), and Food Science and Technology.

The future of agricultural production is based on using technology to eliminate the guesswork - from preparation of fields for planting to delivering produce to market. International Business focuses on measurement - of consumer behavior, of international joint business ventures, and of other elements that will lead to a healthy economy in our region. Graduates with the Food Science major are highly employable because they are qualified with both scientific expertise and business know-how.

Leading all efforts in Perrotis College is research. A complete floor of the main academic building now houses the Aliki Perroti Research Laboratories, including the Precision Agriculture Laboratory; the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s European Biological Control Laboratory; and an extensive Life Sciences Laboratory. Elsewhere on

TΞZ

campus, the New Food Product Development Laboratory and Sensory Analysis Laboratory have opened.

More urban and young in character: The American Farm School’s historic high school programme, addressed to children of families with immediate ties to agriculture, has changed. There are urban children destined to succeed in science or in rural enterprises as well; therefore the AFS encourages young women and men from the city to enroll. Horizons are widening, and many students follow their graduation with study in the United States.

And, addressing the beginning edge of the age spectrum, the American Farm School now operates a Preschool and has launched a Grades1-6 Primary School for the families of Thessaloniki and environs. The focus is on environmental education through experiential learning; on cultivating in youngsters the thirst for scientific research; and on children mastering the English language at an early age. www.afs.edu.gr

insider thessaloniki | Issue 01 37

Youth

47β

Celebrating Thessaloniki’s young spirit Thessaloniki showcases the achievements and aspirations of its youth as the European Youth Capital in 2014.

S

ince 2009, a European city has been chosen as the European Youth Capital, giving it an opportunity to present its cultural, social, political and economic life, from its youth’s perspective. This initiative encourages the development of new ideas and innovative projects pertaining to youth’s active involvement of new ideas in society, while aiming to create a pattern to be followed by other local authorities. Thessaloniki presented itself as a city, vibrant with civil involvement, and outlined strong support from the local to the European level. The concept for its awarded annual programme is “Time-Chronos”.

By the notion of Time, Thessaloniki aims at projecting the city’s history and role in South Eastern Europe, while preparing for its future as a cultural and economic hub in the region.

The programme comprises a wide range of actions, carried out around four pillars - creation, participation, special social groups and new social movements and its themes revolve around Culture in the city, Experimenting in the Future, Urban Sports Stories, Urban Green Stories, Connecting Youths and Volunteers’ City among others.

Thessaloniki’s journey has begun and its youth “plants trees that will provide shade in the future”. www.thessaloniki2014.eu

38 insider thessaloniki | Issue 01

Make up palette, available at Sephora

Beauty

Ornament Lip Gloss, available at Sephora

face

Eau Du Soir

by Sisley, available at Notos Galleries

perfumes

Beauty and the feast body

Shalimar Perfume by Guerlain, available at Notos Galleries and attica

Get ready for the festive season with insider’s beauty picks

lips Biotherm Blue Therapy Serum in Oil, available at Hondos Center and pharmacies

Spa Fit Finesse Firming and Toning Gel Cream Massager, available at The Body Shop

Fuchsia Glittering Eye Duo, available at Sephora

Roger Gallet Eau Douce Parfumée Rose, available at Hondos Center and pharmacies

• attica: Mediterranean Cosmos, 11th km National Road Thessaloniki - Moudania, 2311 813000 • Hondos Center: Aristotelous 9, 2310 256080-4, Egnatias 39, 2310 500326-9 • Notos Galleries: Stoa Chirs, Tsimiski 24 & Metropolis 31, 2310 366600 • Sephora: Τsimiski 62, 2310 235416, 2310 235406, City Gate, K. Roulia & Gianitson – Koletti, 2310 502142, Mediterranean Cosmos, 11th km National Road Thessaloniki Moudania, 2310 474136-38, Τopazi 15, Pylaia, 2310 476536, 2310 489464 • The Body Shop: Kouskoura Ioanni 6, 2310242232, Mediterranean Cosmos, 11th km National Road Thessaloniki – Moudania, 2310 475339

Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Iconic Lip Protectant Stick, available at Hondos Center

insider thessaloniki | Issue 01 39

Zolotas New Year Charms 2014, available at www.zolotas.gr

copyr

ight L

oncha mp

Longchamp scarf Ma Tour Eiffel, available at Longchamp

UGG gloves, available at attica

Ted Baker dress, available at attica

fashion Shop at Thessaloniki’s enticing boutiques

Black leather boots, available at Louis Vuitton

BO Inclusion earrings, available at Louis Vuitton

Coral medium size wallet in soft leather-like material, available at Kem

Furla bag, available at attica

Addresses

• attica: Mediterranean Cosmos, 11th km National Road Thessaloniki - Moudania, 2311 813000 • Hondos Center: Aristotelous 9, 2310-256080-4 • Kem: Mitropoleos 40 & Karolou Dil, 2310 262224, Mediterranean Cosmos, 11th km National Road ThessalonikiMoudania, 2310 476795 • Longchamp: attica Mediterranean Cosmos, 11th km National Road Thessaloniki - Moudania, 2311 813000 • Louis Vuitton: Proxenou Koromila 48 & Mitropolitou Iossif 5, 2310 225053

