Athens is a place where history and myth have blurred borders and where, despite the “wear and tear of modern life” (a vast and chaotic metropolis, with serious traffic, pollution, and unfortunately economic crisis problems), you must set foot at least once in your life. Athens is the city of Theseus and Pericles, of Socrates and Plato, offering places of unique strength that, after millennia, still convey a special energy, a particular vertigo.
The Acropolis of Athens
For a weekend visit to Athens, it’s best to start immediately from the Acropolis, the heart of the classical era, meaning the high city, perched on a rocky outcrop 156 meters above sea level.
The Acropolis is reached from Beulé Gate, beyond which the monumental Propylaea appear, damaged in the 17th century by the Venetians and later restored. Once at the monumental area, all that remains is to be captivated by the beauty and majesty of the Parthenon, the symbol temple of the Acropolis (447-438 BC), with the perfect harmony of its lines, spaces, and volumes; the play of those 46 Doric columns wrapped by warm sunlight; the eloquence of the scenes carved on the pediments, the work of the great Phidias and his school.
To the north of the Parthenon rises the Erechtheion, with the famous Caryatids, six statues depicting young women supporting the southern porch. A must-see stop is the new headquarters of the Acropolis Museum, inaugurated in 2009, which houses all the artifacts of the area (including the original Caryatid statues), with very interesting visitor routes.
Plaka, Athens’ Most Naive Neighborhood
At the foot of the high city lies one of the most naive neighborhoods of Athens, almost entirely pedestrianized: Plaka, a maze of alleys, narrow streets, passages, and cramped buildings, telling of the time when Athenians were subjugated by the Turks. One of the liveliest and most welcoming corners of the city, a pleasant babel of bars, taverns, souvenir shops, and various goods. Odos Adrianou is its main artery, a kind of dividing line between the ancient city and the modern one.
