spanning the pre-historic Minoan civilisation up to the Byzantine Empire – everything from gold jewellery with surprisingly modern designs to statues depicting gods and goddesses in glorious detail. From ancient art to something
more modern, Athens is set to open its first National Museum of Contemporary Art this summer in the former brewery of Greek lager brand Fix. Combining the original facade and sturdy columns with an ultra-modern eight-floor gallery and rooftop terrace featuring more than a thousand artworks, it will be an essential stop for any city stay.
l EXPLORE MORE Athens wouldn’t win any beauty contests – stacked against Rome, Paris or Barcelona, its low-rise buildings and bustling crowds can’t compete. But that’s not to say there isn’t plenty to discover if you know where to look. At first glance,
the street markets around Monastiraki Square look like the usual tourist fare, but they hide some genuine gems, such as ‘Sandal-maker to the Stars’ Pantelis Melissinos, a title earned from three generations of custom-making leather sandals for celebs such as The Beatles, Barbra Streisand and Sarah Jessica Parker. The tiny shop has been in business since 1920 and, as Melissinos pushed and pulled at the straps on the sandal, fitting them perfectly to the contours of my feet, I got the feeling little has changed. Except perhaps the modernist paintings peeking out between ceiling- high stacks of leather footwear,
evidence of the
years he spent studying fine art in New York, or the signed photo of
the Sex and the City star
offering her ‘love and admiration’ – high praise indeed. Diet-obsessed celebs are less
likely to make a favourite of Takis Bakery, another third-generation business operating in the shadow of the Acropolis, but ordinary mortals have no excuse for missing out on its signature sesame seed-coated koulouri, plus feta and goats’ cheese pastries, sweet brioche-like tsoureki and brittle pistachio florentines. Stomach suitably lined, I headed out for evening cocktails with the locals amid the bars and
Heavenly bread: sweet tsoureki from Takis Bakery
50 •
travelweekly.co.uk — 1 May 2014
TOP TIP Pre-book a
Day Trip to Delphi
from Athens for £81 per adult or £52 per child with attraction
world.com
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