40 insider thessaloniki | Issue 01

Agora Square porcelain plate by Manolis Anastasakos and Food coaster presenting Acropolis

by Pavlos Xabidis, available at Ianos

Addresses

• Eco n Design: Tsimiski 122, 2310 231073 • Ianos: Aristotelous 7, 2310 277004 • Malliaris Bookstore: Dimitriou Gounari 39, 2310 277113 • Mastiha Shop: Vogatsikou 12, 2310 250205 • Public: Tsimiski 24 & Mitropoleos 33, 2310 227288, Mediterranean Cosmos, 11th km National Road Thessaloniki – Moudania, 2310 472633 • The Tea Route: Chrysostomou Smyrnis 12, 2310 285 514 • Zara Home: Tsimiski 66, 2310 282502, Mediterranean Cosmos, 11th km National Road Thessaloniki – Moudania, 2310 487940

deco Buy a piece of Greece

Tea storage tin Nanjing, available at The Tea Route

Wovenchainbag confetti, availableat Eco n Design

Porcelain tea mug Geisha with cherry, available at The Tea Route

Greek breakfast, available at Mastihashop elho Paulo Co Agenda c li b u P t a 2014,

Diane Kochi las, Country Cooking of Greece, avai lable at Publ ic

Glass and plates, available at Zara home

insider thessaloniki | Issue 01 41

The gourmet side of Thessaloniki Epikouros, Greece’s definitive authority on gastronomy and native of Thessaloniki, picks his favourite haunts.

H

ere is the paradox: Athens is full of so-called gourmet, high-end restaurants while Thessaloniki has only one (Alfredo’s) and this resides within a casino, yet, in my humble opinion, the latter is much more gourmet than the former. By gourmet I do not mean -as the cliché goes- intricate cooking techniques (bubbles and airs), nor rare, exotic and expensive ingredients combined in outré ways that are difficult to understand. Gourmet, to me, means a deep love for good food, and this, by and large, is lacking in Athens despite the facade of high-end restaurants while it is widely prevalent in Thessaloniki.

The proof of this is to be found in the endless number of everyday restaurants, meze and ouzo places, fish or meat tavernas, pastry shops and bakeries that abound in this beautiful city by the sea. And almost all of them sell food that matches the discerning and very difficult customers who always seek for the best koulouri (sesame rolls), the best soutzoukakia (sort of kebabs but not quite), the best boughatsa (cheese or cream pies with a thin and buttery sort of fylo that is quite addictive), the best fish or the best patsa (tripe soup). Thessaloniki has a deep love for food, and that is why its citizens are suspicious of “gourmet” restaurants, while Athens has a deep love for lifestyle.

The explanation is to be found in the respective histories of the two cities. Whereas Athens in the 19th century was a small, rural village thinly populated, Thessaloniki was a bustling metropolis of trade, finance and beautiful eclectic architecture. While Athens developed to become a hydrocephalus city of public servants, Thessaloniki became a cosmopolitan and extrovert city, whose inhabitants, professionals and traders, developed, alongside other things, a penchant for good food. This was aided by the fact that the city was and still is a crossroads between the East and the West, the North and the South, a melting pot of influences, whose heady aromas of Sephardic, Turkish, Greek and Balkan cuisines still linger on.

This love of food goes therefore deep into the genes of the city and is proven by an array of restaurants that offer delectable fare. Here are a few of my haunts to which I return again and again when I am in this truly beautiful city.

MAVRI THALASSA Now, this is a fish tavern that until recently used to be located in Ano Toumba, a neighbourhood in Thessaloniki as far away from the sea as is possible in this city wholly exposed to the sea (it now has moved to a location near the sea).

Yet, despite the existence of many seaside fish tavernas, Mavri Thalassa has maintained a reputation among the cognoscenti as serving the best fish in the city. And in this city, when they talk about fish they mean the freshest possible, large line-caught fish grilled simply on charcoal. And this Mavri Thalassa does in an incomparable way.

3 Nikolaou Plastira St, Kalamaria, Tel. 2310 932542

42 insider thessaloniki | Issue 01

Gastronomy OREA SMYRNI This is a classic meze place in Nea Krini that offers in my view the freshest and best cooked seafood in the city. In this simple and unpretentious, yet warm and hospitable, restaurant you can taste the essence of Thessaloniki. Accompany your tsipouro (a kind of Greek grappa, but choose the one without anise) with the homemade salt cured mezes such as lakerda, liokafto and ghavro. Go on with some fried red mullets, or any other small fish recommended by the people of Orea Smyrni, insist on ordering fresh cod cooked ahnista, that is poached in a little bit of water, olive oil, lemon and tsouska (green chilli), a traditional way of cooking fish in Thessaloniki.

24 Kountouriotou St, Nea Krini, Tel. 2310 436035

NEA KLIMATARIA If one is to have something that is truly typical of the city (and of the Balkans) is tzigherosarma, not for the squeamish, yet with such an explosive taste that remains imprinted in one’s mind forever. This is made with chopped lamb entrails mixed with herbs, covered with bolia, the lining of the lamb’s stomach, and then baked. The best one is served in Nea Klimataria, which is a temple for meat lovers. Besides tzigherosarma you can have excellent lamb and beef on the spit as well as other meat delicacies.

