GREECE IS_THESSALONIKH_2023_2024

ISSUE #57 | 2023-2024 EDITION TA K E Y O U R F R E E C O P Y

T R A V E L , C U LT U R E , G A S T R O N O M Y & M O R E

Thessaloniki

ARTISTIC CURRENTS CULINARY CAPITAL PRESPES’ WILD HARMONY AIGAI’S ROYAL SPLENDORS

WELCOME

BY GIORGOS TSIROS

THE FIRST TIME THE IDEA of creating an

underground railway in Thessaloniki was raised was in 1918, a year after the fire that destroyed about two-thirds of the city but also marked the beginning of its pioneering urban redesign by Ernest Hébrard. Obviously, such a complex, costly project was utopian in a city that had been liberated only a few years earlier, was emerging from a war, needed to be rebuilt, and was about to receive a massive influx of refugees that would reshape its identity. The issue was revisited in the late ’60s; since then, proposals, studies, announcements and cancellations have followed, one after another, for reasons that would require an entire book to document. Construction finally began in 2006; the entire construction period was initially estimated at six and a half years, with completion of the project scheduled for October 2012, a symbolic date coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the city’s liberation.

As we enter 2024, authorities assure us that this will finally be the year of the metro. Tests are already being conducted, and services are expected to commence towards the end of the year. The new system will serve over 300,000 passengers a day, significantly easing traffic

congestion in the city. However, if you talk about all this to someone from Thessaloniki, they might well react with a smile of irony and skepticism. This soap opera of a project, a case study of the perennial misfortunes of infrastructure projects in Greece, has dragged on so long that the public has almost lost interest in its conclusion.

In contrast, there’s no doubt of the public interest in the fact that Thessaloniki has a new mayor, Stelios Angeloudis, who garnered an impressive 67% of the vote in the election's decisive second round and embodies the public’s need for a fresh start. He promises to work hard from January 1st to improve the quality of life.

Meanwhile, the city is planning numerous ambitious projects and improvements that promise to shape the Thessaloniki of the 21st century, including the Thessaloniki Innovation & Technology Center, a stateof-the-art 4th-generation Science and Technology Park spread over 760,000 sqm along the waterfront; the expansion of Pier 6, aiming to strengthen the city’s role as a critical freight hub and accommodate mega container ships; and a new 13-kilometer highway, complete with a 4-kilometer elevated flyover. And the list goes on.

Thessaloniki has much to look forward to and, on one hand, this is positive. On the other hand, of course, we wrote something similar in the first issue of “Greece Is Thessaloniki.” That was 2015, and the city is still waiting.•

Ancient remains revealed during the construction of the Aghia Sofia Metro Station will remain on display after the Metro becomes operational.

© ACHILLEAS CHIRAS/GETTY IMAGES/IDEAL IMAGE

BET W EE N PA S T A N D PRO M I S E

photography by Andrea Ferrari

www.internistore.com · www.modabagno.gr · T. 2310 431000 · www.baxter.it

CONTENTS G R EEC E I S — I S S UE#57 — THES SA LO NIK I 2023-2024 ED ITI O N

8 | W H AT ’S ON Delve into a world of art and craftsmanship, and wander through neighborhoods abuzz with the latest trends.

28 | I NSIDE I N FO Creative locals share their knowledge of the city.

34 | I N PIC T U R E S The past endures: Ancient remains in modern urban landscapes.

40 | CIT Y BR I E F Forging strong bonds: Thessaloniki and its neighbors.

52 | A RT IST IC CU R R E N TS Creative individuals express mixed feelings about a city that both nurtures inspiration and, at times, seems to push away its most gifted children.

70 | FR A NG OM A H A L A Vintage streets, new beats in the city’s most up-and-coming neighborhood.

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70 82 | GLOBET ROT T ER Retirement in Thessaloniki is anything but restful for Svein Andersen, a Norwegian ship’s captain and passionate cyclist.

90 | CU L I NA RY C A PITA L The city’s food legacy is a tapestry woven by diverse migrations and its pivotal role as a Balkan hub.

96 | HOT TA BL E S Some of the best eateries in town, as selected by top food magazine Gastronomos.

108 | X I NOM AV RO CHRON ICL E S The journey of a unique wine grape variety from the Macedonian foothills to global fame.

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CONTENTS 108

90 116 | W I L D H A R MON Y Prespes, with its rich biodiversity and cultural heritage, stands as a symbol of resilience, overcoming a legacy of war to become a beacon of environmental conservation and peace.

130 | A L EG AC Y R ECOV ER ED Thessaloniki’s Jewish community finds its voice again.

138 | A IG A I’S ROYA L SPL E N DOR S A new museum at the capital of ancient Macedonia reveals wonders and secrets.

152 | Α H E A RT F E LT G OODBY E An American diplomat’s warm farewell to northern Greece.

PUBLISHED BY:

Nees Kathimerines Ekdoseis Single Member S.A. Ethnarhou Makariou & 2 Dimitriou Falireos, Neo Faliro, 185 47 Piraeus Greece

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

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GREECE IS - THESSALONIKI

Alexis Papahelas

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is an annual publication, distributed free of charge.

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ON THE COVER

Statue of Queen Eurydice, mother of Philip II, which stands in the Polycentric Muesum of Aigai.

Photo: Konstantinos Tsakalidis

What’s on

EXPERIENCE

Not to miss!

Delve into a world of art and craftsmanship, and wander through neighborhoods abuzz with the latest trends.

BY THE GREECE-IS TEAM

The women of Man Ray

© MAN RAY 2015 TRUST / ADAGP - OSDEETE - 2023, IMAGE : TELIMAGE, PARIS

“INGRES’ VIOLIN” (1924),

featuring Kiki de Montparnasse, a lover and model of Man Ray, is currently the most expensive photograph in the world. In May 2022, it achieved the highest selling price at a Christie’s auction in New York, fetching $12.4 million. “It is one of the most recognizable and representative works of art of the 20th century,” said Darius Himes, head of photography at the auction house. This priceless work, along with 37 other prints by the American surrealist artist, make up the core of the exhibition “Man Ray: Nudes,” curated by Maria Tsantsanoglou, director of the MOMus–Museum of Modern Art–Costakis Collection. “These are representational nudes that, with Man Ray’s unique technique, seem to enter a dreamlike dimension, transporting viewers to his surreal universe,” notes the curator. xenia georgiadou

Left: Man Ray, Natassa (negative) 1930

→ Until 07/04/2024, MOMus –Museum of Modern Art –Costakis Collection, 21 Kolokotroni, Stavroupoli, photobiennale-greece.gr

Above: Man Ray, Male Nude 1, 1933 T H E S S A LO N I K I

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What’s on

EXPERIENCE

Emmanouil Bitsakis, The Head of St John the Baptist, oil on canvas.

Concepts of the ephemeral

CONTEMPORARY ART MAY NOT BE Thessaloniki’s main attraction, but

MOMus, the Metropolitan Organisation of Museums of Visual Arts, has managed to create a faithful art-loving audience for everything modern. The “Vanitas. Stories of the Hereafter” exhibition at the MOMus Contemporary brings together paintings, drawings, mixed media, photographs and sculptures by 56 Greek and foreign artists, speaking to the concept of the ephemeral, the inevitable fate of death, and the emotions that stem from it: melancholy, repentance, and an insatiable need to live as intensely as possible. xenia georgiadou → Until 03/03/2024, ΜΟΜus - Museum of Contemporary Art, 154 Egnatia, momus.gr 1 0 — GREECE IS

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What’s on

EXPERIENCE

A Greek pioneer

WITH INVALUABLE SUPPORT

© PRIVATE COLLECTION IRINI PANAGOPOULOU

from institutions, private collectors, and the artist's daughter, Loretta Gaitis, an exhibition at the Municipal Art Gallery of Thessaloniki commemorates the centenary of the birth of the pioneering Greek visual artist Yannis Gaitis. Born in Athens in 1923, Gaitis studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts and later in Paris. He immersed himself in contemporary art movements but pursued his own distinct style, culminating in those iconic figures we now recognize as his “little men.” The exhibition presents a collection of his works -murals, sculptures, installations, playful objects, and archival materials and honors past exhibitions dedicated to Gaitis’ life and work in Thessaloniki as well. Visitors can also watch a 1984 TV documentary dedicated to the artist. xenia georgiadou

→ Until 10/03/2024, Municipal Art Gallery of Thessaloniki, 182 Vasilissis Olgas, Tel. (+30) 2313.318.538

Les grands et les jeunes, 1967

Yannis Gaitis at the French Institute, 1982 1 2 — GREECE IS

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lidl-hellas.gr

Light yellow with vegetal notes.

Fresh. Pleasant.

Plagios Lofos for sure.

Μυηθείτε στην Ελληνική Υψηλή Οινογνωσία Introduce yourself to greek high wine-tasting

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750 ml

6,

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DRINK RESPONSIBLY

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ΑΠΟΛΑΥΣΤΕ ΥΠΕΥΘΥΝΑ

Plagios Lofos

What’s on

EXPERIENCE

Photography on the Pier

FOR ITS CENTRAL EXHIBITION , titled “The Spectre of the People” and curated by British photography theorist and art historian Julian Stallabrass, the Thessaloniki PhotoBiennale 2023 invited 26 photographers from 10 countries to showcase different aspects of populism. Through their lenses, they comment on this multifaceted phenomenon that transcends left or right, democratic or autocratic. xenia georgiadou → Until 11/02/2024, at the MOMus– Thessaloniki Museum of Photography (Warehouse A, Pier A, Thessaloniki Port) and the MOMus –Experimental Center for the Arts (Warehouse B1, Pier A Thessaloniki Port), photobiennale-greece.gr

DISNOVATION.ORG Online Culture Wars, 2018-2019

Ana Carolina Fernandes, On Copacabana Beach

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What’s on

EXPERIENCE

A trendy hub by the Byzantine walls

Church of the Holy Apostles (Αghion Apostolon) by the Byzantine walls, has recently become one of the most popular in the city. Apart from the church and the Ottoman-era Pasha Hamam, the architecture in the area runs from Bauhaus through to '90s structures whose ground-floor industrial spaces have attracted a new generation of creative professionals. The graphic designer Mike Rafail opened the design studio and interactive collective space That Long Black Cloud (9-10 Piniou), hosting exhibitions, graphic design seminars, and a store selling ceramics and clothing. The creativity continues at Koru (15 Olympou), where fresh interpretations of Greek cuisine make this one of the most surprising dining destinations of the moment. You can cap the night off at Utopia Taproom (11 Gladstonos), whose selection of strictly independent local craft beers underscores the establishment's strong community spirit. amber charmei

Utopia Taproom at Mavili Square

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© PERIKLES MERAKOS

THIS LAIDBACK NEIGHBORHOOD, centered around the 14th-century

What’s on

EXPERIENCE

THE PART OF TOWN around the 5th -century Church of the Acheiropoietos has several places worth a visit. On the square behind the church, you can enjoy a matcha latte at Japanese-inspired Shed (11 Patriarchou Dionisiou) or wander down the street to see what’s going on at the coffee-and-art collective I Mikri Frida, aka La Nina Frida (4 Acheiropoietou). There’s more art around the corner at NR40 Urban Arts (10 Platonos), a café-bar plus gallery space for local artists, with a tattoo and piercing studio upstairs. Further along adjoining Filippou Street is Naked Specialty Coffee (62 Filippou), which offers delicious brunch options all week.

In the afternoon, they serve homemade savory tarts and other snacks; the wine list consists exclusively of natural wines from small Greek wineries. For a sweet finale, try freshly made handdipped bonbons from the open kitchen at Oh La La Chocolat (44 Filippou). amber charmei

Naked Specialty Coffee 1 8 — GREECE IS

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© PERIKLES MERAKOS

Loved by locals

What’s on

EXPERIENCE

At the seaside

FOR A SERENE STROLL along

Thessaloniki᾿s new waterfront, set off from the famous “Umbrellas” sculpture by Giorgos Zongolopoulos and make your way eastward.

On your approximately three-kilometer walk, you᾿ll share the seaside promenade with cyclists on the dedicated bike path and can stop at benches offering panoramic views of Mt Olympus in the distance. Your finish line, the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, is a beautiful complex that includes the M2 building, designed by the renowned Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. On the fifth floor of that building is the all-day restaurant Allegro. With its superb sea views and excellent food and drink options, this welcoming space is a destination in its own right. An ideal anytime spot, it's even better on weekends when it hosts live music. john papadimitriou

Allegro

© PERIKLES MERAKOS, ATHANASIOS GIOUMPASIS

→ M2, Thessaloniki Concert Hall, 25th Martiou, Tel. (+30) 2310.895.895.

Open: Mon-Sun, 09:00-03:00, tch.gr

Thessaloniki Concert Hall

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What’s on

EXPERIENCE

Peach Boy

THE STREETS IN THE UNIVERSITY AREA are ideal for browsing through bookstores, record shops and vintage fashion boutiques. Just above Svolou Street is the long pedestrianized square called Ioannou Delliou, where locals gather in the afternoons or evenings for meze and conversation under the trees at casual favorites such as Tarti (9 Ioannou Delliou) and Kafeneio Minion (8 Kamvounion & Ioannou Delliou). Two more recent additions have turned this shaded spot into a destination in itself. At the bookstore-café Υiafka (4 Ioannou Delliou), you can settle in with a cappuccino and get some work done or read a book, or you can drop by for book readings or other events – check their calendar. Across the square is the lively and friendly Peach Boy (5 Ioannou Delliou), open all day; here, you᾿ll find specialty coffees, brunch dishes and snacks during the daytime, and drinks and events in the evenings.

The occasional street party might take place out front. amber charmei

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© PERIKLES MERAKOS

Where the young come for fun

What’s on

EXPERIENCE

Urban elegance THE NEIGHBORHOOD KNOWN

Villa Bianca

as “Depot” – you pronounce it as if you were speaking French – was an ultra-elite district during the Belle Epoque. Serene and green, it still feels pretty exclusive, especially along Vafopoulou Street, whose plane trees reach high above the rooftops.

