Athens and around - The Rough Guide to Greece - page 87

even from the Christian Parthenon); a Coptic section with antique clothing such as
leather shoes decorated with gold leaf; and tombs, in some of which offerings were left,
again a reminder of a pagan heritage.
But the highlights are the icons , with the earliest being from the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries. There are dozens of lovely examples, many of them double-sided,
some mounted to be carried in procession, and you can follow the development of
their style from the simplicity of the earliest to the Renaissance-influenced art of the
sixteenth century. Alongside the icons are some fine frescoes , including an entire dome
reconstructed inside the museum.

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The War Museum
Rizári 2 at Vassilísis Sofías • Tues-Sat 9am-2pm, Sun 9.30am-2pm • €2 • W warmuseum.gr • Metro Evangelismós, many buses including
trolleys #3, #7 & #8
The only “cultural” endowment of the 1967-74 junta, the War Museum becomes
predictably militaristic and right-wing as it approaches modern events: the Asia Minor
campaign, Greek forces in Korea, Cyprus and so on. However, the bulk of the
collection consists of weaponry and uniforms, with a large collection of eighteenth-
and nineteenth-century swords and handguns, and a particular concentration on the
World War II era. Earlier times are also covered with displays on changing warfare from
Mycenae through to the Byzantines and Turks, and an array of models of the
acropolises and castles of Greece, both Classical and medieval. Outside are artillery
pieces and planes, including a full-scale model of the Daedalus , one of the first-ever
military aircraft, which dropped bombs on Turkish positions in December 1912 during
the Balkan Wars.

The National Gallery
Vassiléos Konstantínou 50 • Mon & Thurs-Sat 9am-3pm, Wed 3-9pm, Sun 10am-2pm • €6.50 • W nationalgallery.gr • Metro
Evangelismós
Despite housing some 9500 paintings the National Gallery is a bit of a disappointment.
Its core collection is of Greek art from the sixteenth century to the present, and of the
artists shown here only El Greco is well known outside Greece. One of the few modern
painters to stand out is Nikos Hatzikyriakos-Ghikas (Ghika), well represented on the
ground floor. On the mezzanine is a small group of canvases by the primitive painter
Theophilos (see p.638). Perhaps more interesting is the large temporary exhibition
space, often hosting major travelling exhibitions. Near the National Gallery lie what are
believed to be the fourth-century BC foundations of Aristotle's Lyceum - where he
taught for thirteen years and to which Socrates was a frequent visitor. Surrounded by
museums, this seems an appropriate place for it, but important as the discovery is for
scholars, there's nothing actually to see.

Southern Athens
South of the centre there are very few sights, but the quiet residential districts here,
easily accessible, are full of character and home to excellent restaurants and cafés that
see few tourists. Immediately south of the Acropolis lies upmarket Makriyiánni ,
revitalized by the presence of the new Acropolis Museum; adjacent Koukáki is a plainer
neighbourhood with numerous hotels and good local places to eat. Mets , a steep
hillside area on the other side of busy Syngroú avenue, and neighbouring Pangráti have
a wealth of small, homely tavernas and mezedhopolía . The latter also boasts buzzing
local nightlife and good shops along Imittoú avenue, and an impressive street market
every Friday on Odhós Arhimídhous, off Platía Plastíra.