103 Konstantinou Karamanli St, Tel. 2310 924585, 908202

OUZAKI This is another typical seafood meze place in the Northern parts of Thessaloniki to which I return for three reasons. First, its lovely poached (ahnista) tails of monkfish, sweet, with a hint of heat coming from the green chilli.

Second, it’s fried crispy, flaky and without a hint of oil small fish (whatever is the catch of the day) which manifests a superb skill with the frying pan.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, its addictive taramasalata, not the dyed pink one that is widely prevalent.

58 Alexandrou Ypsilandi, Tel. 2310 305545

DIAGHONIOS In the centre of the city there is this old, urban, well-preserved restaurant with almost a Viennese atmosphere, which offers superb, lightly spiced, slightly fatty, thinly sliced gyro. But the reason one visits this restaurant is the meaty and supreme soutzoukakia, that is sort of kebabs or kioftas made with a mix of meats and served with red chilli flakes or boukovo, the hallmark spice of Thessaloniki. You can accompany this with politiki, a spicy cured cabbage salad and/or home made rossiki (Russian) which is a vegetable macedoine salad dressed with plenty of mayonnaise.

13 Stratigou Kalari St, Diagonios, Tel. 2310 260958

insider thessaloniki | Issue 01 43

Gastronomy

Street food party!

Thessaloniki Insider presents two of Thessaloniki’s beloved street foods that are comforting to body and soul: the crispy, chewy, twisted ring studded with sesame seeds that is the koulouri and a semolina cake so simple that it oozes goodness, the samali. Epikouros suggests the best addresses.

Koulouri If Thessaloniki were to have a food mascot, it would have to be the koulouri. Sold everywhere from traffic junctions to street corners, koulouris serve as a breakfast filler, hangover cure, snack-in-between-chores and more importantly, as comfort food. The koulouri-seller is as much part of the Greek landscape as the ubiquitous lottery seller is, and they can be found carrying tray loads across busy intersections or hawking their clay-oven baked goodies from special carts.

Epikouros’ preferred koulouri addresses: At the corner of Agias.Sofias &Tsimiski and in Leontos Sofou in Valaoritou

Samali A traditional dessert with strained Greek yoghurt and semolina, this dessert can be mixed with a spoon and is ready in a jiffy. With a hint of mastic, a dash of lemon juice, the tang of lemon zest, boiled almonds and syrup, Samali used to be sold by street vendors outside schools and summer cinemas and after concerts and theatre-shows. A low-calorie dessert, here is a sweet indulgence one can afford.

Epikouros’ favourite samali is to be found at Modiano Market, bounded by Aristotelous, Ermou, Irakliou, and Komninon streets

44 insider thessaloniki | Issue 01

Recipes

Macedonian Pleasures As a region rich in culinary traditions, Macedonia has a treasure-trove of both savoury and sweet recipes. The typical Macedonian halva with sesame paste finds its way into all sorts of creative desserts.

Baked Apples Stuffed with Halva For 6 servings 6 Golden Delicious apples 6 generous tsps. unsalted butter pound (125 gr.) sesame halva (Macedonian style) Ground cinnamon and fresh mint leaves for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (170° C). Cut off and reserve apple crowns.

Core the fruit and scoop out a hole about 11/2 inches (5 cm) wide and deep.

2. Rub the inside of each apple with ½ teaspoon butter. Crumble the halva with your fingers and place equal amounts inside each apple, mounding it decoratively. Place the tops back on and place the apples in a buttered baking dish. Melt the remaining butter and drizzle over the fruit. Bake, uncovered until the apples are tender, about 45 to 50 minutes.

Remove, cool slightly, and serve, sprinkled with cinnamon and garnish with mint.

insider thessaloniki | Issue 01 45

Center for Agricultural Entrepreneurship Preparing you with the skills and know-how to return to the land and operate a successful farming or food business. Hands-on training and mentoring by agriculture and food industry professionals.

For more information, please contact: Dr. Evangelos Vergos Director of Research and Adult Education at the American Farm School & Perrotis College Marinou Antipa 54, Thessaloniki, 55102 Tel. +30-2310-492-856 or 492-829 vvergos@afs.edu.gr and kae@afs.edu.gr www.afs.edu.gr

With the support of the:

Insider guide useful info POST

AIRPORT

INTERCITY BUSES

JORDAN

International Airport Makedonia

Bus Station “Macedonia”

Salaminas 10, Tel: 2310 244003

Central Post Offices

Kalamaria, Tel: 2310 985000, www.thessalonikiairport.com

Yannitson 244, Tel: 2310 595400, www.ktelmacedonia.gr

Aristotelous 26, Open until 8 pm.

Tel: 800 11 82000, www.elta.gr

EMERGENCY NUMBERS General Police Directorate Monastiriou 326, Tel: 2310 388000

Traffic Police Margaropoulou 26, Tel: 2310 557541

Road Assistance ELPA Tel: 10400

Fire Brigade Tel: 199

TOURIST INFORMATION

Airport parking East & West car parks offer 1470 parking spaces and 28 parking spaces for the disabled, Tel: 2310 985341 Transportation: Bus nr 78 to Thessaloniki runs every 45 minutes.

Single fare: €0,6.

Duration: 45 minutes.

