Saturday 23 September 2023

TRAVEL TUESDAY 410 - OLD ATHENS, GREECE

“Justice will not come to Athens until those who are not injured are as indignant as those who are injured.” -  Thucydides

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Pláka (Greek: Πλάκα) is the old historical neighbourhood of Athens, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, and incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture. Pláka is built on top of the residential areas of the ancient town of Athens. It is known as the "Neighbourhood of the Gods" due to its proximity to the Acropolis and its many archaeological sites.

Pláka is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists around the year, and is under strict zoning and conservation regulations, as the only neighbourhood in Athens where all utilities (water, power, cable television, telephone, internet, and sewage) lie underground in fully accessible, custom-made tunnelling. Excavations have proven that Adrianou Street is the oldest street in Athens still in continuous use with exactly the same layout since antiquity.

The Anafiotika is a part of Plaka which reminds one of an Aegean island village at the foot of the Acropolis. The area owes its existence to the wishes of Otto the first king of Greece. Upon coming to Greece from Bavaria, Otto decided to build himself a palace. Wanting this palace to be solidly built, he enquired as to who were the best builders in the country. He was no sooner informed that the people of Anafi, a small island in the Cyclades, were famous for their building skills, than he invited the best of them to the capital, to start work on the Palace.

The builders had to have a place to live while works lasted. Knowing that it would be years before they set eyes on their beloved Anafi, and being quite homesick for it, they decided to recreate it, at the foot of the Acropolis. So, they built small white houses in the exact style they used in their home village. And there those little houses remain. Anafiotika, meaning the Anafians’ neighbourhood, is a unique and very charming neighbourhood at the highest point of the Plaka district.

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3 comments:

  1. I have been visiting Greece through Rick Stein's cooking/travel program. It is a place I would have loved to have visited, but not sure I will now. Happy travels, and thankyou again for the linkup.

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  2. Fabulous city, I love the zoning restrictions. I feel here in America they are constantly tearing things down to build new and there is no history. Thanks for the party.

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