Ruins aren’t the only things worth visiting in Athens. In-between the ancient and the sparkling new lies Anafiotika, an old neighborhood that is worth a wander.
This picturesque slice of Athens can be found below the Acropolis and just north of the historic neighborhood of Plaka. Anafiotika was built by workers from the Cyclade island of Anafi in the 1860s on the order of King Otto I.
Many of the houses were destroyed in the 1950s for archeological digs, but 45 of the original houses remain. The houses feature Cycladic style architecture, reminiscent of that found on the Greek Islands. The modest houses are still inhabited and many are decorated with colorful bougainvillea.