Taxi fare from the airport to the city center is approximately €12 - 15.

AIRLINES Aerosvit Tel: 2310 475393

Austrian Airlines

KOREA Kountouriotou 19, Tel: 2310 548502

RAILWAY STATION

LATVIA

Monastiriou 28, Tel: 1110, 2310 517517, 2310 517518, www.ose.gr

Mitropoleos 34, Tel: 2310 277463

RADIO TAXI

Georgikis Sxolis Ave. 19, Tel: 2310 478730

Lefkos Pyrgos Tel: 2310 246104 Makedonia Tel: 2310 550500-1 Taxi Mercedes Tel: 2310 524499 Taxiway

LITHUANIA

MEXICO 26th Oktovriou 38-40, Tel: 2310 536551

Tel: 2310 866866, 2310 914900 VIP Taxi Tel: 6976430999

NORWAY

CONSULATES

Nikis Ave. 3, Tel: 2310 228138

ALBANIA Tsimiski 43, Tel: 2310 257598

AUSTRALIA

Komninon 26, Tel: 2310 284065

PORTUGAL ROMANIA Santas 16, Panorama, Tel: 2310 340088

RUSSIA Dimosthenous 5, Tel: 2310 257201

SERBIA

Greek National Tourism Organisation (EOT )

Tel: 2310 471220, 2310 985289

Tsimiski 136, Tel: 2310 252170, 2310 221100, tour-the@otenet.gr

Tel: 2310 383414

Information desk

Csa

Makedonia Airport, Tel: 2310 471170

Tel: 2310 472326

Dodekanisou Ave. 8, Tel: 2310 538157

Cyprus Airlines

BULGARIA

Komninon 26, Tel: 2310 284065

Info Point Municipality of Thessaloniki

Tel: 2310 471911, 2310 985231

Edmond About 3 & Manou Nikolaou 12, Tel: 2310 829210

Nikis Ave. 47, Tel: 2310 282214

Aristotelous Square, From 9 am - 9 pm

Tel: 2310 472178

Thessaloniki Tourism Organization

Tel: 2310 985334

Egnatia 154, Tel: 2310 279282, www.thessaloniki.travel

Kmv

Department of Tourist Police

Tel: 2310 473022, 2310 985268

Dodekanisou 4, Tel: 2310 554874

Malev

TRANSPORT BUSES City buses run from 5 am until midnight, though some lines connecting key terminii, operate after midnight. Monthly, quarterly and annual cards are available.

Cultural Routes: Bus line 50, which starts from the White Tower, navigates to the most important historical and cultural monuments of the city.

Information through audiovisual material and brochures (in Greek and English) are given to passengers.

Private open buses also offer navigation through the city's main attractions starting at the White Tower.

Alitalia British Airways Tel: 2310 478835

Hapaglloyd Jat

Tel: 2310 489063, 2310 254140

Ltu

Archeologikou Mouseiou 28, Tel: 2310 827494

BELGIUM Dodekanisou Ave. 8, Tel: 2310 538157

BRAZIL

CANADA Kountouriotou 19, Tel: 2310 256350

CHILE Karolou Diehl 6, Tel: 2310 698598

CROATIA Victor Hugo 14, Tel: 2310 548203

CYPRUS Nikis Ave. 37, Tel: 2310 260697

Komninon 4, Tel: 2310 244265

SLOVAK REPUBLIC Mitropoleos 15, Tel: 2310 228210

SPAIN Nikis Ave. 3, Tel: 2310 269011

SWEDEN SWITZERLAND THE NETHERLANDS Industrial Area, Entrance B, Sindos, Tel: 2310 568752

TURKEY Ag. Dimitriou 151, Tel: 2310 965070-73

UKRAINE Kountouriotou 2, Tel: 2310 500045

CZECH REPUBLIC

UNITED KINGDOM

Nikis Ave 57, Tel: 2310222376

Tsimiski 43, Tel: 2310 278006

DENMARK

UNITED STATES

Komninon 26, Tel: 2310 284065

Tsimiski 43, Tel: 2310 242905

FRANCE

URUGUAY

Tel: 2310 489068, 210 3530405

Evzonon 27, Tel: 2310 244030-031

Vas. Olgas 147, Tel: 2310 347396

Kuban

GEORGIA

Tel: 2310 242222

German Wings

Sofouli Themistokli 3, Κalamaria, Tel: 2310 429009

Tel: 2310 483068 Vim Airlines Tel: 2310 591500, 2310 98543

GERMANY Megalou Alexandrou Ave. 33, Tel: 310 251120

FERRIES

Fragon 3, Tel: 2310 555049

Tel: 2310 475742

Swissair Tel: 2310 471466

Tarom

Central Port Authority Tel: 2313 325821-4

Nel Lines Departures to Chios, Mytilini, Limnos and Vathi Samos 4 times per week, Tel: 2310 524544

HUNGARY IRELAND Aristotelous Sq. 5, Tel: 2310 465177

INDIA Alexandrou Svolou 27, Tel: 2310 273493

ITALY Konstantinos Karamanlis Ave. 47, Tel: 2310 914050

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS American Farm School Marinou Antipa 54, Tel: 2310 492700

