Acclaimed author and Athens-based anthropologist Sofka Zinovieff delves deep beneath the surface of Athens in a podcast series that’s designed to decode our captivating capital. In an exclusive interview with Athens Insider, she takes us through cemeteries and bustling farmer’s markets. Your podcast series Athens Unpacked laun...
Read moreA visionary and a go-getter, Karim Ghattas has been one of the most influential personalities in Lebanon’s cultural scene. As the founder of LibanJazz, in a music career spanning two decades, he has befriended, produced and managed some of the most talented musicians from the Med, while leaving his own vibrant, enduring imprint on the mus...
Read moreWho knew that a random conversation with a bank teller on a dreary, dank September afternoon in London would have such a profound impact on a young writer’s destiny? A superficial exchange about the clerk’s unusually dark tan led to Cohen hopping on a plane to Athens and heading out to Hydra. Hydra promised the life Cohen had craved: spar...
Read moreNot firearms or empty threats. Mikis Theodorakis used the power of his words and his music to rebel against the oppressive junta regime in his native Greece. He passed away on September 2, 2021, to a hero’s farewell. A living legend, he was known world-over for his catchy score for Zorba the Greek, a film that captures the gen...
Read moreThe new 8-part series, Athens Unpacked premieres with its first two episodes on 19 May. Produced by Pod.gr for This is Athens. A brand new podcast series that’s designed to decode our captivating capital—with acclaimed author and Athens-based anthropologist Sofka Zinovieff getting under the city's tangled chara...
Read moreFrom Pheidias to Michaelangelo, few materials signal high art more than marble—the medium of sculptors. And for Swiss sculptor Tom von Kaenel, it was his quest to work with antiquity’s most prized marble that led him to Naxos, where his sublime and sinuous creations honour the pure lines of the earliest Cycladic sculptors. The...
Read moreBond star Daniel Craig has got his knives out for Spetses. The English actor is set to be in stylish Spetses - and Porto Heli - in May to reprise his role as super sleuth Detective Benoit Blanc in the sequel to the 2019 ensemble hit, Knives Out. Daniel Craig is all set to send the temperature soaring this summer as he and his ...
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 moreThe tapestry of any city is woven stitch by stitch by the people who call it home. From flag-hoisters to alfajores sellers and café owners, Insider sets out to chronicle our wonderful capital in a weekly photo essay of interesting Athenian personalities, encountered on the streets of Athens. Images by Molly Herring. Martina Mat...
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 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...
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