There’s a handful of choice places to visit here. The charming Oraio Dépôt (18 Vafopoulou), tucked behind the hedges on the wide sidewalk, offers coffee, drinks and meze, all while doubling as a “bakaliko,” or neighborhood grocery.

At Penelope Loom(8 Vafopoulou), Merope Ververi creates hand-woven artworks, minimalist bags, and other works fashioned from locally sourced wool and other organic materials. Near Vasilissis Olgas, Birdie Num Num (28 Vafopoulou) serves coffee and cocktails plus small dishes and weekend brunch options, while Kronos (30 Vafopoulou), filled with collectibles and curiosities, has been offering a classic taverna experience since 1961. Around the corner is the Municipal Art Gallery (182 Vasilissis Olgas) in the historic Villa Bianca, and further up the street is the grandiose Villa Allatini (198 Vasilissis Olgas). amber charmei

© OLGA DEIKOU, PERIKLES MERAKOS

Kronos

Penelope Loom

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What’s on

EXPERIENCE

Fresh from the oven

THERE ARE PLENTY OF PLACES in

town where you᾽ll find tasty evidence of the newest trend in baking, slow-fermented bread made with sourdough. It started with the 72H Bakehouse in the renovated Modiano Market (24 Ermou & 33 Vasileos Irakleiou), an attractive establishment that sells traditional loaves of bread, buttery croissants and focaccia sandwiches. Country Breadery (13 Proxenou Koromila) came later, offering a wide variety of baked goods, both breads and pastries.

Recently, Sourdough Microbakery opened its doors (15 Mitropoleos Iosif). Here, sourdough viennoiserie, homemade pies, hearty focaccias, and delicious sandwiches complement the selected natural wines served on the spot. john papadimitriou

More than a bar

PALEON PATRON GERMANOU has

become one of the city᾿s most charming streets, boasting trendy bars and havens for great dining. Dacristo (15 Paleon Patron Germanou) is the latest addition to the roster.

You can stop here for a morning coffee, or come later in the day for a menu that features standout cuts of beef from Australia and the US. At the bar, you᾿ll find one of the largest drink lists in Greece, and the wine cellar is equally impressive. They᾿re planning on setting up a small library with books on Greek food and wine. john papadimitriou → Opening hours: Mon-Sun 10:00-01:00 (kitchen closes at 23:30).

Kafeneio Minion

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Inside INFO CREATIVE LOCALS SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE CITY

BY VL ASIS KOS TOUROS

ELPIDA TSALONI Calligrapher, owner of Pelagie @pelagie_gr 1. I keep going back to the Museum of Byzantine Culture (2 Stratou), not just for its illuminating exhibits, but also for its notable architecture and peaceful atmosphere.

CONSTANTINOS TIMIANOS Plant designer, plant psychologist, owner of Timianos Floral Home @timianos_floral_home 1. The MOMus–Thessaloniki Museum of Photography (Warehouse A, Pier A, Thessaloniki Port) hosts the most fascinating photography exhibitions.

The museum’s café is a well-kept local secret, and the ideal spot to read your book with great views of the old port.

1. Cultural Destination 2. Only in Thessaloniki 3. Night Out 4. Guilty Pleasure 5. Shopping Therapy

2. The Kitchen Suite Thessaloniki is a new space on Athonos Square (10 Papamarkou) that you can book with friends or family for dining and cooking sessions for a unique birthday or other special occasion.

3. I like to eat at Zithos Dore (7 Stratigou Tsirogianni), in front of the White Tower.

A local favorite for the past three decades, it offers superb food and views, tasteful décor, a long oak bar, and a warm, nostalgic environment.

4. Olicatessen (53 Olympiou Diamanti, inside the Modiano Market) is a modern grocery store with delicacies from all over the world. Preserves, condiments, natural soft drinks, ice creams and my favorite handmade soaps are all on offer in this sweet-smelling store.

5. Salamander (131 Olympou) is a vintage store with carefully selected old clothes and accessories, including many beautiful dresses and a wide range of belts.

3. Le Cercle de Salonique (7 Vasileos Irakleiou) is a classic bar with a Parisian vibe, excellent drinks, signature cocktails and laid-back music. It’s as if you’ve stepped into a scene from The Great Gatsby!

4. Zachari (7 Lordou Vironos) is a small downtown pâtisserie with cakes, tarts, biscuits, tsourekia (Greek brioche), profiteroles and everyone’s favorite, melomakarona (Christmas honey cookies) all year round!

5. I’m fond of combining second-hand clothes with new items. My favorite store is V For Vintage (29 Armenopoulou) for unique clothes and accessories from 1960 to 1990 in excellent condition and at reasonable prices.

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2. Ano Poli, Thessaloniki’s “Upper Town,” takes you back in time. Stroll the narrow stone-paved streets and enjoy the wonderful views of the city from high up. Mansions that are gems of Macedonian architecture, flower-filled courtyards, squares with traditional coffee shops and cozy tavernas serving local mezedes all evoke an earlier era.

2023-2024 EDITION

C LASSY

WineArtEstate.com

Inside INFO

DESPOINA POLYXRONIDOU Journalist, communication manager @sousourada_ 1. The Roman Forum, is right in the heart of the city. Be sure to visit the underground museum to see coins, artifacts and marble sculptures from the site.

2. Take a walk to the city’s Urban Vineyard (8 Gkete Tzovaropoulou) where vines grow literally in the center of Thessaloniki, in perfect harmony with the surrounding apartment blocks.

3. Ladadika and Ano Ladadika are lively neighborhoods full of eateries and bars, but you should also venture beyond the city center. The Blue Sky disco (eastern suburb of Thermi) was an amazing discovery for me: a venue where huge crowds dance to ’80s and ’90s music.

4. The traditional pastry shop Dorkada (66 Kassandrou) unites those of us who cherish sweet childhood memories.

Here you’ll find traditional sweets, including galaktoboureko (semolina custard pie) and ravani (syrupy semolina sponge cake).

1. Cultural Destination 2. Only in Thessaloniki 3. Night Out 4. Guilty Pleasure 5. Shopping Therapy

ACHILLEAS MESAIKOS Painter/musician @achilleas.mesaikos 1. At the multi-purpose café-bar To Pikap (57 Olympou), you’ll also find two exhibition spaces with works from the city’s up-and-coming art scene.

They also have their own radio station and their vinyl selection is excellent.

2. Not far from the suburb of Sykies, Karatepe Hill is a great picnic spot.

Just a short drive from the center of Thessaloniki, it offers truly breathtaking views of the city.

3. Father Coffee & Vinyls (9 Stratigou Kallari) is very close to the White Tower.

It’s definitely worth a visit if you’re partial to classic cocktails and excellent music from DJs who play rare vinyl singles and LPs. Upstairs, you’ll find a well-stocked vinyl record store.

5. Hellofrom (45 Proxenou Koromila) feels like a retail store from the future.

You can buy coffee table books, new backpacks, and choose from a wide selection of innovative homeware.

4. At Kits kai s’efaga (89 Olympou) you’re guaranteed to eat well! Gourmet Greek cuisine paired with tsipouro or natural wine, in a fun, kitschy space.

5. The record shop Lotus (7-9 Skra) has become the go-to spot in Thessaloniki for music lovers, offering a wonderful selection of vinyl records and CDs from all over the world. If you do go, it’s certainly worth meeting its very kind owner, a true connoisseur of music.

Close by, you’ll find the bookstore Shakespearikon (8 Patriarchou Ioakeim), with an eclectic selection of poetry, plays and Greek and world literature.

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Katerina Misichroni, Actress

Timeless elegance Discover the ultimate luxury address in Thessaloniki’s glittering promenade Leoforos Nikis 5, Thessaloniki, Greece onresidence.gr

Inside INFO NIKOLETTA LEKKA Architect and jewelry designer @bynikolettalekka 1. Housed in a historic building, Beetroot is an amazing multi-purpose space that combines design, art, coffee and gastronomy. It’s a place where culture is alive and well and satisfies all your senses.

VASILIS CHAMAM Chef @vasilis_chamam

1. Cultural Destination

1. Frangomahala is a beautiful part of Thessaloniki which encompasses the cultural fabric of the city, past and present. It’s worth taking the time to walk around this neighborhood to look at the listed 19th-century buildings and check out the its modern art galleries.

2. Only in Thessaloniki

2. The relationship between the people of Thessaloniki and the sea is so deep, unceasing and intimate that at times we almost feel like crabs living on a long shoreline. Take a walk along the New Waterfront to enjoy the sun, the sea, the cyclists and the trees. It’s undoubtedly one of the most attractive public spaces in Greece.

3. Night Out 4. Guilty Pleasure 5. Shopping Therapy

3. When I go out, I like to try different natural wines. Places such as Poster (Paikou & 6 Syngrou), Deka Trapezia (4 Stratigou Kallari) and Souel (16 Pavlou Mela) are an oenophile’s paradise, offering a wide selection of quality labels and creative accompanying dishes.

4. At Vanilla Gelateria (129 Mitropoleos) they make both tiramisu and ice cream the way Italians do, prepared with only the finest ingredients, but it's only open Fridays and weekends during the winter.

5. I love going to the antique shops on Tositsa Street. It’s like opening your grandmother’s closet and finding treasures from the past, with everything from vintage furniture to old jewelry. It’s amazing to see the way old objects can take on new life in different hands.

3. I like to have a drink at Anapsiktirio (6 Agnostou Stratiotou), listening to music, looking out at the ancient market and doing a bit of people-watching. It’s a quiet spot, where you hardly ever hear the sound of a car.

4. Verges Lagies (63 Venizelou) is a traditional grill house that you simply must visit. It offers the finest quality meat cooked over charcoal and served on wooden platters with French fries and freshly made dips and sauces. My personal favorite is the slow-cooked pulled pork sandwich.

5. The bustling Kapani Market is the go-to spot for shopping. Here, you'll find everything from traditional Greek culinary products to fashionable clothing and useful household items.

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2. The Panorama Trigono is deeply embedded in the city’s culinary DNA. This delicious filo triangle, drenched in syrup and filled with cream, may now be well-known all over Greece but it originated in Thessaloniki and only here can you enjoy its most authentic version. You’ll find it at most of the city’s pastry shops.

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Outdoor Museum: GALERIUS PALACE

In certain parts of the city center, it feels as if one is witnessing a dynamic balancing act between modern urban use and historical preservation. This is what it is like to visit the remains of Emperor Galerius’ palace. Today, around these Roman-era ruins beats the heart of Thessaloniki’s youth scene. Students from the nearby Aristotle University campus take breaks in the surrounding cafés, enjoying the contrasts this old-yet-new city has to offer.

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THE PAST ENDURES ANCIENT REMAINS IN MODERN URBAN L ANDSCAPES B Y PA N T E L I S T S O M PA N I S , P H OTO S : P E R I K L E S M E R A KO S T H E S S A LO N I K I

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Alternative Acropolis: EPTAPYRGIO

Recently, more and more people have been discovering the Upper Town’s highest point, to learn about its history over the centuries. This is Eptapyrgio, the Byzantine fortress also known as Yedi Kule, which has been transformed into a museum and cultural space.

In addition to hosting concerts, it attracts many residents and visitors who make the ascent to enjoy the panoramic views from this stunning site.

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Meeting Point: KAMARA

Every day, the youth of Thessaloniki and visitors to the city gather at Kamara. The Arch of Galerius, as it is more properly called, forms part of the Galerian Palace complex along with the nearby Rotunda, a structure reminiscent of Rome's Pantheon. The ancient Via Egnatia, which connected Thessaloniki with the Adriatic Sea and Constantinople, ran directly under this arch, as did trams in the early 20th century. Today, the pedestrian crossing at the Kamara traffic lights is one of the busiest in the city, used by hundreds of people at a time to reach the other side of Egnatia Street.

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THESSA LONIK I A ND ITS NEIGHBOR S

FORGING STRONG BONDS

© SHUTTERSTOCK

B Y S TAV R O S T Z I M A S

The sea is nature’s great gift to Thessaloniki, and its port is a vital maritime link to the Mediterranean for the economies of the Balkan Peninsula.

WELCOME

The busy cafés along the waterfront offer views of both Mt Olympus and some amazing sunsets.

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© ANGELOS GIOTOPOULOS

City Brief Saturday afternoon in Thessaloniki, and the “Northerners’ descent” is evident. From the sidewalks of Tsimiski Street, a human river flows down to the seaside promenade of Nikis Avenue, all the way to the White Tower.

This is the Balkan bunch, visitors descending on the Thermaic Gulf for shopping and entertainment. Those with deeper pockets frequent the city’s upscale shops. Others shop at large chain stores or head down busy Egnatia Street, where they can haggle for lower prices. They’re here to buy jewelry and clothing, wedding outfits in particular. If the newlyweds want to be “in” with their social circles back home, their “big-day” attire must be purchased in Thessaloniki. In fact, many Balkan bachelor and bachelorette parties are held at venues near the airport for this very reason.

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City Brief

WELCOME

T THEY ARRIVE from North Macedo-

nia, southern Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, Turkey and Romania, by buses or in private cars that park up on the outskirts of the commercial district, parking availability permitting. As soon as the shops close, many begin their journey back home. Not everyone, however: those who can will stay for late-night explorations of the famous nightlife of Thessaloniki, which lasts until dawn.

Fresh from their Greek folk dance lessons in Sofia, young Bulgarians show off their skills during the summer months at clubs and seaside bars in Thessaloniki and nearby Halkidiki.

