Food is – and always will be – an emotional affair. That’s why we’re all over these delectable Greek foodie hampers from A Magic Cabinet, with clever themes that capture all the right feels. This Easter, choose from “I feel like breakfast in bed”; “I feel like a Greek Islander”; “I Feel Like Eating Pasta All Day” – and at least a dozen mo...
Read moreIn our second set of weekly snapshots designed to chronicle our captivating capital, we introduce a backgammon whiz, a Russian student who decodes her fellow Athenians in supermarkets, and a first-time Syntagma busker. Images by Molly Herring. Kostas Plakoutsis, 45, Owner of Ekavi Shop for Traditional Games, @manopoulos.handcraf...
Read moreFew visitors deliberately venture to the port town of Lavrion unless they’re catching a ferry – even though it’s a mere 10 km or so further down the road from Cape Sounion. Even fewer make it to the ancient archaeological site of Thorikos – Lavrion’s best-kept secret that’s hiding in plain sight, says John Zervos. Many visitor...
Read moreAs the world celebrates the 200th anniversary of Greece’s revolution, Athens Insider recommends a mandatory reading of Roderick Beaton’s Greece: Biography of a Modern Nation. Beaton treats Modern Greece as a biographical subject, a living entity in its own right, and encourages us to take a fresh look at a people and culture long celebra...
Read moreThe powerful dolls of Greek sculptor Ioanna Paraskeva speak for those women and girls who can’t. Through her ‘I am Not a Doll’ Project – the conceptual artist hopes to create a bridge between children and adults, allowing them to break down taboos about brutal topics – from domestic violence and rape, to sexual harassment and cyber abuse ...
Read moreGreece’s National Gallery is home to some of the world’s most coveted artworks, yet it spent a better part of its 143-year existence homeless and abandoned. All that is about to change as the new National Gallery opens its swanky doors on March 24 in Athens’ Pangrati district. A bright and cheery triptych by Panagiotis Tetsis with vibrant...
Read moreWhy on earth would a 70-plus Englishman, who’s terrified of traffic, hop on a decrepit 50cc “papaki” bike named Harley and embark on a road trip from his village in Evia, all the way to Mount Athos? John Mole’s charming latest book, Harley and the Holy Mountain, is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance with creaky knees, lashings of h...
Read moreHer haunting bass voice and rousing lyrics of hope and inspiration were wartime anthems for Greek troops. On the anniversary of her death, Insider celebrates the courageous chanteuse Sofia Vembo, who defied German orders to entertain young Greek soldiers - often undercover - and remains a national treasure for generations of Greeks; still...
Read moreFrom the legendary Laskarina Bouboulina – Mother of the Greek Revolution – and the exalted “death dancers” of Zalaggo, to the executed heroines of the National Resistance against Nazi Occupation, Sakis Gekas, Associate Professor, Hellenic Heritage Foundation Chair of Modern Greek History at the University of York traces the role and chang...
Read moreManto Mavrogenous was a freedom fighter from Mykonos who captained Greece to liberation. It cost this educated-aristocrat-turned-rebel her personal fortune and the love of her life. Mykoniot-resident Stacey Harris-Papaioannou profiles this captivating and tragic Greek heroine. [caption id="attachment_9583" align="alignleft" wi...
Read moreGreece's Russian-doll like lockdowns within lockdowns now extended to March 16. Stricter measures to be reinforced starting Thursday, March 4 from 6am onwards. All schools and retail stores to remain closed. Only supermarkets, essential services and food take-away services to remain open. What you need to know: As throug...
Read moreStanding alone amid eternal stone, marble and the epic Greek light, queen bee of the global techno scene, Charlotte de Witte, unites clubbers from around the world with an electrifying DJ set, streamed live from Ancient Messene. The Onassis Foundation is bringing the world’s top DJ – Charlotte de Witte – to one of the most str...
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