Athens – a living theatre

Aikaterini Papageorgiou, director, artistic director of Belos Theatre

I live and work in Plaka, a neighbourhood that feels both contemporary and timeless. Its alleyways are full of light, conversation, stories and an inexplicable serenity. As you walk up the steps toward Anafiotika, the city changes pace; it seems to whisper, to teach you again the meaning of beauty in simplicity.

For me, Athens is a living stage, and each street is a role in itself. In the morning, you find it waking slowly in the cafés of Koukaki and Mets; at midday, breathing under the trees of the National Garden or at the small tables of Plaka; and when night falls, filling with sounds, lights, and music. In the small bars of Psyrri and Metaxourgeio, the city dances to many different rhythms – from jazz to rebetiko, from electronic to contemporary Greek music. Athens is not afraid of contrasts.

I love wandering through the alleyways of Thiseio, making my way to Metaxourgeio. Athens is full of artists, groups of friends, and moments that make you feel that something is constantly being created. My advice to visitors is to walk the city without using a map. Watch a play at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, hear a band at Gazi, or eat out at a tavern in Kypseli or Pangrati. Athens is part Mediterranean, part Balkans, part Europe. A city built on contradictions that coexist instead of clashing. 

The views expressed in this article are the author’s personal opinions and do not reflect the views or opinions of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food.