American College of Thessaloniki Pylea, Tel: 2310 398398

Anatolia College Pylea, Tel: 2310 398200

Pinewood 14th km Thessalonikis-N.Moudanion, Tel: 2310 301221

insider thessaloniki | Issue 01 47

Insider guide See & do

MUSEUMS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

Thessaloniki Center Of Contemporary Art

Museum of Byzantine Culture

Warehouse B1 (port),

Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki

Tel: 2310 593270, 2310 546683,

Manoli Andronikou 6, Tel: 2310 830538, www.amth.gr

Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of the Roman Agora

Egnatia 154,

Olympus and Philippou,

Tel: 2310 240002, 2310 240403,

Tel: 2310 801402, 2310 801428

www.mmca.org.gr

Museum of Byzantine Culture

Teloglion Foundation of Art

Stratou Ave. 2,

Ag. Dimitriou 159A,

Tel: 2313 306400, www.mbp.gr

Tel: 2310 991610, www.teloglion.gr

White Tower Exhibition Tel: 2310 270008, www.lpth.gr

Municipal Art Gallery (Villa Morntoch)

www.cact.gr

Crypt of Agios Dimitrios

Vas Olgas 162,

Ag. Dimitriou 97,

Tel: 2310 425531

Tel: 2310 213627, www.inad.gr

Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki

Gallery of the Society for Macedonian Studies

Ag. Mina 13,

Ethnikis Aminis 4,

Tel: 2310 250.406, www.jmth.gr

Tel: 2310 271195, www.ems.gr

Museum of Macedonian Struggle Koromila 23,

Thessaloniki Cultural Centre MIET (Villa Mehmet Kapantzis)

Tel: 2310 229778,

Vas Olgas 108,

www.imma.edu.gr

Tel: 2310 295170,

War Museum

www.miet.gr

Grigoriou Lambraki 4,

Cinema Museum

Tel: 2310 249803-05

Warehouse A (port),

Museum Kemal Atatürk

Tel: 2310 508.398,

Apostolou Pavlou 75, Tel: 2310 248452

www.cinemuseum.gr

Folk Art & Ethnological Museum of Macedonia and Thrace

Thessaloniki Museum of Photography

Vas Olgas 68,

Warehouse A (port),

Tel: 2310 830591, 2310 889840,

Tel: 2310 566716,

www.lemmth.gr

www.thmphoto.gr

State Museum of Contemporary Art

Olympic Museum

Kolokotroni 21,

3rd Septembriou,

Tel: 2310 589140-1,

Tel: 2310 968726,

www.greekstatemuseum.com

www.olympicmuseum-thessaloniki.org

Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki

48 insider thessaloniki | Issue 01

Ag. Dimitriou &

Museum Kemal Atatürk

Water Museum

Central Municipal Library

26th Oktovriou 19,

Ethnikis Aminis 27,

Tel: 2310 514029, 2310 966600,

Tel: 2310 374800

www.eyath.gr

Science Centre and Technology Museum

Children's Museum Cultural Centre of the Municipality of Thessaloniki

«Noesis» 6th km Thessaloniki -Thermi,

Grigoriou Lambraki & Kleanthous 57,

Tel: 2310 483000, www.noesis.edu.gr

Tel: 2310 441385,

Wine Museum Gerovassiliou

www.paidikomouseio.gr

Gerovassiliou Estate (Epanomi),

Yeni Mosque

Tel: 23920 44567,

Archeologikou Mouseiou 30,

www.gerovassiliou.gr

Tel: 2310 857978

Stavroupoli Botanical Garden

Casts Museum of Aristotle University

Perikleous-Olympou-K.Konstantinidi,

Tel: 2310 99730, www.auth.gr

Thessaloniki Zoo

Museum of Geology and Paleontology of Aristotle University

Seih Sou forest,

Tel: 2310 998540, www.auth.gr

Museum of the Balkan Wars

Thessaloniki History Centre

Yefira,

Megaro Billy,

Tel: 2310 716000

Hippodrome Square,

Ancient Pella

Tel: 2310 264668

Tel: 23820 31278 (archaeological site),

Ecclesiastical Museum of Metropolis of Thessaloniki

Tel: 23820 32963 (museum)

Vogatsikou 7,

Tel: 23510 53484 (archaeological site),

Tel: 2310 261216

Tel: 23510 45057 (museum),

Vafopouleio Centre (Library)

www.ancientdion.org

G. Vafopoulou 3,

Aiges (Vergina)

Tel: 2310 424132-3

Tel: 23310 92347 (archaeological site -

Cultural Centre of the Municipality of Thessaloniki

royal tombs museum),

Grigoriou Lambraki

Cave Petralona

& Kleanthous - Tuba,

Tel: 23730 71671,

Tel: 2310 425531

wwww.petralona-cave.gr

Tel: 2310 600717

Tel: 2310 219980

Dion

www.aigai.gr

See & do CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS

ART GALLERIES

British Council Thessaloniki Tel: 210 3692333,

Donopoulos International Fine Arts

801 500 3692

Αg. Theodoras 3,

Goethe Institut Thessaloniki

Tel: 2310 552633,

Vas. Olgas 66,

www.donopoulos.gr

Τel: 2310 889610

Kalfayan Galleries

Tsimiski 43,

Hellenic American Union Fragon 14, Tel: 2310 557600

Institut Francais de Thessalonique Stratou Ave. 2Α, Tel: 2310 821231

Istituto Italiano

Aristotelous 26, Tel: 2310 225523, 2310 231187, www.kalfayangalleries.com

Lola Nikolaou Gallery

Aiges (Vergina)