At certain times of the day, and particularly around noon, you can hear all the languages of the Balkans being spoken in the city center. While the city serves the shopping needs of its neighbors, giant ships come and go from the port, where workers load and unload container ships, tanker vessels and bulk cargo holds day and night, moving goods destined for or originating from the Balkans. This Mediterranean harbor, essential to the continued development of its neighboring countries, enables access to the markets of the world. “Our economy would be at risk of suffocation without the port of Thessaloniki,” said Kiro Gligorov, North Macedonia’s first president, to a reporter from the Greek newspaper Kathimerini in the mid1990s when Andreas Papandreou’s government had imposed a trade and economic embargo on the Republic in the course of the dispute over the naming of the newly formed state. That 4 4 — GREECE IS

VISITORS RE TURNING FROM THESSALONIKI TELL STORIES ABOUT ITS FAMOUS CULTURAL TRE ASURES, ITS COSMOPOLITAN CUISINE (WITH STRONG INFLUENCES FROM BOTH THE E AST AND THE NORTH) AND, OF COURSE, THE E XCITING NIGHTLIFE .

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embargo resulted in a severe shortage of goods and, most importantly, of fuel. The Western allies deployed 60,000 soldiers and their supplies from this port in 1999 in order to participate in peacekeeping operations during the Kosovo War. The same maritime gateway had been chosen by the Allies for the deployment of military forces on the Macedonian Front during World War I. Geography has endowed Thessaloniki with a port in a crucial geostrategic position; historians claim that this sea access was the most contested prize during the Balkan Wars and that it was a strategic objective much earlier for nations like the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Changes in the broader region have endowed the city with equal importance during times of peace. With its harbor, markets, natural beauty and strong traces of its age-old multicultural legacy, the city continues to exert a gravitational pull on the people and the economies of the Balkan hinterland.

Visitors returning from Thessaloniki tell stories about its famous cultural treasures, its cosmopolitan cuisine (with strong influences from both the East and the North) and, of course, the exciting nightlife. Because of this, in addition to being a top destination for shopping and entertainment, it has also entered the real estate game. The number of people buying apartments and shops for personal use or as investments is increasing dramatically. Israelis are at the forefront of the real estate boom.

Here in the “Jerusalem of the Balkans,” they buy and upgrade old apartment buildings and hotels for commercial purposes, targeting in particular those buildings with historical significance for the Jewish community. What’s more, young people from neighboring countries come to study at private institutions of higher education, and the already successful operation of an English-language section for foreign students at the Aristotle University Medical School is expected to be emulated by other institutions.

City Brief

WELCOME

Tsimiski Street is the city’s main commercial thoroughfare, even attracting visitors from neighboring countries.

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fields including agriculture, says that Thessaloniki is seeking a more Western-facing identity, which he believes is in the process of being created. As he puts it, “The timing is favorable, and we need to seize it. Foreign investors view the city positively but, above all, we must capitalize on its significant comparative advantage, the factor that connects every pillar of development in all sectors.” Many see it as a prime investment opportunity, with a focus on research and development in new technologies. In this regard, over the past three years it has succeeded in attracting significant foreign investment from companies such as Pfizer, Cisco, Deloitte and others. Experts continue to emphasize the need for “the city’s innovation ecosystem to attract international talent to harness Thessaloniki’s potential as an international innovation hub as well,” as Theodore Papakonstantinou, a consulting partner at Deloitte, put it in a recent speech.

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Regional power

The establishment and development of Thess INTEC, a large-scale 4th-generation technology park in the east of the city, aims to link up Greek development initiatives and promote domestic innovation. The prospects for the city are, perhaps, better than ever.

Is Thessaloniki a large Greek city that sees its future in the Balkans, or a powerful European urban center that is pulling the Balkan countries towards the Aegean? Following the collapse of communist regimes in the north, many envisioned it as a potential capital of the Balkans, a role it never assumed, primarily due to weaknesses in Greek foreign policy. Nevertheless, this interaction with neighboring societies has created an atmosphere that allows for the strengthening of relationships between people of different ethnicities.

They draw closer to each other in a city that’s historically been a crossroads for cultures, religions, and conflicting

© OLGA DEIKOU

Former mayor Yiannis Boutaris believes Thessaloniki should become more than a destination for entertainment and relaxation. “We must open the doors of our universities to the people of the Balkans. I don’t understand why they should go abroad to study in Cyprus, in the Netherlands or in Turkey when we have private universities for anyone who wants to study here. Or why Thessaloniki shouldn’t become a center for high-quality medical services, so that people from other countries can come here for treatments. Centers and laboratories for new technologies need to be created. The fact that we have outstanding natural assets, good food and great events isn’t enough,” he says.

The city’s power brokers have begun to realize that Thessaloniki’s future should not hinge exclusively upon cafés, exquisite meze, historical food markets and stunning sunsets over the Thermaic Gulf. Nikos Efthymiadis, an entrepreneur active in many

WELCOME

Currently under construction, a new city highway will take pressure off the existing ring road and facilitate traffic flow.

economic and military interests. At the same time, Thessaloniki still bears strong imprints of its Byzantine, Ottoman and Jewish past, further enhancing its appeal.

The fluidity of the region makes the city a potent tool for extending Greece’s influence towards the north.

Simultaneously, it places Thessaloniki high on the international investment map. The city is expanding primarily towards Halkidiki, which it has almost reached. Significant investments are being made by both foreign and Greek companies even as tourism continues to boom. There is evident wealth and 4 8 — GREECE IS

THE FLUIDIT Y OF THE REGION MAKES THE CIT Y A POTENT TOOL FOR E X TENDING GREECE’S INFLUENCE TOWARDS THE NORTH AND PUTS THESSALONIKI HIGH UP ON THE INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT MAP. 2023-2024 EDITION

power in the city’s geographic proximity to Halkidiki, Mount Athos, Amfipoli, Thasos, Kastoria (with its 200 Byzantine churches), Florina, Pella, Vergina, Dion, Mount Olympus (the Mountain of the Gods) and the enchanting beaches of Pieria. Thessaloniki sits, both geographically and historically, within a legendary circular constellation created by these sites. The city itself is the central star, shining brighter and brighter.

On the other hand, it doesn’t have powerful newspapers or its own TV channel with an international audience.

Without a real media presence, it’s almost non-existent in today’s world of images and dynamic presentation.

“Local artists, politicians, entrepreneurs and scientists exist only via Athens,” says Giorgos Skabardonis, a well-known local author.

Thessaloniki’s journey towards the future has begun, propelled by prevailing geopolitical winds. The need to develop its infrastructure in order to support that future is urgent. Despite scandalous delays, the opening of a state-of-the-art metro within 2024 and the construction of a “flying ring road” in the next four years will alleviate traffic problems. The upgraded airport has already provided a huge boost to tourism and travel, and the completion of work on the 6th pier

by Thessaloniki Port Authority should see maritime trade skyrocket.

Above all, Thessaloniki seems to have largely shed its historical burdens and fears from the past, which, after WWII, made it seem like a porcupine: a creature that would alternatively attack and retreat, either threatening or shunning its neighbors. Nowadays, it appears increasingly joyful and attractive.

If there’s something that many people do notice is missing, it’s someone to take the helm and confidently lead the city on its future journey. However, a search for such leaders has already begun; there are whispers in the corridors of power.•

© KONSTANTINOS TSAKALIDIS

City Brief

By the end of 2024, the city’s ultra-modern metro is expected to be operational.

Thessaloniki will soon boast southeast Europe’s largest 4th-generation science and technology park as well.

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NEA ODOS A “green” electric-focused company In 2018, Nea Odos became the first company to create and provide the infrastructure necessary for electric vehicles to make long-distance journeys in Greece.

ACTIVELY ENGAGED in promoting electro mobility, innovation and new technologies, the Ionia Odos is the only motorway in Greece that offers electric vehicles the possibility to recharge along its entire length at all its Motorists Service Stations (at Evinochori, Amvrakia, Amfilochia, Filippiada and Episkopiko).

The concessionaire Nea Odos S.A. provides this service to electric vehicle owners, offering charging stations nearly every 30km on the entire 196 kilometers of the motorway. Each charging point can charge up to three vehicles at a time.

The same service is available on the section of the Athens-Thessaloniki-Evzonoi motorway that Nea Odos operates, maintains and manages. For three years now, fast charging points have been available at all Motorists Service Stations (at Varympompi, Kapandriti,

Malakassa, Schimatari, and Atalanti), and two charging points have also been installed at the Sofades Motorist Service Station on the E65-Central Greece Motorway.

In addition to all of these, the company has installed eight V3 Tesla Superchargers at the Atalanti Motorist Service Station (four per traffic lane). According to Tesla, these charging points can provide charging power of up to 250 kW each for the company’s models, making them some of the country’s most powerful electric vehicle fast chargers. To put this in context, a Tesla Model 3, operating at maximum efficiency, only needs a five-minute charge to complete a 120km route.

In total, Nea Odos is providing 48 fast charging points that can accommodate up to 72 electric vehicles at a time.

MALAKASA MOTORISTS SERVICE STATION (SEIRIOS)

At Nea Odos, we're investing in electro mobility for the long term. Honoring our motto of "Go Green" and putting our strategic goals of continuous energy savings and environmental protection through innovation into action, we've commissioned the first fleet of 100% hybrid and electric vans. We're the country’s first motorway operation, maintenance and management company to begin implementing a comprehensive plan to replace its fleet with 100% hybrid and electric vehicles (in 2022, our electric vehicle fleet comprised 32 hybrid vehicles and 12 fully electric vehicles), and we're supporting this by equipping our facilities with 18 electric vehicle charging points.

ea Odos operates, maintains and manN ages the following: • The Ionia Odos motorway, which extends over a length of 196km from Antirrio to Ioannina • A section of the Athens-Thessaloniki (A.Th.E) motorway, covering 172.5km from the Metamorfosis interchange in Attica to Skarfia in Fthiotida • The 11km connecting branch Schimatari-Chalkida of A.Th.E. Motorway

ADVERTORIAL

A FLEET OF GREEN VEHICLES

I n another key investment, Nea Odos has designed, implemented and set into pilot operation Greece’s first hybrid electric vehicle charging station powered by photovoltaic panels. These panels, located atop the parking shelters, produce green energy to charge electric vehicles. This project involved: • The construction of parking shelters.

• The installation of photovoltaic (PV) panels on these shelters, with a total capacity of approximately 500 kWp. • The placement of two high-power DC charging points in each section, for a total of four charging points, each with a power output of 120 kW. • The use of hybrid inverters. Electricity generated from the PV panels goes to the charging points when cars charge up during the day.

Any excess energy not consumed by vehicle charging is used to satisfy the energy needs of the service station itself.

Since it was established, Nea Odos has continuously sought new ways to serve as the best possible travel companion to motorists and to provide the highest levels of road safety and service through innovative practices and technologies. At the same time, environmental protection and conservation remain indisputable priorities for the company, as shown by the adoption of these concerns as critical pillars in the company’s sustainable development program.n

The Creatives scene

VIEWPOINTS CREATIVITY

Creative individuals from Thessaloniki express mixed feelings about a city that both nurtures inspiration and, at times, seems to push away its most gifted children.

↙

When the financial crisis was at its height, many artists left Thessaloniki, seeking inspiration and a brighter future in other European cities. However, over the past five years, it appears that the city’s creative scene has been undergoing a revival with the innovative projects of young, fearless artists.

B Y J O H N PA PA D I M I T R I O U P H OTO S : P E R I K L E S M E R A KO S

Artistic Currents

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The scene

CREATIVITY

AFTER THE PANDEMIC , Tenia, an interior designer who studied in the UK, Thessaloniki, and Barcelona, wanted to support Thessaloniki’s artistic community by assisting the development of young visual artists, so she began curating a series of exhibitions under the general title “Kati” (“Something”) at Apodec, a small creative space in the city center. “A new ‘something’ comes about every six weeks,” says Tenia, smiling. “Last September, we had the tenth exhibition, titled ‘Summer Vacationing and Other Things,’ a collection of photographs

by Nana Kantsa, highlighting the concept of togetherness.” Tenia aims to present all art forms and create an informal dialogue among visual artists. “Thessaloniki is a city

that nurtures creativity. The lack of large cultural organizations and foundations means there’s fertile ground for interesting synergies and networking among creative people,” Tenia says. When not working, she enjoys walking at spots that reveal different layers of urban history, like the Roman Forum and the Church of the Virgin Acheiropoietos. She especially likes to visit higher areas of the city, which offer 360-degree views, such as the Kastroplikta neighborhood in Ano Poli. She also finds inspiration whenever she visits the Museum of Byzantine Culture. What annoys Tenia is particularly irritated by the fact that her city “is constantly compared with other European cities, which diminishes its strengths. This could also stifle the growth and development of the business-artistic community.”

↙ Tenia

Menegaki Interior designer and owner of Apodec, 37

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→ Apodec, 4 Verias, Τel. (+30) 693.882.1666

The scene

CREATIVITY

ATHAN, A GRADUATE of the Aristotle

University of Thessaloniki’s School of Fine Arts, prefers to work on large surfaces. “I feel like I have a full-length mirror in front of me,” he explains. He creates most of his works with mixed techniques, using a combination of pencil, charcoal, oil, spray, and ink. “Although my painting is abstract, it incorporates many realistic elements. I work subconsciously, and I’m definitely influenced by current events, for instance, the massive recent fires,” he adds.

Growing up, he spent time at his grandmother Lola Nikolaou’s gallery, where he met many prominent Greek visual artists, including Giorgos Lazogas, an internationally acclaimed painter from Larissa who had a huge influence

on him. What he likes most about Thessaloniki is the Aghioi Apostoli neighborhood, where he set up his studio in 2021. “The area has become an informal artistic hub for a diverse range of artists, from clothes and jewelry designers to ceramists, architects, and painters. As a young graduate, being close to creative people has helped enormously the development of my work,” says Athan. At present, he’s studying photography at Stereosis, a photography school in the city, while feverishly preparing for an exhibition next March at his grandmother’s gallery. There, his own works will be exhibited alongside creations by Giorgos Lazogas.

