20 Established 1961 Wednesday, July 18 , 2018 Lifestyle Feature

Tourists take in the view from the tiny Anafiotika district of , under the Acropolis archaeological site. — AFP photos

This picture shows a general view of the tiny Anafiotika district of Athens, under the Acropolis archaeological site. Local resident, Alexandra Katoueani poses on the threshold of her home in the tiny Anafiotika district of Athens, under the Acropolis archaeological site. A bit of the Greek islands in the heart of historic Athens

he Acropolis? It’s that way.” Residents of historic Anafiotika are used to giving direc- tions to tourists, lost in the narrow, winding “Talleyways of this unique but little-known hillside neighborhood in the heart of Athens. Looking as if it’s lifted straight out of the Greek islands, Anafiotika’s tiny white-washed houses with brightly- painted shutters and doors were designed to resemble their builders’ own Aegean Sea homes. The tranquil neighborhood was constructed on the northeastern side of the hill leading up to the ancient Acropolis, and its 100-odd, tile-roofed houses-known as the Anafiotika-are as old as the modern Greek capital itself. “The Anafiotika have real historical value,” says architect Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos, a resident of the nearby historic district. “Working-class architec- ture with Cycladic elements-it’s like a journey back in time,” he said. A local resident walks along a street in the tiny Anafiotika district of Athens. When the Bavarian prince, Otto, became ’s king in 1832, Athens was in ruins after a decade-long war of independence against the Ottoman Empire. To restore the city to a semblance of its classical glory fit for a state capital, he invited famed stonemasons from And in a touch of irony, what was once illegal is now A sign points the way , one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea, to part of the Athens architectural heritage zealously safe- to the Acropolis in the work on a grand rebuilding initiative. That included his guarded by the Greek ministry of culture. There are no tiny Anafiotika district new palace, which is now the country’s parliament. street signs here. The houses are tiny, mostly 50 of Athens. Looking for a place to lodge their families, the work- square meters (538 square feet) in size, girded by gar- men decided to take matters into their own hands. dens, and are protected by strict restoration guidelines. With housing in short order, they built a new neigh- “It’s not easy living here,” said Alexandra Katsourani, a bourhood, making it reminiscent of their Cycladic 30-year resident and member of a local heritage com- houses back home, and used some of the best land mittee. “Not only must we abide by strict regulations, available in the capital, just under the Acropolis that but we must also stay vigilant against efforts to turn the boasts the Parthenon and other ancient buildings. The area into Airbnb rentals,” she said. — AFP move was technically illegal, but in the political upheaval that followed Otto’s ouster in 1862 and the frenetic urbanization of the capital, especially after World War II, Anafiotika was left undisturbed.

A tourist makes her way along a passageway in the tiny Anafiotika district of Athens.

Young women relax in the shade in the tiny Anafiotika district of Athens. This picture shows a general view of the tiny Anafiotika district of Athens, under the Acropolis archaeological site.

This picture shows a street view of the tiny Anafiotika district of Athens, under the Acropolis A Greek national flag flies from atop a church of St. George in the tiny Young men relax in the tiny Anafiotika district of Athens, under the Acropolis archaeological site. Anafiotika district of Athens. archaeological site.