Tsimiski 52, Tel: 2310 240416

Myrό Gallery

CULTURAL EVENTS EXHIBITIONS

Thessaloniki International Fair

di Cultura di Salonicco

Nikiforou Foka 8,

Fleming 1,

Τel: 2310 269187,

Tel: 2310 886000-04

www.myro.gr

International Book Fair

National Theatre

Held every May, the

of Northern Greece

Nitra Gallery

International Book Fair

Inaugurated every September,

(NTNG)

Filippou 51,

presents publishing activities

it is a major economic event,

Ethinkis Aminis 2,

Tel: 2310 285890,

of Greek and foreign publications,

showcasing internationally the

Tel: 2315 200200,

www.nitragallery.com

special tributes to writers

achievements

www.ntng.gr

Zina Athanassiadou

and literary genres with

of Greek industry and

Thessaloniki Concert Hall

Gallery

book presentations and

entrepreneurship.

25th Martiou & Paralia,

P.P. Germanou 5,

open discussions.

Egnatia 154,

Tel: 2310 895938-9,

Tel: 2310 275985,

www.thessalonikibookfair.com

Tel: 2310 281632,

www.tch.gr

www.zinaathanassiadou.com

and www.ekebi.gr

www.helexpo.gr

(TIF) Since 1926, it is the largest trade show in the Balkans.

Dimitria Held every autumn (from September to November) Dimitria includes theatre, dance and musical performances, exhibitions, conferences, meetings and special features on Greek and foreign destinations. www.dimitria.thessaloniki.gr

Thessaloniki International Film Festival Held every November, it is a showcase of cinema and the most avant-garde film festival in southeastern Europe.

Museum of Geology and Paleontology of Aristotle University

Dion

www.filmfestival.gr

insider thessaloniki | Issue 01 49

Insider guide Travel & Shop

TRAVEL AGENCIES

SKI CENTRES

CARAVEL TRAVEL

Seli

Lailias has a downhill run, 3 lifts

Tel: 2310235554, www.caravel-travel.gr

At an altitude of 1,500-2,000 metres,

and chalets. It is located 116 km NE

CRAZY HOLIDAYS

it includes 16 tracks, 11 lifts and two

of Thessaloniki.

Tel: 2310 237696, www.crazy-holidays.gr

chalets. Seli lies 95kms NW

FILOS TRAVEL

of Thessaloniki.

Tel: 2310850115, http://filostravel.gr

Tel: 23310 49226, www.seli-ski.gr

MELI TOURS

Elatohori

Tel: 2310 500818, www.melitours.gr

At an altitude of 1,400 to 1,900 metres,

MOUZENIDIS TOURS

Elatohori has 8 tracks, 5 lifts, shops for

Tel: 2310 591491, www.mouzenidis.gr

rentals and sale of equipment and

SPLENDID TRAVEL

chalet. It is located 105 kms SW of

Tel: 2310 244260-3, www.splendid.gr

Thessaloniki.

SYMVOLI - THESSALONIKI CITY

Tel: 23510 82993, 23510 72200,

WALKS & TOURS

www.elatohori-ski.gr

Tel: 2310 433094, www.symvoli.gr

3-5 Pigadia

www.kaimaktsalan.gr.

City Gate

TRAVEL PLAN

At an altitude of 1,425 to 2,005 metres,

Falakrou

Giannitson & Koletti, new West

Tel: 2310 241660, www.travelplan.gr

3-5 Pigadia has 10 tracks with graded

Falakrou has 9 lifts and 20 runs.

entrance of Thessaloniki,

difficulty, 7 lifts, chalets and snow

It is located 190 km NE of

Tel: 2310 512054

making facilities. It is located 108 kms

Thessaloniki.

Fokas

SW of Thessaloniki.

Tel: 25220 41822,

Tsimiski 48-50,

Tel: 23320 44981-5, www.3-5pigadia.gr.

www.falakro.gr

Tel: 2310 241954

Lailia (Vrontous) At an altitude of 1,847 metres,

ZORPIDIS TRAVEL Tel: 2310 244400, www.zorpidis.gr

Tel: 23210 58783-4, www.lailias.com

Kaimakatsalan altitude in Greece at 2,480 metres, Kaimaktsalan has 6 lifts, 13 runs, 4 ski trails and snow making facilities. It is located 118 km NW of Thessaloniki.

Tel: 23810 32000,

Thessaloniki has quite a few beaches:

SHOPPING CENTRES attica Mediterranean Cosmos, 11th klm National Road Thessaloniki - Moudania, Tel: 2311 813000

Mediterranean Cosmos

BEACHES Falakrou

attica

The ski resort with the highest

3-5 Pigadia

11th km National Road Thessaloniki- Moudania, Tel: 2310 489671

Aretsous beach and the nearby beaches

Notos Galleries

of Perea, New Epivates, Agia Triada,

Stoa Chirs, Tsimiski 24

Nea Mihaniona, Aggelohori and

& Metropolis 31,

Epanomi. Further away are the beaches

Tel: 2310 366600

of Asprovalta, Nea Vrasna and Stavros.