↙ Athan Dapis Visual artist, 27

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→ Lola Nikolaou Gallery, 52 Tsimiski, Tel. (+30) 2310.240.416

CREATIVITY

AN ARISTOTLE UNIVERSITY School of Fine Arts graduate, Orestis, regularly explores Thessaloniki’s neighborhoods, such as the picturesque Ano Poli (Upper Town) and rundown Vardaris, in search of inspiration. He’s currently working out of the housing projects on Lagada Avenue; he is particularly interested in people living on the margins. “Some become my models, and I paint them; others simply enrich my ideas,” he explains. Orestis describes cultural activity in Thessaloniki as “low-flying.”

“The city’s small scale, combined with the presence of thousands of students, facilitates the creation of art groups that undertake initiatives which do not usually progress.” Finding himself in a city that “suffocates creative people because it cannot support them,” he draws strength from his contact with its youth.

In the evenings, he hangs out with friends around the Ancient Agora area or in the Ladadika neighborhood, exchanging ideas that, in the mornings, he incorporates into his works. When looking at his paintings, I feel like I’m seeing photographs that have come to life.

He says, “I’m interested in people’s emotions; I observe how the light interacts with their skin, changing their appearance.” In addition to painting, he’s also involved in scenography.

He has already worked on five films shot in Thessaloniki; his first involvement was two years ago in the movie “The Enforcer,” starring Antonio Banderas.

→ 17 Fleming, Stavroupoli, Τel. (+30) 693.899.9682

↙ Orestis

Papakonstantinou Visual artist and scenic artist, 27 5 8 — GREECE IS

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The scene

The scene

CREATIVITY

“I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS about how

much Thessaloniki contributes to creativity.

I used to be inspired by its architecture, people and, most of all, its history. Now, because I don’t like the look of the city, I feel compelled to do things in support of the creative people who have decided to stay here,” says Theano, who, as the curator of Toss Gallery, interacts with artists on a daily basis. She took charge of the gallery about a year ago, when she returned to Thessaloniki after three years of studies at the Indonesian Institute of Art Yogyakarta, where she majored in traditional puppet-making, followed by a residency program at the Papermoon Puppet Theatre.

“In Indonesia, I was impressed by the culture of collectivism, which was very different to Western individualism. I was also captivated by the atmospheric-theatrical way in which they set up exhibitions,” Theano notes. And this is precisely what she seeks to emulate in the exhibitions of up-and-coming artists that she curates, by creating her own scenery with the aim of offering visitors a deeply immersive experience. In this, she is aided by her own diverse artistic interests, which include music (she plays piano, cello, and bass), painting, and papercraft. In her free time, she likes to relax with friends, walking around the old port area, eating out at some small taverna, or, of course, playing music.

→ Toss Gallery, 1 Vilara, Τel. (+30) 2310.532.986

↙ Theano Giannezi Visual artist and musician, 32 6 0 — GREECE IS

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The scene

CREATIVITY

MARIA IS A WRITER, musical performer, theatrical producer, and owner of an artistic productions company, where she also teaches singing, dancing, and theater. In 2017, after studying musical theater in England and participating in numerous performances in Greece, she adopted her first book, “One Step at a Time,” for the stage in the form of a musical, which debuted with a live orchestra at Thessaloniki Concert Hall. It was the first “selfawareness” musical in Greece and was aimed at the entire family. The musical – performances of which are expected to resume in December – has been seen by over 45,000 people, the majority being schoolchildren from northern Greece.

After watching her teaching dance and movement with genuine

passion to the young children attending her last class, I asked her how she relaxes. “I like watching the sun go down from the benches on the Nea Paralia [“New Waterfront”], near the Makedonia Palace Hotel, in the neighborhood where I was born. That’s how I tune in with the city around me,” she says, while at the same time, noting that Thessaloniki hurts her. “There aren’t enough suitable venues for theater, and of those available, most lack the appropriate infrastructure. Also, creative young people with a vision are not given the opportunity to express themselves,” she says but rejects the thought of moving away. “Amid this concrete chaos, Thessaloniki preserves precious treasures in its unpretentious, beautiful neighborhoods.”

→ 22 Athanasiou Chrysohoou, Faliro, Τel. (+30) 697.567.2712

↙ Maria

Stefanou Choreographer and theatrical producer, 36 6 2 — GREECE IS

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The scene

CREATIVITY

“THE FRUSTRATION I FEEL because of

the stagnation, the disappointment with how the city’s been abandoned, and, above all, the loneliness create extraordinary circumstances for me. The things that pressure me to leave Thessaloniki are the same that keep me here,” says Lefteris, a film director and musician from Kavala. He started out in 2015 when, during the financial crisis, trap music came to Thessaloniki. “We started making low-cost video clips for aspiring trap artists with my friend Pavlos Lygouris. We had to go into Roma ghettos and camps,” he recalls. Their

↙ Lefteris Pasalidis

Film director and drummer, 27

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fame quickly spread, and they became sought after, with some of their videos getting over a million views. In time, the bassist and self-taught drummer – who plays with the Bad Blood Orchestra band – realized that the content no longer satisfied him, so he came up with very different concepts. For example, he showed a well-known trap musician eating with his family, wishing to highlight his more “human” side, away from weapons and violence. The new approach was successful.

Lefteris now has his own production company, working as a director on advertisements and corporate videos. What he likes in particular about Thessaloniki is that in just two hours, you can be anywhere from the snowy slopes of Mt Kaimaktsalan to the beaches of Halkidiki.

What worries him is how the city is changing.

“It’s gradually losing its humanity; it’s becoming a touristy city; prices are increasing, and things can be challenging if you don’t own your home.”

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The scene

CREATIVITY

“I’VE BEEN PLAYING MUSIC since I was born,” says

Nefeli, a University of Macedonia music science and art graduate. Before moving to Thessaloniki when she was about 17, Nefeli founded – at the family conservatory in Veria – the free-to-join children’s music club “Filippos Glee,” which soon had branches in other Macedonian cities. “Among the children, there were young refugees from Syria, whom we helped integrate into the local community. Today, the club continues to organize events to financially support institutions that protect children,” she says. Nefeli writes music for children’s musicals and theatrical performances, teaches in a small studio in Thessaloniki, and travels back and forth to the Netherlands, where she’s attending a postgraduate course

↙ Nefeli Bravaki

Composer and musician, 29 6 6 — GREECE IS

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in theater directing. To relax, she grabs her earphones and goes for seaside walks. “I live next to the Nea Paralia [“New Waterfront”].

As I grew older, these walks became part of my creative process. When I write something new, I listen to it as I walk,” Nefeli explains. In Thessaloniki, which, she believes, lacks alternative scenes, including a queer one, she frequents the Valaoritou neighborhood, the Roman Forum, and, to be near the water, the area behind the Concert Hall. She likes the human pace of life and the manageable scale of the city, but most of all, she enjoys going to live gigs after work. “Everything would be a lot better if the metro was ready; it’s really a hassle getting around,” Nefeli notes before leaving for rehearsal.

THE GROCERY OF ASIAN CUISINE

The scene

CREATIVITY

STELA, WHO GREW UP in Palaiochora in the Cretan regional unit of Hania, is co-owner of Off Stream, a company whose aim is to make art accessible to everyone. In January 2020, at the MOMus Museum of Contemporary Art, she presented the project “Mind’s Eye,” the focus of which was the inclusion of people with visual impairment in the experience of art. The project involved selecting 10 works from the renowned Alexander Iolas collection, and developing a number of inclusive applications. These apps, including an innovative floor guide and embossed QR codes, combine audio and tactile stimuli to enable a different way of perceiving art. I ask her if she thinks Thessaloniki is friendly for people with mobility difficulties.

↙ Stela

“In general, it’s not a friendly city. I’m irritated by the narrow, often impeded sidewalks, the absence of greenery and, above all, the cars parked everywhere, even on pedestrian crossings,” she says. Nevertheless, Stela loves the city and enjoys exploring it on foot, as she used to do when studying archaeology. “I either wander around familiar places, such as the narrow alleys of Ano Poli, hoping that I may discover something new, or venture into unaccustomed surroundings. Recently, I discovered some tiny sandy beaches and footpaths near the former army camp at Kodra,” she reveals. But her favorite place is still the bustling Kapani Market, which she sees as a time capsule. “There, among the smells of fish and spices, with the vendors advertising their wares, I get a taste of the old Thessaloniki.”

→ offstream.org

Anastasaki Art historian and cultural manager, 40

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Vintage Streets, New Beats

Genre-specific, all-vinyl DJ sets, live performances and other events, plus good drinks make Giapi a local favorite.

Street view through the windows of Toss Gallery.

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EXPLORE

A lively evening at the Arcade multispace.

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Frangomahala

In the late 19th century, the Frangomahala, a pleasing tangle of streets between the boulevard known as Sabri Pasha and the western city walls, was Thessaloniki’s most sophisticated quarter. Today, it is that once again; its oldworld glamor, its oncedisused historic spaces and the district’s more recent commercial character have attracted a new generation of creative individuals, and it is once more a choice destination for socializing and culture.

BY AMBER CHARMEI P H OTO S : P E R I K L E S M E R A KO S T H E S S A LO N I K I

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T THIS ELEGANT DISTRICT above

the port takes its name from the term “Frangi,” which refers to the Ottoman Empire’s Latin (rather than Greek Orthodox) Christians. The word “Frangi” came to refer to the city’s prosperous and influential international community, while mahala,” derived from Arabic, was used throughout the Ottoman territories to mean “neighborhood.” The Frangomahala was their commercial and social hub, where they built grand homes, conducted business, worshiped, and went to social clubs. By the turn of the 20th century, the Frangomahala had become a cosmopolitan slice of Europe amid the Ottoman city.

Thessaloniki’s more European character had already begun to emerge with the arrival of the new Ottoman governor, Sabri Pasha, in 1869. The 74 — GREECE IS

governor, fresh from his previous posting in Izmir and energized by his successful transformation of that port, embarked on forward-thinking changes that included the removal of the waterfront walls that had closed the city to the sea for centuries. Open to fresh breezes and vistas featuring the Thermaikos Gulf and Mt Olympus, the new promenade soon became prime real estate, filling with cafés and elegant hotels. Streets were widened and modernized, most notably along the Frangomahala’s eastern border. It is now named after the Greek statesman Venizelos, but it was initially named after Sabri Pasha. It connected the Konak – the residence of the Ottoman governor – to a fashionable square on the port. In contrast to the open Oun Kapan Market (today known as the 2023-2024 EDITION

Kapani Market, and still quite lively) to the east, the new shops and department stores along the modern avenue displayed fine imported goods in windows, advertising a more refined shopping experience. Aimed at a cosmopolitan and multilingual community, these European-style shops often bore French names, such as Au Louvre (whose signage indicated ownership by the Fils de Mustafa Ibrahim), and catered to the city elites’ “alafranga,” or Western, tastes in fashion and home decor.

Improvements to the city’s infrastructure supported this more cosmopolitan way of life. As Marc David Baer relates in his 2009 history “The Dönme,” Mayor Hamdi Bey, a businessman from the Dönme community, took office in 1893 with the aim of making “a healthy city, which breathed

Frangomahala Far right: Housewares, agricultural supplies and dry goods fill the sidewalks by day.

Upward glances are advised - the district is aglow with architectural detail.

freely, pulsated with life, and moved towards growth.” His introduction of water and gas companies and a tram company, all partially backed by Belgian interests, were changing the city’s centuries-old ways of life. By the end of the 19th century, the Compagnie des Eaux du Salonique would pipe water directly into the homes of those who could afford it, reducing the importance of the public well as a place to congregate and exchange news. New and more appealing gathering places began to emerge as lighting from the Ottoman Gas Company extended the convivial hours, and new cafés, beer gardens, and elegant hotels started opening up, joined by the Théâtre Français and the Deutsche Klub. These destinations attracted a sophisticated crowd dressed in the latest European fashions, purchased

BY THE TURN OF THE 20TH CENTURY, THE FRANGOMAHAL A HAD BECOME A COSMOPOLITAN SLICE OF EUROPE IN THE MIDST OF THE OT TOMAN CIT Y. T H E S S A LO N I K I

from new department stores such as Stein (whose building, topped by a green glass globe, still stands on the southeastern side of Plateia Eleftherias).

For the diplomats, industrialists, and other elite of all faiths, there was also the Cercle de Salonique, a private social club founded by the key names of the day – Allatini, Modiano, Misrachi, Chasseud, Hadzilazaros, and the British consul John E. Blunt.

Today, the Frangomahala is again Thessaloniki’s most engaging district, its old-world glamour shining through a pleasingly urban patina created by decades of reinvention. The streets, lined with Belle Epoque buildings and mid-century commercial spaces, are now the setting for round-the-clock activity that’s commercial by day and cultural and social by night. The GREECE IS — 7 5

Frangomahala

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pre-dawn lull between closing time for Thessaloniki’s best after-hours bars and the start of business for the neighborhood merchants is brief. Mornings here are a whirlwind of activity and aromas – this was and still is a spice merchant’s haven, particularly around the Plateia Emboreiou, the old commercial square – but wholesalers of nuts and dried fruits, and stores specializing in household supplies also abound. Sidewalks are cluttered with blue-and-white patterned feta cheese tins, canning jars, olive oil drums, and glass jeroboams reinforced with basket weave for storing small-batch local wines. Even here in the city, ties to agrarian life and traditional products remain strong. The beautiful Olicatessen (4 Viktoros Ougo) is dedicated to artisanal foods, its shelves brimming with superb products from all over Greece. Around the corner along Frangon – “The Franks’ Street” – there’s more agrarian activity; tomato plants and trays of potted herbs line the shady sidewalks between the music

conservatory and Syngrou Street, where you’ll also find Ambelos (24 Frangon), just the place for your wine-making supplies.

Another block to the west on Frangon brings us to Neon (14 Leontos Sofou & Frangon). This is one of the few bougatsa (a local pastry) stores that still stretches its own filo dough by hand; it’s the perfect place to try the famous “sketo” – just plain crispy flaky dough with no filling. Across the street, you’ll see the State Conservatory housed in a 19th-century mansion.

