MEETINGREECE
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ATHENS - ATTICA
(
BGTW) prestigious global award for the Best Worldwide Tourism
Project for 2010, and since its opening (June 2009) the Museum it
has received more than 3.000.000 visitors. The Museum provides
a fresh look at the exhibits previously housed in the old Museum
on the Rock. On the Museum’s first floor visitors can watch
conservators removing the surface debris of hundreds of years
from the Caryatids with advanced laser technology. Moreover,
families or small groups can borrow a family backpack from the
Museum’s Information Desk and play out the search for 12
different representations of the Goddess Athena amongst the
exhibits of the permanent collection, aided by colorful exhibition
labels. Visitors can also watch an informative and beautiful video
on the history and architecture of the Parthenon on the third floor.
There is something for all ages and all kinds of visitors at the
Acropolis Museum.
NE I GHBOURHOODS AND SURROUND I NGS
Each neighborhood offers a different unique taste to the visitor
providing a variety of things to do and see.
In the vicinity of Acropolis are Plaka, Monastiraki and Thisio. Plaka
is the picturesque old historical neighbourhood of Athens, just
under the Acropolis, with labyrinthine small streets and neo-
classical architecture. It is one of Athens’ most beautiful
neighbourhoods, with Byzantine churches, little tourist shops,
cafes, bars and taverns. Plaka and Monastiraki are the
neighborhoods of the Ancient Roman Agora, the Tower of the
Wind, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the seat of the flea market
and many others. Museums in Plaka include the new Jewish
museum, the Greek Folk Art Museum and the Frissiras Museum.
Thisio square is lined on one side with neoclassical buildings and
is full of outdoor cafes that offer wonderful views to the western
side of Acropolis. Many people go there for their night walk and
amusements, keeping the area crowded, especially during
weekends until early morning hours. On the slopes of Lycavittos
hill is Kolonaki, the home of Athens elite and the most expensive
area of Athens, offering expensive and luxurious shops, cafes,
and bars. Kolonaki Square is one of the most famous and
enjoyable places to sip coffee and eat in the cafes that line the
street.
Gazi area is located around the historic gas factory, which is now
converted into the “Technopolis” cultural multiplex, offering
artists’ areas, a number of small clubs, bars and restaurants.
The nearby Kerameikos was used for burials from the 12th
century BC for a thousand years and it is visited by many
travellers. Kerameikos is named after Keramos (pottery), from
which the English word ceramic derived.
P I RA EUS
The city of Piraeus is in nowadays part of the greater Athens
metropolitan area, with a population of 200.000 inhabitants.
Piraeus has a long history, which dates back to ancient Greece.
The geographical position played a major role to the historical
fate of Piraeus. The development of the harbour has been always
combined with periods of proportional acme and progress of the
city, while in the periods of the harbour’s decay the city
languished. The city was largely developed in the early 5th
century BC, when it was selected to serve as the port city of
classical Athens and was transformed into a prototype harbour,
concentrating all the import and transit trade of Athens.
Consequently, it became the main harbour of ancient Greece but
declined gradually after the 4th century AD, and began to grow
again in the 19th century, especially after the declaration of
Athens as the capital of Greece. In modern era, Piraeus is a big
city bustling with life and an integral part of Athens, having the
biggest harbour in the country and all the typical characteristics
of a huge marine and commercial-industrial center.
The port of Piraeus is the No 1 port in Greece, servicing about 20
million passengers annually. Piraeus is also considered to be
among the first ten ports in container traffic in Europe and the top
container port in Eastern Mediterranean.
