Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ATHENS AND AROUND PIREÁS
The Panathenaic Stadium
Vassiléos Konstantínou • Tram Záppio, buses including trolley #2, or walk via the Záppio gardens
The old Olympic Stadium or Panathenaic Stadium (also dubbed Kalimármaro, “White
Marble”) is a nineteenth-century reconstruction on Roman foundations, slotted tightly
between the pine-covered spurs of Ardhittós hill. You can't normally go inside, but you can
go right up to the open end of its horseshoe shape, from where you get a very good view.
Originally marked out in the fourth century BC for the Panathenaic athletic contests,
it became an arena for gladiatorial bloodsports under the reign of Emperor Hadrian.
The Roman senator Herodes Atticus later refurbished the entire stadium; the white
marble from the 60,000 seats was to provide the city with a convenient quarry through
the ensuing seventeen centuries.
The stadium's reconstruction dates from the modern revival of the Olympic Games in
1896, paid for by another wealthy benefactor, the Alexandrian Greek Yiorgos Averoff.
Its appearance and pristine whiteness must be very much as it was when first reopened
under the Roman senator. Though the bends are too tight for major modern events, it's
still used by local athletes, is the finishing point of the annual Athens Marathon, and
marked the end of the 2004 Olympic marathon.
1
Pireás
Metro Pireás • Buses #40 from Sýndagma, #49 from Omónia, #X96 from the airport • For ferries see p.95
PIREÁS (Piraeus) has been the port of Athens since Classical times, when the
so-called Long Walls, scattered remnants of which can still be seen, were built to
connect it to the city. Today it's a substantial metropolis in its own right. The port
and its island ferries are the reason most people come here; if you're spending any
time, though, the real attractions of the place are around the small-boat harbours of
Zéa Marina and Mikrolímano on the opposite side of the small peninsula. Here, the
upscale residential areas are alive with attractive waterfront cafés, bars and
restaurants offering some of the best seafood in town, and there's an excellent
archeological museum.
Some history
The port at Pireás was founded at the beginning of the fifth century BC by
Themistocles , who realized the potential of its three natural harbours. His work was
consolidated by Pericles with the building of the Long Walls to protect the corridor to
Athens, and the port remained active under Roman and Macedonian rulers.
Subsequently, under Turkish control, the place declined to the extent that there was
just one building here, a monastery, by the end of the War of Independence. From the
1830s on, though, Pireás grew by leaps and bounds. By World War I, Pireás had
become the nation's predominant port, its strategic position enhanced by the opening
of the Suez and Corinth canals in 1862 and 1893 respectively. Like Athens itself, the
port's great period of expansion began in 1923, with the exchange of populations with
Turkey. Over 100,000 Asia Minor Greeks decided to settle in Pireás, doubling the
population almost overnight - and giving a boost to a pre-existing semi-underworld
CITY BEACHES
People swim from the rocks or seawall almost anywhere on the coast southeast of Pireás
- especially the older generation (the youth tend to head down towards the fleshpots and pay
beaches of Glyfádha) - but the closest pleasant beach to the centre is Edem , reached by tram
to the Edem or Báthis stops. A small patch of sand with cafés and tavernas, this is busy and
urban but fine for a quick swim and sunbathe and, remarkably, has Blue Flag status. There are
other free beaches near the Flisvós, Kalamáki and Zéfyros tram stops.
 
 
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