Its neoclassical and baroque details beneath a mansard roof reflect the district’s international identity, while the story of the building demonstrates Thessaloniki’s transition to modernity in the nineteenth century. The mansion was originally the Thessaloniki home of the Abbotts. Jackie Abbott, a rather notorious businessman, made his fortune through a monopoly in the supply of leeches, which were popular in the healthcare industry then. It was

Lining up a shot at La Doze.

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a symbolically significant beginning; he would soon amass a greater fortune by transitioning into money-lending at exorbitant rates.

The mansion on Frangon Street wasn’t the main Abbott family home – their principal estate stood just outside of town. Abbott planned to host Sultan Abdulmecid I there during his 1859 visit. In his 2004 volume “Salonica, City of Ghosts,” Mark Mazower relates details of astonishing excess: Abbott had a 10-kilometer road leading to his estate covered with carpets for the Sultan’s approach.

Fate, however, didn’t smile on this ostentation; a thunderclap just as the Sultan was about to descend from the carriage is said to have put him off his visit, and not even coffee, brewed carriage-side with Abbott himself allegedly stoking the fire with banknotes, could induce the Sultan to stay.

In any case, the sun was rapidly setting on private money-lenders like Abbott; only a few years after the

Glamour and functionality sit side by side at the intersection of Venizelou - once Sabri Pasha and Ermou.

Frangomahala

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Sultan’s visit, the Abbott mansion became the headquarters of the Imperial Ottoman Bank. The path to international capitalism was not welcomed by all; in April of 1903, the “Boatmen of Thessaloniki,” whose stated intent was to “…sail towards freedom and the wild seas beyond the law,” set off a series of explosions, the last of which destroyed all but the Ottoman Bank’s exterior walls. The bank was rebuilt.

Today, behind the wrought-iron fence, serenaded by the music wafting through the conservatory’s tall windows, stands the slightly damaged statue of a seated woman, a relic of the lost world of the Abbotts and the only trace of the bombing incident.

Located east of the conservatory stands the Holy Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (19 Frangon), a stunning example of neo-Renaissance architecture constructed by Vitaliano Poselli for the Catholic community in the late 1800s. A prominent architect of the city’s Belle Epoque cityscape, he also designed the new headquarters of the Banque de Salonique – built within the garden of the old Allatini mansion.

Today, it is a shopping arcade called the Stoa Malakopi, notable for its ornate neo-baroque facade and for a clock that

JUST AS THE SULTAN WAS ABOUT TO DESCEND FROM THE CARRIAGE, A THUNDERCL AP IS SAID TO HAVE PUT HIM OFF HIS VISIT, AND NOT E VEN COFFEE, BRE WED CARRIAGE-SIDE, COULD INDUCE THE SULTAN TO STAY.

still shows the exact time of a 1978 earthquake. On a warm night, much of the neighborhood’s energy converges here, around the fountain and benches at the end of a broad pedestrianized stretch of Syngrou that’s ideal for socializing. Along the northwestern side of the stoa, the minimalist spaces of Arcade (2 Vilara), with coffee by day and cocktails and music by night, still convey an air of old-world elegance. This section of Stoa Malakopi opens onto Katholikon (“Street of the Catholics”), where you’ll find Giapi (1 Katholikon), the after-hours spot of the moment thanks to its quality drinks and music selection that ranges from experimental electronic to ’60s garage.

La Doze (1 Vilara) is located directly across from Stoa Malakopi and is known for its lively crowds and

Above: In a tranquil courtyard off of Frangon Street is the Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Left: Engaging with art and design at Beetroot.

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intrakat.gr

Frangomahala

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pool table. At Toss Gallery upstairs, exhibitions and events include interactive, collaborative, and experimental projects, comic art, 3D projections, and screenings of independent films. Another notable contemporary art gallery is in the historic De Mayo building, on an alley to the east. The Eye Altering (2 Paikou) fosters emerging artists. On your way there, you’ll pass by Beetroot.

Here, an established team of graphic artists has developed a signature style that’s minimalist, expressive, and playful. The energy is contagious at their airy café-bar and shop, an ideal spot whether working on your laptop or enjoying a glass of wine. Artpeckers (12 Valaoritou) focuses on still more unique local graphics. The geometric motifs and patterns on their bags, accessories, and homewares, all made in collaboration with Greek suppliers, are inspired

by Greek culture and mythology.

Katouni, the commercial lane connecting Vasileos Irakleiou and the Plateia Emboreiou, offers two very different, albeit both traditional, pleasures to round out your wanderings. Orfeas (35-39 Katouni) has been making traditional sweets such as “glyko tou koutaliou” (preserves) for three generations. Their caramelized “Halva Farsalon,” made in traditional hammered copper vessels in the back of the shop, is particularly delicious. If you have a tad more time to spare, stop by Harara Hammam (33 Katouni) for an authentic hammam experience that includes a massage; it’s a fantastic way to revisit centuries of Ottoman bath culture. You’ll be relaxed, glowing, and ready for more exploring or a night out after some tea in the adorable hidden courtyard.

Vitaliano Poselli

As Ottoman Thessaloniki adopted a more European character, Vitaliano Poselli became one of its key architects.

His iconic works, both public and private commissions, helped shape the city’s Belle Epoque period. Mayor Hamdi Bey commissioned Poselli to design significant public buildings, 8 0 — GREECE IS

It’s always 11:06 at the Stoa Malakopi.

including the new Konak, or Governor’s House (1894), and the Military Headquarters (1903). Poselli’s private commissions were more expressive.

Eclectism was the style of the moment, and Poselli, fluent in the stylistic vocabulary of a host of historical periods and in the ArtNouveau of the era, handled it with grace. His commercial landmarks are the Banque de Salonique and the Allatini Mills. In addition to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the Frangomahala, he also designed several other houses of worship, including the Armenian Church (4 Dialetti), the Beth Saul 2023-2024 EDITION

Synagogue (destroyed in 1943), and the Geni Tzami (built for the Dönme community and still standing). Poselli also designed the Villa Morpurgo and the Villa Allatini.• For fur ther reading, see:

Baer, Marc David: “The Dönme: Jewish Converts, Muslim Reactionaries, and Secular Turks.” Stanford University Press, 2010 Mazower, Mark: “Salonica, City of Ghosts: Christians, Muslims, and Jews, 1430-1950” HarperCollins, 2004

Thessaloniki’s long waterfront was a big draw for Andersen: “I need to be in a place where I can smell the sea.”

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A career at sea has now given way to plenty of free time on the bike for cycling enthusiast Svein Andersen, a Norwegian ship’s captain whose retirement in Thessaloniki is anything but restful.

BY AMBER CHARMEI P H OTO S : O LG A D E I KO U T H E S S A LO N I K I

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Globetrotter

PROFILE

Τ

Fully equipped, Andersen can be on the road for weeks or even months at a time; a trip from Oslo last summer took him through 16 countries.

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THINGS HAVE BEEN GOING according to plan for Svein Andersen.

The retired ship᾿s captain and avid cyclist has been living an exciting life since he first put out to sea in 1960. A maritime life had been his dream since early childhood; on his 15th birthday, with his parent’s signature in hand, he flew to London to join his first crew, starting out as a deckhand on an adventure that would last more than half a century. Signing on and off a series of ships, he didn᾿t see Norway again for three and a half years. In the meantime, he sailed all over – to the Far East, the Americas, Australia... Finally, he saw Greece: “It was 1962. I’d already been at sea two years and seen so much of the world. But when we crossed through the Suez Canal and docked at Piraeus, something just clicked; I almost felt like I had been there before.”

Ascending through the ranks of Norway’s Merchant Marine and alternating between education and practical experience, he continued to travel the seas, ultimately sailing on all kinds of ships – tankers, cargo ships, refrigerated ships, even a cruise ship. This last was less to his liking; he preferred the camaraderie aboard commercial vessels, where over weeks and months at sea “the crew becomes like a family.” The crews were international, and he found Greek and Spanish sailors to be some of the finest at their craft.

Throughout his career, Greece was a constant; the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis frequently bought ships from Norway’s merchant fleet, as the vessels had a reputation for being in top condition.

These ships would end their journey in Piraeus for the handover and, while the other sailors would continue on another ship or return home, Andersen took every opportunity to explore Greece. By the early 1970s, after first visiting some of the islands, including Lesvos, Samos, and Mykonos, he decided he would retire in Greece: “I felt something special when I came to the islands, a connection – the culture, the people, the food. Soon, I actually came to feel I was Greek.”

Another thing, apart from the sea, that has been constant throughout his life is cycling. “In 1949 in Kristiansand – just 10 to 15 houses back then – there was just one bicycle. It belonged to Agda, the lady who cleaned the school, and she let all the children of the village learn how to ride on it. Three years later, for my 7th birthday, my parents got me my own bike – a used one. I rode to school every day, about 4 km, except when the snow was too deep. The first bike I bought with my own money was a junior bike; to save up for it, I sold newspapers on the train station platform before school, and shoveled snow, too.” A couple of years after boarding his first ship, he returned to biking. “We were in a port somewhere – Hamburg or Rotterdam, I think – and I decided to buy a bike right then and there, to explore the city and the countryside.

From then on, I always traveled with a bike, to explore when we were in port. On calm seas, like in the South Pacific for instance, I even biked aboard ship. Eventually, the owner of the shipping company started equipping each ship with a bike.”

After decades at sea, Andersen returned to Oslo in 2005, and went biking at every opportunity around Norway and other places, too, including Scotland’s beautiful Whiskey Trail. He retired in 2015 at age 70, holding firmly to his original plan: to move to Greece as soon as possible.

But where? Good biking opportunities were a priority, and a decisive factor in choosing where to move. While he loved exploring the islands, they weren’t an option; he would learn all the routes in no time at all, and 2023-2024 EDITION

Globetrotter

PROFILE

The White Tower: a symbolic starting point for many a long cycling trip and a welcoming landmark to come home to.

“IT WAS 1962.

I’D ALRE ADY BEEN AT SE A T WO YE ARS AND SEEN SO MUCH OF THE WORLD. BUT WHEN WE CROSSED THROUGH THE SUEZ CANAL AND DOCKED AT PIRAEUS, SOME THING JUST CLICKED." 8 6 — GREECE IS

for anything more ambitious he’d need to board a ship or a plane. Islands were too confining as well; as a lifelong sailor, he approached dry land as one approaches the sea, treasuring a sense of boundlessness. He liked cities, but Piraeus and Athens felt too crowded and claustrophobic for him. The seaside towns of Glyfada and Varkiza, on the other hand, were too small. He wanted something more cosmopolitan.

One day, a friend of his in Oslo had some visitors from Greece. Andersen invited them all to a barbecue, and they started telling him about their hometown. That was in June of 2016. In July, he came to Thessaloniki to visit. In all his years at sea, this was one port he’d never seen.

After just two days, he realized that Thessaloniki was exactly what he was looking for: “I loved it here right away: that beautiful long waterfront.

I need to be in a place where I can smell the sea,” he says. “And I also wanted a place I could get away from for days at a time easily and spontaneously. Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia – there are so many destinations within easy reach. And of course, all of Greece.” He loves the weather, too. “I hate winter,” he says, and smiles as he explains that temperatures on Thessaloniki’s sunny mid-winter days barely graze the low double digits. “That’s pretty much like summer in Oslo,” he says.

2023-2024 EDITION

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PROFILE

Once he returned to Oslo, he began checking out some apartments online.

Half an hour later, he’d rented a place with a view of the Thermaikos Gulf. “I packed up my things, loaded the car, and drove down in October. Thessaloniki felt like home right away.”

He visited Oslo again a couple of years later, and was there briefly last year, too, to set off for a ride from the Norwegian capital to Thessaloniki – “101 days, 6,000 kilometers, 16 countries, eight capitals, and 632 cities and towns.”

Stopped just short of cycling the entire distance by a small accident in Albania, he still managed an impressive 5,932 km.

“Greece is a great country for cycling,” he says. “The landscape is fantastic.

Everywhere I go, I have wonderful encounters with local people. And the biking culture’s very friendly; Greek cyclists will always greet you out on the road.

We pull over and exchange tips. There’s a nice sense of community among cyclists. I’ve met great people this way.”

WHAT ANDERSEN RIDES

“I’ve had 12-15 bikes in my lifetime, trading up for better ones whenever I could.

I had a mountain bike when I arrived in Thessaloniki, but after my first long trip – down to Athens on the way to Crete – I found it heavy, so I gave it to the brother of a friend. I then got an Orient, a Greek brand. This is great for the city.

For longer trips, including the trip from Norway last year, I ride a Fuji road bike, which I love. I bought it from the bike shop right in my neighborhood.”

SOME OF HIS FAVORITE CYCLING ROUTES → Thessaloniki-Kozani-Ioannina-Patra-Aigio-MegaraSalamina-Piraeus-Volos-Skiathos-Volos-LarissaKaterini-Thessaloniki.

Duration: two weeks

This was my first trip of 2023, in March. The old road from Kozani to Ioannina through the mountains has amazing scenery, and Ioannina is very beautiful.

The first section of the ride after Ioannina was very steep. I took the ferry from Antirrio to Rio, rode to Patra, then returned along the south coast of the Gulf of Corinth, stopping in beautiful Aigio. After crossing over the Corinth Canal to the Saronic Gulf, I passed through Megara and took a ferry to Salamina Island. I loved Salamina; it’s a very overlooked destination. From the east side of the island, I took the ferry to Perama and went to Piraeus. From there, I went up the coast to Volos, then took a ferry to Skiathos. After exploring the island, I returned to Volos and rode up to Thessaloniki via Larissa and the old road from Katerini.

→ Lake Kerkini-Serres-Drama-Kavala-ThassosThessaloniki.

Duration: four to five days

Usually I travel alone, but I planned this trip with a friend from Austria. We had met at a traffic light in Zagreb, both riding to Split, and we stayed in touch.

Lake Kerkini is fantastic. Starting at Herakleia, we rode around the lake some, then continued to Serres and Drama: very green, almost no cars. Then from Kavala, we took the ferry to Thassos, which we loved. The island’s a little over 100 km around, and it’s green and mountainous. There were some challenging rides. From Kavala, we rode back to Thessaloniki via Asprovalta and the Volvi and Koroneia lakes.

