Greece Seeks UNESCO Heritage Status for Spinalonga Islet (video) | GreekReporter.com

Greece’s Culture ministry submitted a nomination to UNESCO on Tuesday asking them to declare Crete’s Spinalonga islet, with its impressive sixteenth-century Venetian fortress, a new “World Heritage Site”. The Central Archaeological Council of Greece had earlier given its approval to the ministry’s management plan for the islet. Spinalonga had also served as a leper colony in the 20th century, up until …

Philoxenia: The Roots of Greek Hospitality | GreekReporter.com

An ancient Greek value which ranked at or near the top of the list of virtues, and still lives on today in modern Greece, is “philoxenia”. Translated from Greek, philoxenia literally means “friend to a stranger”. The roots of philoxenia live deep in the heart of every Greek person, and this ancient concept and way of life which ancient Greeks …

Greece’s Dry-stone Walls Are Handmade Wonders | Greece Is

When sailing around with my guests in Greece I get many questions about the drystone walls that are a very common sight on the Greek islands. The local names for them vary from region to region, but Greece’s drystone walls all share common elements. These masterpieces of folk architecture, crafted using the simplest of materials, invariably enrich the environment, turning …

Visiting Greece’s Magical Meteora | Greek City Times

Spiritual, magical, mystical, extraordinary, breathtaking, peaceful. These are only some of the words people use to describe beautiful Meteora. A visit to Meteora offers the unique experience of nature’s grandeur in conjunction with history, architecture and man’s everlasting desire to connect with God. From the early Christian times, the Meteora vertical cliffs were regarded as the perfect place to achieve absolute …

Best castles and fortresses in Greece | The Telegraph

Seek out romantic ancient ruins that offer interesting insights into the past, plus amazing views of Greek landscapes. Whatever you seek from a holiday destination, with its visually striking palette of warm stone, cobalt sea, and olive foliage, and its millennia-old layers of history, beautiful beaches, mountains and intriguing islands – never fails to defy expectations. Year-round sunshine adds allure …

The Platonic Academy of Athens: The World’s First University | GreekReporter.com

”The School of Athens” – Fresco by Raphael, depicting the Platonic Academy in Athens. In the center are Plato and Aristotle, in discussion. The fresco decorates the rooms now known as the Stanze di Raffaello, in the Apostolic Palace, the Vatican. Τhe Platonic Academy, or simply, ”The Academy”, was a famous school in ancient Athens founded by Plato in 428/427 BC …