PLAKA

4 30 Mar 2023
ioanna

Here on the slopes of the Acropolis Rock begins the story and roots of the old town of Athens. The houses are one or two floors at most, with internal courtyards, the pace is much slower than in the center and very few cars go through the narrow streets. The main streets are full of quaint shops for Greek sandals. Up the stairs and literally hugging the walls of the Acropolis is the area referred to as the, Anafiotika, a few streets with houses that make you think that a complete Cycladic village was just transposed into town. There are numerous places to sit in for a drink and a coffee, some are rather touristy, but picturesque, nonetheless, with flowerpots cascading with flowers and jasmine and bougainvillea clambering up the walls. Along the central streets and squares, in the cafes and the restaurants, at the beer halls and ouzeris you’ll get a mixed crowd of tourists and travelers and locals, casually walking or lounging on the chairs and enjoying long conversations. Popping up all over the place amongst the shops with the usual plaster casts of statues of Leonidas of Sparta, the Aphrodite on the half-shell and the thousands of T-shirts hanging everywhere are some new and very good shops representing a new generation of young designers that have reinvented the notion of the souvenir into aesthetically pleasing and often useful artifacts that are really worth spending your money on.

Credits. The Athens Food Guide by Ahenian Flaneur Chef Vassilis Kalidis, Patakis, 2018