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AS A LIFELONG SAILOR, HE APPROACHES DRY L AND AS ONE APPROACHES THE SE A , TRE ASURING A SENSE OF BOUNDLESSNESS.

Globetrotter → Florina-Lake Vegoritida-Arnissa-EdessaThessaloniki.

Duration: three to four days

The countryside is fantastic in late spring. I rode from Florina via Lake Petron to Lake Vegoritida, then continued along the shore of the lake to Arnissa. The cherry trees in bloom were an amazing sight. Then it was off to Edessa, with its fantastic waterfall. The road from Edessa to Veroia was beautiful and easy.

Veroia’s on a cliff; after a downhill ride, I saw more flowering trees – peach trees this time – on a beautiful start to a flat ride back to Thessaloniki.

→ Peraia and Angelochori A day trip from the city

The beach town of Peraia is about an hour’s ride (20k) from Thessaloniki.

From here, I ride along the shore to Angelochori, less than 10k. It’s a nice beach, popular with windsurfers. Sometimes I continue south to Nea Michaniona. In the summer months, a boat goes between the White Tower and Peraia and nearby Neoi Epivates; it’s fun to take it one-way for the views it offers.

→ Katerini A day trip or overnighter from the city

After you pass the Axios Delta National Park, the old road down to Katerini along the sea is fantastic. Sometimes I ride on a beach path, getting off to walk the bike through soft sand when necessary. It’s totally silent except for the many birds. It’s 75-80 km one way – you can leave very early, take the KTEL (bus) one way, or make it an easy overnight trip.•

ANDER S EN’S TIPS FOR LONGDIS TANCE B IK E TRIPS IN G REECE • Finding routes “Google (or TomTom) doesn’t always offer a bike route.

Car routes are sometimes highways – biking’s not allowed, and it’s also not always safe or enjoyable.

Rural roads are good – not crowded, and great scenery.

A good way to find an interesting route is to check for walking directions; if you can walk it, you can usually bike it.”

• What to bring “I always bring rain gear, a tent, and a small gas burner.

Wild camping [camping outside of designated campsites] is generally illegal, but it’s good to be prepared for anything.”

• Using buses and trains “KTEL (intercity buses) is an excellent way to travel.

I’ve found buses going everywhere I need. It’s important to ask the driver – not the ticket agent – about bringing your bike; treat the driver as the captain of the bus. Trains can also be good for getting around.

“When I’m planning a route that’s not a loop, such as Alexandroupoli to Thessaloniki, I take the KTEL to start from the furthest point. I can see what to prepare for on the way – like a steep climb – and what to look forward to. But also, it’s much more fun to ride back into the city."

• Being flexible “Leaving time for the unexpected really pays off – not just in case of possible emergencies, but so you can spend more time in places that you find you really enjoy.”

T H E S S A LO N I K I

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Gastronomy

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Culinary Capital

Left, delicious meals are slowly cooked every day in the wood-fired oven at the café Stou Mitsou.

Right, classic local dishes at the taverna Kronos.

© CHRISTINA GEORGIADOU

The city᾿s food legacy is a tapestry woven by diverse migrations and its pivotal role as a Balkan hub. What you᾿ll find here today is a unique cuisine drawing the best from the past and marrying it with new culinary concepts.

BY NENA DIMITRIOU 9 0 — GREECE IS

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© OLGA DEIKOU

DISCOVER

W H A T S H A P E D T H I S C I T Y ’ S F O O D L E G A C Y ? Much of it was human movement; among those who flocked to its walls were Greek-speaking refugees from Anatolia, Jews from Spain and elsewhere, Pontic Greeks, Palestinians, Syrians, Georgians, Armenians, and internal migrants from Macedonia and Thessaly, all adding their touches to the native cuisine. Then, there’s the city’s geographic position as the maritime outlet for the Balkans, the link between the rest of Europe and Istanbul, and the nearest urban center to the sacred peninsula of Mt Athos. Thessaloniki has clearly always been a more intriguing melting pot of cultures and influences than Athens. Iakovos Michailidis, professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki explains that Thessaloniki has been great since its founding. “It is a wealthy city that has condensed and assimilated cultural elements from ancient times, the Roman period, the Byzantine era, the Ottoman Empire, its once vibrant Jewish community, and Asia Minor. It has been one of the most important ports in the wider Eastern Mediterranean region, a gateway to the Balkans and central Europe. Its cosmopolitan character was already evident from as early as the Ottoman period, when caravans passed through the city, transporting goods to and from central Europe.”

Even in times of foreign rule, Thessaloniki was relatively prosperous, and the process of urbanization began there much earlier than other cities in Greece. Due to its strategic location on the Via Egnatia, the road built by the Romans in the 2nd century BC, peoples, armies and goods passed through the city on a regular basis, making it receptive to a wider range of ideas. In the 19th century, it was the seat of dozens of consulates, from the largest to the smallest European powers. During WWI, approximately a million soldiers from many different nations are known to have spent time there: British, Irish, French, Indians, Indo-Chinese, Vietnamese, Moroccan, Canadians, Senegalese, Russians, Australians and New Zealanders, a veritable hub of multiculturalism. But how is all this related to the city’s gastronomy?

From the accounts of soldiers, mainly British troops who fought on the Macedonian front in WWI, we know that they all sought out the food of their home countries during their time in Thessaloniki. The photo book “Thessaloniki: Moments in History,” published by the National Historical Museum (2016), contains images of German prisoners working in the bakery of a French military camp, and of frontline soldiers baking loaves and serving soup. Indeed, there are accounts of how soldiers and officers from all over the world not only cooked for themselves, but also set up eateries and coffee shops in Eleftherias Square and elsewhere in the city. In this, they were like each ethnic group that had passed through Thessaloniki, contributing their 9 2 — GREECE IS

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own cultural elements and influencing the local cuisine just as others had over the centuries.

The early years of the 20th century were difficult for the city. Prior to WWI, there was the upheaval of 1912, when the city was liberated from Ottoman rule. During the war, there was the great fire of 1917 (a blessing in disguise that resulted in a new urban plan and redevelopment along contemporary European lines).

After the global conflict, the ensuing Greco-Turkish War and the Greek defeat of 1922 caused a massive influx of ethnic Greek refugees, earning the city the moniker “Mother of Refugees.”

© COURTESY OF OLYMPOS NAOUSSA HOTEL

W

Gastronomy

A photo from February 1993,

by Roland Laboye, featuring Neoklis, one of the waiters at Olympus Naoussa restaurant, addressing his customers.

The demographic change was rapid and clearly evident in its cultural footprint.

“The city’s darkest periods include the Balkan Wars, when new borders were drawn, and the annihilation of the Jewish community,” Professor Michailidis says. “Thessaloniki endured the scourge of the Holocaust, as well as the terrible trauma of the Civil War, which cut deeper in northern Greece.

With the Macedonian Question [a political dispute over which nation would rule the area after the expulsion of the Ottomans] fueling a climate of introversion and insecurity, the city looked inward and closed in on itself. By now, the dominant culture was Greek,

THE DOMINANT CULTURE WAS GREEK , CHARACTERIZED TO A L ARGE E X TENT

BY ELEMENTS INTRODUCED

BY REFUGEES FROM THE E AST. T H E S S A LO N I K I

characterized to a large extent by elements introduced by [Greek-speaking] refugees from the East.”

For many years, the majority of the population lived in poverty. Over time, however, the working class made economic gains. Meanwhile, there were always local elites, mainly merchants and intellectuals. After the collapse of “real socialism” in the early 1990s, communication with the Balkans became more direct and the city took in many Armenians and Pontic Greeks.

This, then, was the identity of the people who lived, cooked and ate in Thessaloniki. But what was their impact on gastronomy? Apart from GREECE IS — 9 3

DISCOVER

certain specific recipes that can be identified as “Politikes” (originating from Istanbul), Pontian or Jewish, influences aren’t always easy to discern.

Nevertheless, food writer Christos Zouraris, in a recent discussion with Angelos Rentoulas, editor-in-chief of Kathimerini Newspaper᾿s food publications, expressed the interesting view that it was the Anatolian Greeks who introduced a culture of hedonism around food consumption to Greece proper and transformed eating from a daily necessity to a pleasurable ritual.

A devotion to delicious

Writer George Skabardonis remembers that, as a child, he would go swimming with his family at nearby seaside resorts. “From the White Tower we’d take the boat to Peraia and Baxe Tsifliki. I remember my mother carrying a pan of uncooked stuffed vegetables covered with a checkered cloth. Mothers then really cared about food. As soon as we disembarked, she’d take the pan to the nearest bakery where they’d cook the food in their oven, so we could enjoy it hot when we finished swimming.” Who today would go to all that trouble – traveling in a small boat with a big pan of stuffed vegetables – just to eat them fresh from the oven? It seems that pleasure trumped all effort.

And they were equally tireless when it came to ensuring there was variety on the table and that everything served was truly delicious. They learned to be inventive, even making use of ingredients considered second-rate, including ground meat from lower-quality cuts and second-grade fish such as thicklip grey mullet. It was the women refugees who introduced many such culinary secrets, having learned them as part of the tradition of their now-lost homelands.

The restaurant timeline

In the early 1950s, every neighborhood had its own eateries; Toumba was full of ouzo bars and tavernas, as 9 4 — GREECE IS

was Kalamaria. There were downtown restaurants, too, establishments longtime residents still remember fondly.

“Our table at Olympos Naoussa was reserved specifically for us, and Thanasis, the friendly waiter, always greeted us with a warm smile,” recalls the restaurant critic and food writer Epicurus in his book The Taste of Memory (published

by Ikaros). Yiannis Boutaris, winemaker and former mayor of the city, confirms Epicurus’ account. “Unlike other places that were basic eateries, Olympos Naoussa was a restaurant, and a restaurant is all about the staff taking care of the customer. Which is why each waiter had his own customers. [Our waiter] Doxis had ten, and they sat at specific tables.”

Middle-class clientele, young bachelors and those who worked in the center and took lunch breaks would eat at these downtown spots. There was Stratis with its stews and casseroles, Athinaikon on Komninon Street, Cairo on Tsimiski, and Elvetiko on Aghias Sofias. Next to the Boutaris family ouzo distillery was the legendary Soutzoukakakia Rogotis.

Equally famous was Klimataria, as was ever-packed Tiffany’s, acclaimed for its one-pot dishes. But the real place to be was Krikelas. “We’d go at noon and leave late in the evening; we went there to enjoy it,” says Boutaris, adding with a smile: “What I like about Thessaloniki is its conservatism. Who’s conservative?

Someone who doesn’t want change.

How nice it was back then, and it really was!”

THE CIT Y BEG AN TO ACQUIRE SMALL G ASTRO-CAFÉS WHERE DINERS COULD ENJOY TRULY DELICIOUS FOOD FOR €20 OR LESS. 2023-2024 EDITION

These and other celebrated restaurants in Thessaloniki had already become well established by the 1980s.

Sports bars, such as Café Alpha on the corner of Ethnikis Amynis and Svolou, came into their own, as basketball soared in popularity to rival the affection once reserved only for soccer. City residents and visitors were also living it up at tavernas with live music, including the famed Liolios in the Toumba district and the legendary Dore near the White Tower, and at nightspots known as boîtes, where many now-famous singers began their careers.

The Modiano Market, with dozens of ouzo bars and meze eateries, was then in its heyday; boisterous revelries were the norm at The Suspended Step of the Shrimp inside the stoa. “After 1990, most of the good tavernas and restaurants closed, without being replaced by others, so for years the city’s cuisine was indifferent. We were serving pancetta with music; most of the meze bars were very basic and lacking in quality. The restaurants that were expensive didn’t last, while ethnic eateries never took off in Thessaloniki. No ethnic restaurant was embraced by the city for any length of time,” says Giorgos Toulas, journalist and founder of Parallaxi, the first Greek magazine distributed for free.

After 2000, something changed. A culinary guild was set up in Thessaloniki by a group of young professionals who were free of preconceptions and had a shared ideology in favor of collectivity and an interest in everything local and traditional. Young cooks found out what was missing and set about providing it. The city began to acquire small gastro-cafés where diners could enjoy truly delicious food for €20 or less. Yannis Loukakis was involved from the outset in this culinary shift, as were Stelios Emmanouilidis and Dimitris Tasioulas. Many others followed and there was soon quite a buzz about Nea Folia, Sebriko, Pezodromo, Mourga, Maitr & Margarita, Extravaganza, Charoupi (Cretan cuisine), Radikal (sadly no longer open), Nama,

Gastronomy must do the best you can with simple dishes at a reasonable price: food that’s accessible and affordable, without frills,” says Manolis Papoutsakis, chef at Charoupi and Deka Trapezia. This is why the gastro-cafés succeeded in changing the landscape. The cooks used ingredients that they knew: not Purple Peruvians, but potatoes from Orestiada.

They changed the way that traditional sausages, cured meats, Tsouska peppers, offal and Kasseri cheeses were used in cooking, and they prepared many other recipes with readily available ingredients. “Without intending to, the city made fashionable the food that’s now fashionable all over the world,” says Papoutsakis. They also made Thessaloniki a place of great culinary interest today.

In this city where great delicacies were born, where the main square is filled with the aromas of mahlepi and

salep, where sesame seeds from bread rings leave crumb trails on the sidewalks, where you can find beef patties stuffed with gyros grilled over charcoal, where Smyrna meatballs have no sauce, where people line up for tripe soup, and where you can find deliciousness and originality in what may appear to be the humblest food (piroshki dough with bougatsa cream filling), the food continues to thrill foreigners and locals alike. Everyone together and each person individually has contributed towards making Thessaloniki a city of pleasure, a place where generosity is the order of the day.• In 2021, Thessaloniki became the first Greek city to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of gastronomy.

