Greece - Korina Miller [85]
Crossing back towards the Zappeio, walk along the periphery of the gardens and cross over the tramlines when you get close to the entrance to the striking Temple of Olympian Zeus (9; Click here), the largest temple ever built. Heading towards Plaka, on the corner ahead of you, teetering on the edge of the traffic, is Hadrian’s Arch (10; Click here), the ornate gateway erected to mark the boundary of Hadrian’s Athens.
Cross over Leoforos Vasilissis Amalias and head right towards Lysikratous, where you will make a left turn into Plaka. Ahead on your right you will see the ruins of a Roman monument in the forecourt of the 11th- to 12th-century Church of Agia Ekaterini (11).
Continuing ahead you will reach the choregic Lysikrates Monument (12). This monument was built in 334 BC to commemorate a win in a choral festival. The reliefs on the monument depict the battle between Dionysos and the Tyrrhenian pirates, whom the god had transformed into dolphins. It is the earliest known monument using Corinthian capitals externally. It stands in what was once part of the Street of Tripods (13; Modern Tripodon), where winners of ancient dramatic and choral contests dedicated their tripod trophies to Dionysos. In the 18th century the monument was incorporated into the library of a French Capuchin convent, in which Lord Byron stayed in 1810–11 and wrote Childe Harold. The convent was destroyed by fire in 1890.
Facing the monument, turn left and then right into Epimenidou. At the top of the steps, turn right into Stratonos, which skirts the Acropolis. Just ahead you will see the Church of St George of the Rock (14), which marks the entry to the Anafiotika quarter (15). The picturesque maze of little whitewashed houses is the legacy of stonemasons from the small Cycladic island of Anafi, who were brought in to build the king’s palace after Independence. It’s a peaceful spot, with brightly painted olive-oil cans brimming with flowers bedecking the walls of the tiny gardens in summer.
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WALK FACTS
Start Syntagma
Finish Syntagma
Duration One to four hours
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Following the narrow path that winds around the houses, hand-painted signs pointing to the Acropolis lead you to the tiny Church of Agios Simeon (16). It looks like a dead end but persevere and you will emerge at the Acropolis road. Turn right and then left into Prytaniou, veering right after 50m into Tholou. The yellow-ochre building at No 5 is the old Athens University (17), built by the Venetians. The Turks used it as public offices and it housed Athens University from 1837 to 1841.
A few metres along, turn right on Klepsidras down some narrow steps that lead to the little Klepsidra Café (18; Thrasyvoulou 9), where you can have a rest stop or continue down to the ruins of the Roman Agora (19; Click here).
To the right of the Tower of the Winds on Kyrristou are the Turkish Baths (20; Click here), while the Museum of Greek Popular Instruments (21; Click here), just ahead on Diogenous, has one of the only remaining private hammams (Turkish baths) in its gift store. As you turn onto Pelopida you will see the Gate of the Muslim seminary (22), built in 1721 and destroyed in a fire in 1911, and the Fethiye Mosque (23), on the site of the Agora.
Follow the road around the Agora, then turn right into Peikilis and right again into Areos. Ahead on your right are the ruins of Hadrian’s Library (24; Click here). Next to them is the Museum of Traditional Greek Ceramics (25; Click here), housed in the 1759 Mosque of Tzistarakis. After Independence it lost its minaret and was used as a prison.
You are now in Monastiraki, the colourful, chaotic square teeming with street vendors. To the left is the flea market (26; Click here), and you won’t fail to notice the souvlaki