During a meeting of the Central Archaeological Council, works related to the restoration and promotion of the Western Hills of Acropolis (the Pnyx, the Hill of the Nymphs, and the Philopappos Hill) were unanimously approved.

The protection and promotion of the above-mentioned archeological sites is a top priority, combined with the safety of visitors and the cleanliness of the sites due to high traffic, as the entrance to these areas is free and they operate on a 24-hour basis.

The Mayor of Athens, Costas Bakogiannis, stated “Athens is taking another step towards the rebirth of its most emblematic areas. It is time to restore, protect, and upgrade all those elements of Philopappos hill that connect it to the history, culture, and modern life of the city of Athens. In this effort, our smooth cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Sports is required to achieve the best result."

The goals of this Cultural Development Program are the following:

• The preservation and promotion of the monuments located in these archaeological sites.
• The safety of visitors.
• The improvement of the existing infrastructure.
• The protection of the natural environment (flora and fauna) and its harmonious inclusion in the archaeological landscape.
• The elimination of risk factors (fires, landslides, delinquency).

Acropolis' Western Hills

The hills used to be an important and densely inhabited section of ancient Athens. Today, they form an archaeological site including monuments of great historical value, such as the Assembly of the Demos, the Diateichisma, residential remains of the ancient districts of Melite and Koile, the ancient street of Koile, the monument of Philopappos, the remains of the temple of Musaeus, Socrates' Prison and the Kimoneia Monuments, cemeteries, post-Byzantine temples (Agios Dimitrios Lombardiaris, Agia Marina, Agios Konstantinos), unique works by famous architect Dimitris Pikionis, and the National Observatory of Athens.

The hills cover a total area of about 680 acres and are part of the buffer zone surrounding the Acropolis as a UNESCO world heritage site. They are also included in the List of Monuments around the Acropolis that have received the European Heritage Label.

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XpatAthens extends a warm thank you to This Is Athens and the City Of Athens for sharing news and inspiring stories about how Athens aspires to be a clean, friendly, and welcoming city to live in

From the 21st of May and until the end of summer, the Athens Photo World embraces different neighbourhoods and iconic places of Athens with special exhibitons and events!

Athens Photo World makes a dynamic comeback from the 21st of May with a series of exhibitions and events following the launching of 2019. With photojournalism as its central point, the APW aims to highlight the work of contemporary photojournalists of Greek and international photojournalism. In an age of limitations and redefinitions of the global daily life, the image has been –more emphatically than ever in modern history– the only real channel of information and communication. Photojournalists around the world are among the few professionals who have worked tirelessly, facing indefinable risks, revealing aspects of a new and unexpected reality.

With Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) as its Lead Donor, this year’s Athens Photo World presents to the public older and contemporary works from the international news, focusing a part of its presentations on sports as this year is rich in sporting events. Through the exhibitions, the discussions with the professionals of the field and the two awards for Greek and foreign photojournalists, the dialogue between the audience and creators will be revived.

 

A total of 545 beaches in Greece were awarded the prestigious Blue Flag award for 2021, putting the country in second place among 49 countries, according to data released by the Greek section of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

The Halkidiki peninsula in northern Greece, renowned for its golden sand and turquoise waters, swept most of the 545 awards, earning 155 flags. Crete, with more than 120 green flags, follows and Rhodes, which is in third place with 63. In Attica, the popular beaches of Varkiza, Voula, and Vouliagmeni all passed muster as well.

The iconic Blue Flag is one of the world’s most recognized voluntary eco-labels awarded to beaches, marinas, and sustainable boating tourism operators. In order to qualify for the blue flag, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility criteria must be met and maintained.

The Blue Flag was created in France in 1985, as a pilot scheme from the Office of the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe where French coastal municipalities were awarded the Blue Flag on the basis of criteria covering sewage treatment and bathing water quality.

