Page 32 - iGREECE_EATA MARCH 2025

olis, housed in a former gasworks, now keeping an eye firmly on the future.
hosts art shows and performances, along-
side a newly built Skywalk that takes vis- Kolonaki: Athens’ Glittering
itors above the city’s bustling streets. In Past and Present

Kerameikos, Avdi Square, a scrappy hav- Tucked beneath the watchful gaze of
en for street parties, art exhibitions, and Lycabettus Hill, Kolonaki stands as a
social activism, reveals Athens at its most symbol of Athens’ transformation from
vibrant—a place where history isn’t just an Ottoman outpost to the cosmopolitan
preserved but actively shaped by the peo- heart of the modern Greek capital. Once
ple who live in it. grazing land, this rural area slowly mor-
phed into a neighbourhood of sophisti-
From the grandeur of Syntagma cation, now synonymous with high-end
Square to the unassuming cafés of Pe- boutiques, chic cafés, and a fashionable,
tralona, the historic centre of Athens is sometimes even aspirational, crowd. Its
a living, breathing chronicle of the city’s focal point, Kolonaki Square, remains
ever-evolving identity. In this intersection a place where Athens’ elite gather. The
of past and present, Athens continues square’s atmosphere, where power bro-
to evolve, ever faithful to its roots while kers rub shoulders with artists, reflects

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