Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
A SLICE OF OLD ATHENS: ANAFIÓTIKA
The main arteries of Pláka, above all Adhrianoú, home of the Manchester United beach towel
and “Sex in Ancient Greece” playing cards, can become depressingly touristy. For a break, climb
up into the jumble of streets and alleys that cling to the lower slopes of the Acropolis. Here,
the whitewashed, island-style houses and ancient churches of the
Anafiótika
quarter
proclaim a cheerfully architect-free zone. There's still the odd shop, and taverna tables are set
out wherever a bit of flat ground can be found, but there are also plenty of hidden corners
redolent of a quieter era. A particularly good view of this area can be had by following the
paths that track around the base of the Acropolis, above the buildings.
Frissiras Museum
Monís Asteríou 3 and 7 • Wed-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Sun 11am-5pm • €6 •
W
frissirasmuseum.com • Metro Sýndagma or Akrópoli
he
Frissiras Museum
, housed in two beautifully renovated, Neoclassical buildings, is the
only significant permanent modern art collection in Athens. The museum has over three
thousand works - mostly figurative painting plus a few sculptures, as well as a regular
programme of exhibitions. The space at no. 7 houses the permanent exhibition, which
includes plenty of names familiar to English-speakers - David Hockney, Peter Blake and
Paula Rego among them - as well as many Greek and European artists. Temporary
exhibitions, along with a fine shop and an elegant café, are at no. 3 a block away.
The Monument of Lysikratos
In the southeastern corner of Pláka, the
Monument of Lysikratos
, a graceful stone
and marble structure from 335 BC, rises from a small, triangular open area
overlooked by a quiet café/taverna. It's near the end of Odhós Tripódhon, a relic of
the ancient
Street of the Tripods
, where winners of drama competitions erected
monuments to dedicate their trophies (in the form of tripod cauldrons) to
Dionysos. The last surivor of these monuments, this example sports six Corinthian
columns rising up to a marble dome on which, in a flourish of acanthus-leaf
carvings, the winning tripod was placed.
In the seventeenth century the monument became part of a Capuchin convent,
which provided regular lodgings for European travellers -
Byron
is said to have written
part of
Childe Harold
here, and the street beyond, Výronos, is named after him.
Ayía Ekateríni
Platía Ayía Ekateríni • Mon-Fri 7.30am-12.30pm & 5-6.30pm, Sat & Sun 5-10pm • Free • Metro Akrópoli
The church of
Ayía Ekateríni
- St Catherine's - is one of the few in Pláka that's
routinely open. At its heart is an eleventh-century Byzantine original, although this
has been pretty well hidden by later additions. You can see it most clearly from the
back of the church, while in the courtyard in front are foundations of a Roman
building. Inside, the over-restored frescoes look brand new, and there are plenty of
glittering icons.
The Athens University Museum
Thólou 5 • Mon-Fri 9.30am-2.30pm, June-Sept also Mon & Wed 6-9pm • Free •
W
history-museum.uoa.gr • Metro Monastiráki
High up under the Acropolis, the
Athens University Museum
, site of Athens' first
university, occupies a grand old mansion, one of the oldest in the city. The building
itself is a large part of the attraction - in particular the scintillating views from the
top-floor terrace - but there's also a great collection of old scientific and medical
instruments, sadly labelled in Greek only.