At a distance of 60 to 90 minutes from the city, there are the beautiful beaches of Chalkidiki.

Kaimakatsalan

COSMETICS SHOPS Hondos Center Aristotelous 9, Tel: 2310 256080-4, Egnatias 39, Tel: 2310 500326-9

Aggelohori

Sephora Τsimiski 62, Tel: 2310 235416, 2310 235406 City Gate, K. Roulia & Gianitson – Koletti, Tel: 2310 502142 Mediterranean Cosmos, 11th km National Road Thessaloniki Moudania, Tel: 2310 474136-38 Τopazi 15, Pylaia, Tel: 2310 476536, 2310 489464

The Body Shop Kouskoura Ioanni 6, Tel: 2310242232, Mediterranean Cosmos, 11th km National Road Thessaloniki – Moudania, Tel: 2310 475339

50 insider thessaloniki | Issue 01

Eat & drink RESTAURANTS

Molyvos I. Dragoumi 31b Kapodistrioy 1,

7 Thalasses Kalapothaki 8-10, Tel: 2312 204464

Agora Kapodistriou 5, Tel: 2310 532428

Agkirovoli Stratigou Kallari 11, Tel: 2310 250210

Arto2 By Ettore Botrini Ag. Dimitriou 159A, Tel: 2310 201421

Bungalow White Meg. Alexandrou 10, Nea Paralia, Tel: 2310 842232

Diagonios

Tel: 2310 555952

Panellinion Salaminos 1, Tel: 2310 567220

Paparouna Pangaiou 4 & Doxis, Tel: 2310 510852

Tapas Bar Filippou 17 & Venizelou, Diagonios

Tel: 2310 222550

Mavri Thalassa

Κatouni 4 & Paralia, Tel: 2310 547777

To Ellinikon Stratigou Kallari 9, Tel: 2310 250210

Tremarie PP Germanou 13,

Stratigou Kallari 13,

Tel: 2310 240051

Tel: 2310 260958

Them. Sofouli 57,

I Oraia Smyrni

Bord De L'eau

Kountouriotou 24,

Egnatia 45,

Komninon 3 & Kolokotroni,

Nea Krini,

Tel: 2310 520911

Tel: 2310 220622

Tel: 2310 332747

Tel: 2310 436035

Club Vogue

Entryfish

Valaoritis

Mangio

26th Oktovriou 23,

Pavlou Mela 5,

Kapodistrioy 9,

Nikis Ave. 57,

Tel: 2310 502081

Tel: 2310 230031

Tel: 231 521110

Tel: 2310 263730

Cocktail Bar

Yacht Club of Thessaloniki

Ouzaki

Polytechniou 17A,

Megalou Alexandrou Ave. 12,

Ipsilantou 58, Pylaia,

Tel: 2310 524242

Tel: 2310 859369

Tel: 2310 305545

Fox Trot

Ouzou Melathron

Agora Kolombou,

Karypi 21-27,

Tel: 2314 011676

Tel: 2310 220043

Fragile Bar

El Burrito Chrisostomou Smirnis 5,

Etiquette Katouni 11-13, Tel: 2310 520040

Kapela

Tel: 2310 403665

Stratigou Kalari 7, Tel: 2310 272480

Ouzo and meze

Tsampouro

Valaoritou 29,

N.Plastira 3 & Hilis,

Foul tou meze

Vagdamali 2,

Tel: 2310 547443

Kalamaria,

Katouni 3, Ladadika,

Athonos Square,

Limani Bar

Tel: 2310 932542

Tel: 2310 524700

Tel: 2310 281435

Axiou 2 & Averof,

Mavri Thalassa

Tel: 694 655 5029 7 Thalasses

Local Espresso Bar

Bars

Palaion Patron Germanou 17, Tel: 2310 223307

Achillion

Picadilly

Nikis Ave. 37,

Syngrou 3,

Tel: 2310 229330,

Tel: 2310 510032

2310 223593

Shark

Aelia Espresso Wine Bar

Argonauton 2 & Th. Sophouli,

Karolou Dil 11,

Kalamaria,

Tel: 231 5502800

Tel: 2310 416855, 2310 416856

Appallou

Zuka

Mitropoleos 51 & Karolou Dil,

Tsimiski & Karolou 18,

Tel: 2310 228898

Tel: 2310 233700

insider thessaloniki | Issue 01 51

Partner hotels Thessaloniki Astoria Thessaloniki

Holiday Inn Thessaloniki

Les Lazaristes Domotel

The Excelsior Hotel

Tsimiski & Salaminos 9, Tel: 2310 505500 www.astoriathessaloniki.com

Monastiriou 8, Tel: 2310 563100 www.hithessaloniki.gr

Kolokotroni 16, Tel: 2310 647400 www.domotelleslazaristeshotelthessaloniki.com

Komninon 10 & Mitropoleos 23, Tel: 2310 021020 www.excelsiorhotel.gr

City Hotel

Hotel Nikopolis

Makedonia Palace www.cityhotel.gr

THE BRISTOL HOTEL

Komninon 11, Tel: 2310 269421 www.cityhotel.gr

Asklipiou 16-18, Pylaia, Tel: 2310 401000 www.hotel-nikopolis.com

Megalou Alexandrou 2, Tel: 2310 897197 www.makedoniapalace.gr

Oplopiou 2 & Katouni, Tel: 2310 506500 www.bristol.gr

Mediterranean Palace

The Met Hotel

www.cityhotel.gr

DaiOs Luxury Living

www.excelsiorhotel.gr

www.excelsiorhotel.gr

Hotel Olympia

www.macedonianhotels.gr CITY HOTEL EOT / MH.T.E.: 0933Κ014Α0164500 | EXCELSIOR HOTEL ΕΟΤ / ΜΗ.Τ.Ε.: 0933Κ060Α0659200

