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TERRACE OF THE LIONS DELOS
Three to see in Athens, Rhodes and Mykonos ACROPOLIS, ATHENS With monuments that span the entire
GRAND MASTERS PALACE RHODES
history of the Greek state, Athens’ Acropolis is the major one to see during a visit to Greece’s largest city. Tsouvala points to the Classical Temples of Nike (Victory) and of Poseidon and Athena–as well as the Roman Odeon of Herodotus Atticus on the site’s south slope, and a 20th century bastion holding the Greek flag–among the not-to-miss sites.
ACROPOLIS ATHENS
Of course, the most important building of all is the Parthenon, dedicated to Athens’ patron goddess, Athena Parthenos, which dates to the 5th century BCE. Today, the area surrounding the Acropolis is still Athens’ beating heart, full of shops and cafes, medieval churches and winding backstreets. There is simply no place like this on Earth, so come soak it all in. MEDIEVAL CITY OF RHODES The largest of the islands in the Dodecanese chain, Rhodes is a delightful port of call and lies along an important historical trade route stretching from the Black Sea to Cyprus, the Levant and Egypt. “Rhodes was in contact with or occupied by every Mediterranean naval power throughout its history,” says Tsouvala, naming Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, the Knights of St. John, Ottomans and Italians. And while the island has a very rich history, its architectural highlight is the UNESCO listed medieval city by the port. The Knights of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem arrived at Rhodes as refugees in 1306 but “quickly turned militant,” Tsoualas explains. They took over the island from the Byzantine emperor in 1309 and built a powerful Navy to protect trade, updating the walls and ports of the medieval city that you can visit today. Don’t miss viewing the D’Amboise Gate, the Grand Master’s Palace, and the Street of the Knights, which leads to the Great Hospital that houses the Archaeological and Epigraphic Museums. There are also ancient Hebrew inscriptions (the Jewish population here was one of the oldest in Greece), Ottoman fountains and a number of noteworthy churches and mosques.
“The medieval town is a lively place during the summer months, with shops, cafes, and restaurants lining the main streets,” Tsouvala says, so be sure to get out and explore.
DELOS This uninhabited island o¡ the coast of Mykonos is steeped in lore. “Greek myth has it that Delos is the island on which Leto gave birth to Artemis and Apollo, her twins from Zeus,” says Tsouvala. And among Delos’ many incarnations over the centuries, the island served as a treasury for the Delian League, a slave market during the Hellenistic period and a “place for Athenians, Romans, and other merchants to make a good living because of the island’s position in the Aegean and the number of ports it provides,” she says. Today, the entire island is a UNESCO Cultural Heritage site that can only be visited by boat. Stroll trails to visit sites like the ancient theater and theater quarter as well as an excellent museum, the Archaeological Museum of Delos, with its fine collection of ancient Greek sculptures and other artifacts unearthed on the island. Tsouvala says the Archeological Museum of Mykonos is also worth seeking out for incredible treasures that include a magnificent funerary urn embellished with the Trojan horse and scenes from the Trojan war.
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