© OLGA DEIKOU

Ntangara, Contrabando and, more recently, Iliopetra and Sintrofi. The people of Thessaloniki were suspicious at first. Over time, however, after eating at some of these new places, they found something of their culinary culture in the food and came to know the riches of their homeland better: cheese products and vegetables from the Macedonian plain, fish and other seafood from Halkidiki, and recipes from Mt Athos. They discovered something new, very tasty and yet – at the end of the day – still familiar, and they accepted it. The same inhabitants of Thessaloniki who aren’t impressed by celebrity chefs, especially if their food lacks substance, made these gastro-tavernas fashionable, and they’re still the envy of Athens today.

“There’s pressure on us cooks for the restaurant to measure up. The customers have certain demands. You

A table at the suburban restaurant Duck.

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SOME OF THE BEST E ATERIES IN TOWN, AS SELECTED

BY TOP FOOD MAG A ZINE G ASTRONOMOS

•DUCK

In the relatively sparsely populated industrial area of Pylaia, chef Ioanna Theodorakaki has created a cozy space, not unlike a country home, where you feel more like a family friend than a customer. There’s a small yard with a garden where she grows various vegetables and herbs, which she uses in a cuisine that's difficult to characterize.

You’ll find a variety of dishes, from mutton with eggplant to celery root soup with lobster or venison (from a farm in Xanthi) with white sauce and truffle. The kid goat in a nest of French fries was our favorite.

They bake their own bread, have an extensive wine list, and the service is top notch.

3 Halkis, Pylaia, Tel. (+30) 2315.519.333 •ILIOPETRA

Iliopetra

© OLGA DEIKOU

•EXTRAVAGANZA

This restaurant, which opened nine years ago, presents a creative menu and works with quality ingredients sourced through some key partnerships. The Chilli Factor organic farm at Neoi Epivates supplies seasonal vegetables, the meat comes from Arethousa, the feta cheese is from Halkidiki, the potatoes are from the village of Archangelos, the eels are from Messolongi, and a range of other products are sourced from Crete and Lesvos. We tried a number of filling dishes with a comfort-food feel, such as a generous Caesar salad sprinkled with fried kale; beef meatballs in a smoky tomato sauce, with feta and crispy onion; French fries with truffle oil and Parmesan cheese; and oven-baked honeyed pancetta. The small wine list is mostly Greek.

8 Episkopou Amvrosiou, Tel. (+30) 2310.529.791 9 6 — GREECE IS

2023-2024 EDITION

Iliopetra offers heartwarming, truly delicious food in a welcoming atmosphere. Chef and owner Giorgos Zannakis has developed a very personal style of cooking. His menu changes not just seasonally but several times a week, and most ingredients are organic, sourced mainly from small producers. Grilled sea bass with leek and celeriac, rabbit stew with vegetables, and beef tongue with fried egg and spinach are just some of the dishes he prepares. His love for Asian cuisine frequently finds expression, creatively yet unpretentiously, in options such as duck with buckwheat noodles, sushi rice with sea bass and green beans, or baked bonito wrapped in rice leaves.

5 Aischylou, Tel. (+30) 2314.055.553

Hot Tables

Mourga

© NIKOS KARANIKOLAS

•MOURGA

Mourga opened at a time when Thessaloniki’s gastronomic scene was beginning to come of age. This may be one of the reasons why this restaurant, although located away from the main bustle of the city, quickly became a foodie hot spot. The constantly changing menu does not play a particularly important role, since the emphasis is not so much on the recipes themselves but on the exclusively organic ingredients used in all the dishes. And Alexandros Barbounakis and Giannis Loukakis’ restaurant is still the most talked-about in Thessaloniki. Loukakis, the chef, does not like to fuss with the ingredients, which he holds in the highest regard, too much. Even when his dishes feature unlikely combinations, they manage to strike a balance between innovation and familiarity. We’ll never forget his prawns in a type of saganaki (fried cheese) with over-easy eggs, sheep’s cream and garlic paste.

Unforgettable, too, was how, on another occasion, he excitedly offered us a bunch of fresh sorrel, completely raw, with just a light splash of vinaigrette.

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•MAITR & MARGARITA

This cozy bistro, created by proponents of Thessaloniki’s new cuisine scene, quickly found its place among the city’s culinary gems. In their new welcoming space, they’ve developed their own distinct style of cooking: local ingredients highlighted in modern dishes, sometimes with elements of fusion cuisine, other times with northern Greek or Mediterranean influences. They do a delicious fresh tuna tataki, served with roasted cauliflower and pear cream. The grilled pork neck with Greek coffee glaze is accompanied by quince purée, while the octopus with boukovo (crushed red pepper flakes) comes with celery-root gnocchi and green apple. The carefully selected wines are not necessarily the best known but they admirably represent particular varieties and wine-making styles and really complement the food.

3 Frangon, Tel. (+30) 2314.007.586

Chef and co-owner Giorgos Chlouzas at Nea Folia.

•NEA FOLIA

4 Aristomenous, Tel. (+30) 2310.960.383 9 8 — GREECE IS

•DIAGONIOS

Diagonios is a grill house offering made-to-order dishes. It has the feel of a city restaurant and stellar service; here, the role of waiter is more vocation than avocation. They welcome you, take your coat, and suggest a table that best suits you. “Our customers, many of whom were first brought here in a pram by their parents, now come with their own children,” says Dimitris Liaskas, who has been working here for over 20 years. I usually order soutzoukakia (elongated meatballs) and gyros. There are other meat options, but these two are exceptional. To create the gyros, 50 kilograms of raw meat are seasoned with salt, pepper and onion, skewered on a vertical rotisserie, cooked and then sliced according to the customer’s preference: juicy, crispy or charred.

The soutzoukakia, too, are handmade. They mix 40 kilograms of ground meat with other ingredients to create meatballs that are not particularly spicy, all on a daily basis. No matter how many you eat, your stomach never feels heavy.

The delicious round-cut french fries and the Russian salad are always freshly made, too – just like their dips. There’s a wide selection of bottled wines that pair perfectly with the taverna-style fare. I come here often, both for the excellent food and genuine warmth, and for an experience that makes me feel like an aristocrat.

2 Fanarioton Square, Tel. (+30) 2310.260.958 2023-2024 EDITION

© OLGA DEIKOU

This taverna, in the outskirts of Ano Poli, first opened in 1967.

Under the guidance of head chefs George Chlouzas and Dimitris Pardalidis, Nea Folia, reminiscent of a traditional eatery, offers a wide selection of delicious little dishes, including many of the hot and spicy variety. Prepared from carefully selected ingredients, choices include a wonderful liver cooked with cabbage – the perfect wine appetizer – and kavourmas (a confit cut of meat with added spices) made from Xanthi beef, served with roasted kale and pomegranate sauce. The wine list features 30 Greek labels, many from small and lesser-known producers.

Hot Tables •CLOCHARD

In a pleasant space, in the corner of Mitropoleos Street, sits this fine restaurant, now gleaming.

With mirrors, just the right lighting, a large glass wine display case and fine art de la table, it looks more luxurious than ever. The same goes for its food. The classic Greek dishes, for which it has been known for decades, well-cooked as always, are still on the menu but they're in the minority. Clochard’s new culinary era features many raw dishes, including octopus carpaccio with chickpea mousse, bottarga and pickled mushroom; sea bream carpaccio with sea fennel and lime; and wagyu picanha nigiri. I tried a line-caught cod, prepared using a Greek recipe from Istanbul, with a lemon sauce and caviar. The fish was perfectly cooked, juicy and tasting of the sea. The moussaka, one of their most popular dishes, is made with slow-cooked cheeks and, instead of béchamel sauce, a foamy Metsovone cheese mousse. Their wine list will leave you spoiled for choice: on offer are over 600 labels from all over the world, including many magnums and three-liter bottles from the most famous vineyards of France, Italy and Spain, plus about 30 options by the glass. Clochard is also recommended for those business lunches where great food might help you close that important deal.

10 Komninon, Tel. (+30) 2310.239.805

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•OLYMPOS NAOUSSA

On the night we ate there, our waiter for the evening was the well-groomed Apostolos, who came to the table in his smart uniform and introduced himself. (In the restaurant’s early days, each table had a dedicated waiter who ensured everyone enjoyed their meal. Happily, this lovely tradition has been preserved.) A few minutes later, he brought some spinach purée, a favorite at Olympos Naoussa since the 1960s. The restoration and reopening of this historic restaurant was a major venture launched by the Tor Hotel Group in cooperation with Grivalia Hospitality; Grivalia is behind the On Residence hotel, on the ground floor of which the restaurant is housed. Another significant challenge has been taken up by head chef Dimitris Tasioulas who, tweaking techniques and form, has creatively reimagined some classic recipes such as stuffed vine leaves, now served with lemon-egg foam and lemon pearls. This is creative Greek cuisine, with a very interesting and reasonably priced wine list full of options in terms of varieties. The service is excellent and the surroundings are elegant.

© OLGA DEIKOU

5 Nikis, Tel. (+30) 2310.275.715

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•DANGARA

In northern Greece, “dangara” is slang for “having a great time,” and this is precisely what happens at this small restaurant next to the Rotunda. At the heart of their cuisine are ingredients and recipes from Macedonia.

Their new menu features dishes that are slightly more technically demanding, along with more vegetarian options than they'd previously offered.

The recipes continue to be mostly northern, with a focus on hearty Macedonian cuisine

Hot Tables with modern touches. Their delicious kebabs, made with a mix of three types of ground meat, are served with a coleslaw-style salad; the mushroom orzo is prepared with kefalotyri goat's cheese from Vlasti (or without it for vegans); and the beef tongue with a Greek coffee rub comes with pickled cauliflower. One recent addition to the menu is sout makalo, the signature dish of Florina, which consists of meatballs in a white sauce.

26 Armenopoulou, Tel. (+30) 2310.204.452 •CHAROUPI

Acclaimed chef Manolis Papoutsakis has been crafting refined Cretan cuisine at Charoupi since 2016. He finds culinary expression through simplicity, and each of his dishes is a celebration of fine ingredients.

On the menu you’ll find more than 10 carefully selected cheeses from his beloved island, including anthotyro, 24-month graviera, xygalo and galomyzithra.

Without trying to recapture Crete completely, he prepares food that has captivated Thessalonians, which is why they wholeheartedly recommend Charoupi to visitors.

Now considered classic dishes, the gooey egg yolks with staka cream, the minty warm cheese freshly made from goat's milk, the fried kalitsounia (small cheese pies) and the gamopilafo (a rice dish traditionally prepared for weddings), are all cooked by Papoutsakis as if he were in his own home. And if you’ve managed to save some room, you can enjoy a piece of galaktoboureko (semolina custard dessert) with staka butter and rose water ice cream.

The restaurant of the Makedonia Palace Hotel is the place to enjoy the festive “Sunday dinner” prepared by the team of noted chef Sotiris Evangelou. Amazing youvarlakia (meatball soup), spit-roasted lamb beneath a pile of crispy fried potatoes (served at Sunday lunchtime), patsas (tripe soup), honeyed venison with chestnuts and quince, orzo and fricassée dishes… all are sublime. The menu is geared to the season and the availability of ingredients provided by nature. The skills and talent of the chef, the exemplary service, the sea views, the extensive selection of wines, and the Thessaloniki-sized desserts all combine to give Salonica a clear advantage on the city’s restaurant scene.

4 Doxis, Tel. (+30) 698.852.626

Makedonia Palace Hotel, 2 Megalou Alexandrou, Tel. (+30) 2310.897.176

Charoupi

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•SALONICA

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•STOU MITSOU

Mitsos’ place could be straight out of a book by Emile Zola, where it might perhaps even have taken up an entire chapter had the French novelist lived in 21st-century Thessaloniki. He might even have written another masterpiece like Le Ventre de Paris (1873), but this time set in the Kapani Market instead of Les Halles, the enormous central market of 19th-century Paris. And in that volume he might have mentioned the traditional Thessaloniki café of Mitsos, tucked away in a corner of busy Vlali Street, the road which runs through the city’s oldest marketplace. Across the way, there's an olive vendor, next to it a small shop selling souvenirs, and next to that, another simple café with an old woodfired oven, an establishment which only remains in operation because Mitsos took it over shortly before it closed for good. The café, now in the capable hands of Dimitris Pantzartzidis, has become a popular haven serving delicious food; Pantzartzidis takes full advantage of his location inside the market and cooks with whatever fresh, reasonably priced ingredients are available from the surrounding stalls. In addition to the herbs, fish and meat, which he buys from vendors early in the morning, he uses his own oil and olives from the family grove at Varda in Ilia, and serves fresh bread, leavened with chickpea yeast, baked brown in the wood-fired oven. Among the dishes are red mullet, so fresh and golden-fried that the skin crackles when you bite into it but with soft, juicy flesh; marinated anchovies whose backbones are fried and served alongside them; amazing chickpeas, slow-cooked from the previous day on the stove; cheeses from Andros, Ios and Kefalonia; fresh greens; and much more!

11 Vlali, Kapani Market, Tel. (+30) 2315.515.504 1 0 2 — GREECE IS

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© CHRISTINA GEORGIADOU

Hot Tables

Stou Mitsou

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•POSTER

From the team behind the highly successful Beetroot design group, which has created a lively cultural hub in the old Ismail Pasha Inn, this new restaurant in the Frangomachalas neighborhood is the talk of the town. Poster has wonderful lighting, a metal curtain framing the open kitchen, an inviting bar and a dining area with just a few tables, though more will probably be added outside in summer. The cuisine of talented young chef Vasilis Chamam is difficult to describe in just a few words. Neither Mediterranean nor international, it reflects his own personal style. The creative culinary expression of his life experiences is there on the menu in dishes with delicious juices, fresh herbs and special ingredients, such as naan bread, Pontian xygali butter and Jordanian jameed made from sheep’s and goat’s milk. His sauces are a delight, particularly the sriracha, which he makes himself with coffee and a thick umami XO. Our table had mutton with herbal oil, petimezi (grape molasses) and jameed; a lovely tiradito with red mullet in tiger’s milk with hazelnut; a tasty bread, his own, with fermented butter and honey, which had us licking our fingers; and a traditional Palestinian dish – musakhan – with chicken, sumac, small pita breads, caramelized onions and yogurt. The wine list, curated by winemaker Chloe Chatzivaryti, features mainly minimal intervention labels.

