Anafiotika
On Gingerguide's self-guided Athens audio tour, Anafiotika is a stop worth about ~45 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type village
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Athens Athens guide
About Anafiotika
A fragment of a Cycladic island clings to the Acropolis slope, all whitewashed cubes and bougainvillea, built by island stonemasons who came to raise the new capital.
Anafiotika is a small quarter of whitewashed, cube-shaped houses and narrow stepped lanes on the northeast slope of the Acropolis, within the Plaka district of Athens. Its architecture follows the Cycladic island style, with white walls, flat and pitched roofs and bougainvillea, and looks distinct from the neoclassical city below. The neighbourhood was settled in the mid-nineteenth century, during the reign of King Otto, by builders and stonemasons who came to Athens to help construct the new capital. Many came from the Cycladic island of Anafi, which gives the quarter its name, roughly 'little Anafi'.
The first two documented inhabitants were a carpenter, G. Damigos, and a builder, M. Sigalas. Two small seventeenth-century churches, Agios Georgios tou Vrachou and Agios Symeon, anchor the quarter. In 1922 refugees from Asia Minor also settled here. Part of the neighbourhood was demolished for archaeological excavation in 1950, and from 1970 the Greek state began purchasing the houses. Only about forty-five survive today.
Did you know? The quarter's name means roughly 'little Anafi'. Its first builders came from that tiny Cycladic island and recreated its architecture stone by stone, white cube houses and all, on the slope of the Acropolis.
How much time do you need at Anafiotika?
Around ~45 min works well for Anafiotika — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Anafiotika?
Yes — Anafiotika made the cut as one of 35 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Athens. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Athens
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Anafiotika and read more:
Day 2 of the Athens in 2 days itinerary →Day 2 of the Athens in 3 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Anafiotika
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