According to a 2020 report by the EU environment agency, Greece is among the top five European nations in terms of the cleanliness of its swimming waters, while Cyprus is at the very top of the list. More specifically, a total of 97.6 percent of reported swimming areas are in line with the minimum quality standards and are thus classified as “sufficient” or better. 95.7 percent are classified as “excellent.” No swimming area in the entire country was classified as “poor”.

To read this article in full, please visit: greekreporter.com

On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, on May 31st, a smoking cessation clinic is piloted by the Municipality of Athens, under the guidance of pulmonologists from the Hellenic Thoracic Society and specialized psychologists. This project aims to inform citizens about the dangers of smoking, as well as teach them practical tips to help break their nicotine addiction.

The Smoking Cessation Clinic starts in June, through four weekly group sessions, under the supervision of the Deputy Mayor of Health and Education Manolis Kalambokas. The long-term goal is for the clinic to be established permanently in the city's Municipal Health Clinics.

The clinic's main goal is to make quitting smoking easier and safer, as well as encourage those who are not yet ready to kick their cigarette habit for good.

The following actions will take place: 

Are you are interested in participating in the program or want more information?
Please call 210 2015510, from 09:00 until 14:00 every day, until June 5th. 

On May 26th, the Municipality of Athens will host an online press conference at the Serafio Swimming Pool by the Hellenic Thoracic Society in collaboration with the Hellenic Society of Cardiology.

At the same time, the Hellenic Thoracic Society will organize a set of actions to inform people about quitting smoking and its benefits: 

• On May 30th and 31st, a short informative video for World No Tobacco Day will be shown in central parts of Athens.
• On May 31st, the fountain of Omonia will be illuminated as part of the antismoking initiatives.

Finally, on Wednesday, June 2nd at 19:30, the Municipality of Athens and the Smoking Cessation and Public Health Promotion Team of the Hellenic Thoracic Society will organize an informative online scientific day for students and their parents on the prevention of addictive behaviors, with the participation of specialized pulmonologists and pediatricians.

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XpatAthens extends a warm thank you to This Is Athens and the City Of Athens for sharing news and inspiring stories about how Athens aspires to be a clean, friendly, and welcoming city to live in

Summer is just around the corner and everything that makes summertime in Athens so amazing is back on the menu, as the city officially opens its doors and legendary sites to the world with the official restart of tourism in Greece!

Remember to stay connected with us through our weekly newsletter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Photo credit: @anamarija_ardzanova 

It’s been a long road, we cannot lie. But this month, Athens finally opens its doors and legendary sites to the world once more with the official restart of tourism in Greece by the Greek Government on Saturday, 15 May. Everything that makes summertime in Athens so amazing is back on the menu in May!

In short, we mean a return to idyllic days on the sun-drenched shores of our beautiful beaches. Sunset cocktails on stylish rooftops with the Acropolis for company. High-spirited meals with friends, old and new, in leafy squares. Open-air movies at jasmine-scented summer cinemas and live gigs at ancient arenas under the stars.

We can visit our favourite museums and galleries again as if for the first time and check out some brand new ones too: such as the landmark National Gallery of Art, fresh from an extensive 8 year makeover, and the old Public Tobacco Factory, due to be reborn in June as an emblematic culture hub, with an international exhibition “Portals”.

Let’s hit the shops (without having to make an appointment first); trawling for hot street fashion, vintage treasure, or cool souvenirs. And relish together all those sights, sounds, and unpredictable encounters that signal the return of Athens’ seductive summer energy, as we freely explore the city’s beating urban neighborhoods, each with its own distinct village vibe.

During the extended second lockdown (in effect to varying degrees since 7 November), the City of Athens has rolled up its sleeves to ensure that the Greek capital is both safe and more accessible to welcome back visitors and residents alike this month. These expansive initiatives have included improving sidewalks and cleaning streets, removing graffiti across the city, smartening up the National Garden and scenic slopes of Mount Lycabettus, and planting bright flora and new “pockets parks” to green up the urban experience. Athens has also refined its social distancing protocols to ensure that citizens and visitors experience a buoyant, re-charged, and well-prepared city.