Nikis 59, Tel: 2310 250200 www.daioshotels.com

Olympou 65, Tel: 2310 366466 www.macedonianhotels.gr www.hotelolympia.gr

Salaminos 3 & Karatasou, Tel: 2310 552554 www.mediterranean-palace.gr

26th Oktovriou 48, Tel: 2310 017000 www.themethotel.gr

CITY HOTEL EOT / MH.T.E.: 0933Κ014Α0164500 | EXCELSIOR HOTEL ΕΟΤ / ΜΗ.Τ.Ε.: 0933Κ060Α0659200

Electra Palace Hotel Thessaloniki

Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki

Porto Palace Hotel

@ Would you like TO see your hotel LISTED here?

Aristotelous Square 9, Tel: 2310 294000 www.electrahotels.gr

52 insider thessaloniki | Issue 01

13 kilometres Thessaloniki-Perea, Tel: 2310 401234 www.hyatt.gr

26th Oktovriou 65, Tel: 2310 504504, 2310 504520, 2310 504521, www.portopalace.gr

CONTACT US at: info@insider-magazine.gr

Partner hotels Chalkidiki Aegean Melathron Thalasso

Athena Pallas Village

Oceania Club & Spa

Possidi Holidays Resort & Suites

Kallithea, Tel: 23740.20820 http://aegeanmelathron.gr

Akti Elias, Sithonia, Tel: 23750.23000 www.athena-pallas.gr

Nea Moudania, Tel: 23730.95100 www.oceaniaclub.gr

Possidi, Tel: 23740.42103 www.possidi-holidays.gr

Agionissi Resort

Danai Beach Resort & Villas

Olympion Sunset

Sani Beach Hotel

Amoliani, Tel: 23770 51102-3, 23770 51124-7 www.agionissiresort.com

Nikiti, Sithonia, Tel: 23750 20400-2 www.danairesort.com

Fourka Beach – Kassandra, Tel: 23740 41605 www.olympion-sunset.com

Sani, Tel: 23740 99501 www.sani-resort.com

Alexander the Great Beach Hotel

Eagles Palace

Polis Hotel

Sani Resort

Kriopigi Kassandras, Tel: 23740 20210 www.alexanderthegreatbeachhotel.com

Ouranoupolis, Halkidiki, Tel: 23770 31101-4, 23770 31047-8, 23770 31070 www.eaglespalace.gr

Hanioti, Tel: 23740 54100 www.elinotel.com

Kassandra, Tel: 23740 99400 www.sani-resort.com

Alexandros Palace Hotel

Istion Club & Spa

Pomegranate Spa Hotel

Theophano Imperial Palace

Tripiti, Ouranoupoli, Tel: 23770 31402, 23770 31424 www.alexandroshotel-halkidiki.com

Potidea, N.Moudania, Tel: 23730 41900 www.istionclub.gr

Nea Moudania, Tel: 23730 43070 pomegranatespahotel.reserve-online.net

Kassandra, Tel: 23740 22100 www.theophanoimperial.gr

Alia Palace Luxury Hotel and Villas

Kassandra Palace

Porto Carras

Xenia Ouranoupolis

Pefkohori, Tel: 23740 61166 www.alia-palace.com

Kriopigi, Kassandra, Tel: 23740 51471 www.kassandra-palace.com

Sithonia, Tel: 23750 77000 www.portocarras.com

Ouranoupoli, Tel: 23770 71412 www.xeniaouranoupolis.com

Spa Hotel

insider thessaloniki | Issue 01 53

Thessaloniki

54 insider thessaloniki | Issue 01

city map

insider thessaloniki | Issue 01 55

K A L E I DOSCOP E 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

A whiff of old Salonika: Nothing captures the essence of a time gone by as old photographs do. Thessaloniki Insider reproduces images from the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography’s Socrates Iordanidis Archives and from the exhibition “Beyond History: Thessaloniki through photography”.

1. Ag. Sophia Square 2. Snapshot at the Arch of Galerius 3. Street snapshot 4. The old seaside 5. The Marketplace 6. View of the old seaside from the White Tower 7. The Arch of Galerius during WWI 8. Part of the city walls in the Upper Town (Ano Poli) 9. Ag. Dimitriou St, a hundred years ago.

56 insider thessaloniki | Issue 01

Thessaloniki

SHOPPING, ARTS & EVENTS, CULTURE, FOOD & WINE, TRENDS, SOCIETY, NIGHTLIFE, TRAVEL & MORE

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