Greece may rule the roost in June and July ... but it's also got some pretty cool moves up its sleeve in January and February. Here’s Insider’s top picks for the looming half-term holidays - from active adventures, thrilling archeological odysseys, winery tours, and family fun where you can sleep inside the walls of medieval castle towns....
Read moreFor a festive season seeped in history and adventure, in a magnificently restored hotel, look no further than Kinsterna restored mansion in Monemvasia. Picture breakfast under centuries-old olive trees, fragrant citrus orchards, horse-back riding through vineyards, gourmet meals crafted from home-grown produce, castles and dungeons waitin...
Read moreYiannis Karakasis’ new book explores one of Greece’s greater wine regions that produces intriguing whites with a mouth-watering acidity and mineral characteristics but also interesting reds born in the shadow of the volcano. Words by Angela Stamatiadou Wine writer, wine consultant and wine...
Read moreSantorini, the poster child for Greek tourism with its domed churches and sugar-cube architecture, has been such a victim of its own success, that the joys of vacationing here were the privilege of everyone else, except those living in Greece. This summer offers a singular opportunity to holiday on an island that has captured the collecti...
Read moreA newly founded Philhellenism Museum opened its door in March 2021, just in time for the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the start of the Greek War of Independence, shining a light on the vital role played by foreign playwrights, poets, painters, nobility and ordinary people who believed in the Greek cause. This new ad...
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 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 more“When news came of the Modern Greeks fighting for their freedom against the Ottomans, there was a wave of sympathy across America,” notes historian Dr Alexander Kitroeff in his fascinating overview of what spurred a myriad bunch of volunteers to support the Greek Revolution. At a fascinating lecture organised by the Colleg...
Read moreTo honour Greece’s bicentennial anniversary, the U.S. Mission to Greece launches “USA & Greece: Celebrating 200 Years of Friendship,” which highlights the role of American Philhellenes in the Greek Revolution and the bonds of mutual respect and shared values that unite both nations. Greece’s struggle for independence, based on the sa...
Read more“Byron shows us what Philhellenism is. It is quite simply a transformative love affair,” writes John Kittmer, who – just like Lord Byron – fell head over heels for Greece on his first visit as a young man. In this heartfelt paean to Greece, the former British ambassador distils the enduring essence of Philhellenism, past and present. ...
Read moreAs Greece gets ready to celebrate its 200th anniversary March 25, 2021, the bicentenary will be marked with great pomp and ceremony not only in Greece but in Greek communities of the diaspora around the world including the 450,000 strong Greek community in Canada, notes Dr. Constantine Passaris of the University of Brunswick. But they wil...
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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