On Tuesday, May 18, 2021, the Ziller-Loverdou Palace was presented to the public on the occasion of International Museum Day. The building, a true architectural gem, had been abandoned for a very long time and after years of renovations, it finally opened its doors.

Located at 6 Mavromichali Street, the mansion was built in 1882 by the famous German architect, Ernst Ziller, who lived there until 1912, when the Kefalonian banker and collector Dionysios Loverdos bought it. Loverdos used it both as a residence and a museum where he exhibited his rich collection with more than 600 artifacts. In 1992, the mansion was donated to the Greek state by Loverdos' daughters, under the administration of the Ministry of Culture, on behalf of the Byzantine and Christian Museum, with the aim of creating a Museum.

The building's exteriors are adorned with Caryatids' heads and other ancient elements, while inside, one can find frescoes, ceiling paintings, fireplaces, a wood-carved staircase that leads to the attic, and of course, the Museum's highlight, the room with the marble columns. 

The exhibition at the Ziller-Loverdou Palace includes icons, wood carvings, and four wood-carved iconostases (mid 18th to early 19th century), from the Loverdou collection. This is one of the largest and most important collections of post-Byzantine religious art in Greece. 

The Museum is wheelchair accessible. The opening hours are daily 10.30 am - 3.30 pm. and every Tuesday, 1-8 p.m. 

Originally posted in Greek on huffingtonpost.gr
Translated by Codico Lab

The online portal ‘Study in Greece’ is campaigning for the international extroversion of Greek Universities and the comparative education advantages of Greece. In particular, the campaign is about the foreign language study programs Greek Universities offer to Greek and foreign students. In this context, a number of educational programs and actions are presented in detail on a regular basis, such as undergraduate and postgraduate programs, summer schools, etc, to inform the foreign publics about the plethora of foreign language options that are provided by the Greek Universities.

Recently, the Medical School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) opened for the first time its doors to English-speaking students from all over the world by launching its first 6-year Undergraduate Program in English.

Being one of the most prominent Schools in Greece, AUTH’s School of Medicine is committed not only to developing specialized professionals but also to cultivating responsible individuals. Within a framework of research and innovation, the Program provides a world-class medical education that triggers a passion for learning, a desire to serve, and a steadfast commitment to improving the health and well-being of society. The main goal of the School of Medicine is to educate medical students, as well as to provide health professionals with the highest scientific standards. An additional aim is to perform high-quality research frequently in collaboration with other Greek and international research centers. The students of this program will participate in various research programs of the Laboratories and Medical Departments and will be shaped by the ethical values that compose the world of Medicine.

In regards to the Program’s curriculum, clinical skills are shaped from the first semester and clinical rotations start from the 4th year. In order to obtain the Medical Degree students are required to complete 83 modules (76 courses and 7 courses – clinical traineeships).

To read this article in full, please visit: greeknewsagenda.gr

We're happy to announce a new Media Sponsorship collaboration with "Olympic Day Run GREECE". We thank them for their trust and amicable support!

The biggest anniversary for the Olympic celebration in Greece will unite, for another year, the footsteps of people of all ages, in the ultimate Olympic experience.

Olympic Day Run GREECE is the only Olympic Road Running Race in Greece and constitutes the official global institution for the celebration of the International Olympic Day, established by the International Olympic Committee, the organizing authority of the Olympic Games, with the aim of spreading the message of the Olympic idea. 

We love sharing events and letting our community know what's on in Athens and around Greece! Whether it’s art, music, sports, food & drink, or community events, our aim is to encourage people to embrace and experience all that Athens has to offer! We keep our readers up-to-date with what’s on, and what’s coming up in our great city.

Part of the work that we do at XpatAthens is to collaborate with many different venues, digital platforms and event planners/hosts as Media Sponsors - you're welcome to learn more and see our sponsorships here.

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If you'd like to learn more about sharing your event on XpatAthens,
please contact us here to tell us more about your upcoming event.

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