2 Paikou & 6 Syngrou, Tel. (+30) 2310.547.384

© ANGELOS GIOTOPOULOS

Poster

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+TROFI

The ingredients selected by chef and co-owner Giannis Loukakis for +Trofi (pronounced “Syntrofi”) are so good that I could eat them as they are, completely raw. You can imagine then how these ingredients are transformed in the hands of this talented chef, who cooks with his head and his heart in eaqual parts.

From the flour and cheese products to the meat and extra virgin olive oil, everything is organic, except the fish, which are sourced exclusively from the open sea. Having fully embraced a zerowaste philosophy, the chef ensures the ingredients are completely used up; even the stalks and peels contribute to the preparation of the food and enhance its flavor. On the wine list, you’ll find only gently vinified biodynamic wines, carefully selected by co-owner Alexandros Barbounakis.

The menu changes almost daily.

7 Doxis, Tel. (+30) 2310.540.260

+Trofi

JUST LIKE MOTHER MADE IT

© NIKOS KARANIKOLAS

The best-known restaurants in Thessaloniki have always been what's known as “mageiria,” or home-style eateries, such as Krikelas, Tifanis and Gigilinis. Although most of the old ones have closed, there are others that have adopted a more modern approach in catering to those customers who prefer home-style cooking. Ta Olympia (10 Mitropoliti Chrysostomou Smyrnis, Tel. (+30) 2310.220.710, open Mon-Sat, 10:00-20:00) was founded by siblings Veta and Giorgos Korantzis in 1976. Veta, who previously worked at another legendary eatery in the city, Pites Vlasti, has hands of gold. She has been lauded by everyone – inclduing journalists, lawyers and doctors – who’s had the good fortune to taste her food. Every day, the kitchen prepares around 30 dishes, from tzigerosarmades (lamb liver with rice in caul) to chickpea soups, meat and tomato stews, and many traditional recipes of the city, including pork with cabbage, celery and leek. The desserts are equally good, with ashure (“Noah’s pudding”) perhaps being the standout.

Another great mageirio is To Mikraki (2 Proxenou Koromila, Tel. (+30) 2310.270.517, open Mon-Sat, 12:00-18:00), which was launched as a small luncheonette by Antonis from Pelion and Chryssoula from Drama in 1981. It used to serve coffee, toasted sandwiches, tsipouro and small plates; Chryssoula also prepared food here for her sons Giorgos and Avraam. The sons now feed their own children with food from the eatery – there are 25 different dishes to choose from.

Today, with the help of three assistants, Chryssoula cooks the entire repertoire of Greek cuisine: everything from beef and orzo casserole dishes or peas with artichokes to pastitsio, moussaka, all kinds of soups (fish, meat and chicken), roast pork, meat patties, some pasta dishes, and two fish options: sole or sea bream.

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WHILE YOU M AY BE USED TO SQUEE ZING WH ATE VER HONE Y IS IN TH AT BE AR-SH APED CONTAINER INTO YOUR TE A OR P ORRIDG E, WITH SITHON HONE Y, YOU CAN RES T AS SURED TH AT YOU ARE CONSUMING A HIG H- QUALIT Y PRODUCT TH AT WILL DEFINITELY CH ANG E THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT HONE Y.

DIVE INTO THE WORLD OF GREEK HONE Y WITH SITHON

➺

For more information on their Thessaloniki shops, please visit: honeysithon.gr.

(Address: Nikiti Chalkidikis, TK 63088, (+30) 23750.228.87, 200.60-3)

ADVERTORIAL

FOUNDED IN 1952 by the members of the Agricultural Beekeeping Cooperative of Nikiti in Chalkidiki, Sithon Honey is a product of labor and love, and it shows.

The unique Greek flora and the exceptional climate of the Sithonia region, paired with state-of-the-art facilities, exquisite craftsmanship, and a thorough knowledge of beekeeping traditions, have catapulted Sithon Honey to the top of the Greek and European markets. Today, more than 70,000 swarms of bees and 140 beekeepers are devoting their lives to honey production, while partnerships with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Greek Beekeeping Institute and the top two European quality control laboratories ensure that quality standards are kept far above par.

In this way, Sithon Honey produces more than 1000 tonnes of honey every year, representing 12-14% of the annual Greek honey production.

You can introduce yourself to their products by trying their flower honey, or you can opt for their pine honey, awarded a two-star distinction by Brussel’s International Taste Institute. For those who want to tantalize their senses even further, Sithon Honey offers a whole range of distinct types of honey varying in both taste and texture, including chestnut honey, thyme honey, orange blossom honey, forest honey, heather honey and fir honey. In their specialized shops across Thessaloniki, you can find other apiculture products as well, including propolis extract, bee pollen, royal jelly and even beeswax candles to decorate your home. n

A sea of vines stretches towards the horizon at Kir Yianni estate, Giannakochori, Naoussa.

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Xinomavro 2023-2024 EDITION

The journey of a unique grape variety from the Macedonian foothills to global fame.

Chronicles T H E S S A LO N I K I

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Xinomavro, the distinct grape variety of northern Greece, was almost certainly born in the cradle of the Macedonian kings. The writings of Herodotus, and in particular the myth of King Midas, who captured the wise satyr Silenus by offering him wine that flowed from a fountain, testify to the prehistoric presence of vineyards and wine production in the Mount Vermio area. Later, an 18th-century document refers to a “sour and astringent wine,” a description closely resembling today’s Xinomavro. There are also historical references to the production of select Naoussa wines during the Ottoman era (1430-1912).

Left: Xinomavro grapes, on the cusp of harvest-time in October.

Right: Vintages from the 1960s, at rest in the wine archive at the Boutari Winery in Naoussa.

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© VICKY TSATSAMPA

BY NENA DIMITRIOU

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ACCORDING TO Stavroula Kourak-

ou-Dragona, who’s known as the mother of Greek oenology, a significant portion of the wine produced in the Ottoman Empire originated from Naoussa. Esprit Marie Cousinéry, a French consul in Thessaloniki and Smyrna, traveled around Macedonia in 1814 and in his resulting book, “Voyage dans la Macédoine,” he wrote: “We arrived in Niáousta, which was more a small town than a village. It must have been inhabited from very old times, due to its beautiful waters and its good vineyards facing south … The wine of Niáousta is for Macedonia what the wine of Burgundy is for France. It is always sold at double the price of other wines, even those from nearby regions … I can assure you that except for the wine of Tenedos, the wine of Niáousta, considered as an everyday wine, is the best in all of Turkey.”

The key characteristic of the Xinomavro variety, its high acidity, gave the wine a comparative advantage – ageability – and thus the ability to be transported without spoiling. While it may seem obvious today that a bottle from Macedonia can reach the Far East, in the 18th century this was not the case.

The wines for export had some additives to preserve them; they were mainly fortified wines such as commandaria, port and vermouth. The Sephardic Jews of Thessaloniki, the country’s major commercial port, played a significant role in promoting the popularity of the wine and in its export to Alexandria in Egypt and beyond.

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In 1909, the legendary Lanaras textile factory, which spun thread using hydroelectric power, was founded on the banks of the Arapitsa River.

For the next 20 years, the area flourished productively and economically, until the 1928 phylloxera infestation devastated most of the vineyards. The tumultuous 1930s were marked by wars and political and economic instability. “My grandmother remembers her father having business dealings with a Jew from Thessaloniki up until just before 1940. It was in 1939 that he came for the last time to buy the family’s wine, offering some gold sovereigns,” recounts third-generation winemaker Kostis Dalamaras. Most of Thessaloniki’s Jewish community would perish in the Holocaust in the years that followed.

© VICKY TSATSAMPA

A

In the early twentieth century, Naoussa was noted for its vineyards (around 2,000 hectares of them) and its silkworms. In 1906, Ioannis Boutaris built the town’s first privately owned winery, located on Zafeiraki Street. This traditional building consisted of two floors: the winery on the ground floor and a silkworm processing area on the upper floor. It was here that Greece’s first red bottled wine, “Naoussa Boutari,” was produced, opening up new markets and confirming the quality of the region’s wines. This event marked the launch of Greece’s first “appellation of origin” label 70 years before the establishment of the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) system. For this and other reasons, the “Naoussa Boutari” label has been of tremendous importance for the entire Greek winemaking industry.

Winemaker Stellios Boutaris sitting on the Fallen Oak, a landmark on the Kir-Yianni Estate.

2023-2024 EDITION

© KONSTANTINOS TSAKALIDIS

Wine

Apostolos Thymiopoulos in the wine cellar at Trilofo.

Apples ever y where

In 1950, Lanaras, the industrialist, brought two Italian agronomists and arborists, the Vigato brothers, to Naoussa.

They saw in apple cultivation a way to increase agricultural production in the area. Naoussa began to produce very high-quality apples in its semi-mountainous areas. In the 1960s, only five hectares of vineyards remained in Naoussa. It was then that Ioannis Boutaris’ grandsons, Yiannis and Konstantinos Boutaris, took over the winemaking baton from their father, Stelios, and decided to invest in the enterprise by purchasing estates in Giannakochori, Imathia. Yiannis envisioned rebuilding the region’s legendary vineyard industry, a decision that marked a new beginning. Simultaneously, under the guidance of Kourakou-Dragona, who served as president of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), Xinomavro became the predominant variety in the vineyards, a role previously played by clones of Cabernet, Mavroudi, Mavrodaphne and Vaftra.

During the same period, the first Greek Appellations of Origin of Superior Quality were recognized.

Three prerequisites were set for this

recognition: the zone must have a documented winemaking tradition backed by written sources; families associated with the viticultural tradition; and wines produced from grapes adapted to the environment over years and vinified within the zone using modern technology. In central Macedonia, the zones of Naoussa, Amyndeo, Goumenissa and Rapsani were recognized.

“In 1976, most of the Xinomavro vineyards in Naoussa were replanted,” winemaker Petros Karydas recalls. In

WHILE IT MAY SEEM OBVIOUS TODAY THAT A BOT TLE FROM MACEDONIA CAN RE ACH THE FAR E AST, IN THE 18TH CENTURY THIS WAS NOT THE CASE .

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1978, the new state-of-the-art Boutari winery, which remains the heart of the company’s wine production, was inaugurated in Stenimachos, Naoussa. The winery’s tanks from this era, some with a capacity of 120 tons of wine, showcase the scale that the company achieved at this time.

It was at this central bottling facility for all the company’s wineries (a total of five) that many new labels were created, spurring on the evoultion of Greek wine as a whole. In the 1990s, the Boutari company produced one million bottles of Naoussa Xinomavro. Today, the winery’s lower basement houses a wine library, a living archive with thousands of bottles from the 1960s to the present.

The oldest of these are Naoussa wines, in which the great aging potential of Xinomavro has been studied.

In the following decades, Xinomavro firmly established itself. The Tsantali winery, another major wine producer in Naoussa, came into existence, joining older, smaller businesses such as the Chrysochoou (1948) and Kastaniotis (1979) wineries. In 1983, the Vaeni Agricultural Cooperative was founded by 25 vine growers; today, it has over 250 members. Until the 1990s, most GREECE IS — 1 1 3

Wine

TASTE

grape growers sold their produce to the largest wineries. However, the visionary Yiannis Boutaris knew that a viticultural zone could not rely on just two or three major players, and he encouraged many grape producers to become winemakers themselves. This led to the emergence of the first small wineries, such as those of Karydas, Diamantakos and Foundis. In the following years, the Boutari winery, then huge, got into some financial difficulty. The two Boutari brothers,Yiannis and Konstantinos, decided to part ways, leading to the creation of two new legal entities: the relaunched Boutari, and the Kir-Yianni estate. Today, the region boasts 23 winemakers, many of whom are under 40 years of age. More than 400 hectares, stretching from Giannakochori and Gastra, to Trilofos, Fyteia and Arkochori, are planted with grapes.

Alongside Santorini’s Assyrtiko variety, Naoussa’s Xinomavro, with its long presence in the region, stands as proof of Greece’s rich winemaking heritage and showcases the country’s ability to produce exceptional wines rooted in terroir and in unique varieties.

Today, versions of this wine include aged, oxidative-style, natural, sulfur-free, long-aged, and blanc de noir, and wine enthusiasts and critics alike are charmed by its versatile character.

Opening a bottle of Xinomavro reveals high acidity, tannins (firm or softer, depending on the wine’s age), flavors of dark fruits, spices and,

sometimes, earthy or vegetal notes. Its structure allows for aging, leading to wines with notable complexity that develop beautifully over time. Recently, in a tasting for the “Oinochoos” magazine, masters of wine and a master sommelier tasted Xinomavro from the last five decades. They observed the evolution not only of each label but also of the viticultural zone and the winemaking. They found that the tannins had softened but not vanished, the acidity had mellowed but remained present, and though the color had deepened, Xinomavro remained at its core unchanged and true to itself.•

The last 30 years have been remarkable for Xinomavro. Young producers, educated in France, learned how to make great red wines and returned to their homeland to experiment with the variety’s potential. Meanwhile, as Xinomavro demonstrates exceptional adaptability to different types of soils with reliably good results, producers began to cultivate and vinify it in various parts of Greece. The surge in supply generated demand at a time of increasing international interest in indigenous grape varieties and in the unique terroirs of wines. It is undeniable that its popularity has led to an appreciation for quality Greek wines that goes beyond Assyrtiko. The international recognition of Xinomavro is partly due to certain producers who focused on the variety, such as Stellios Boutaris, a passionate winemaker and a prominent figure in the Greek wine industry and talented Kostis Dalamaras, as well as Apostolos Thymiopoulos, the first Greek winemaker to be awarded the title of Rising Star by the magazine Decanter in 2022, in recognition of his devotion to expressing the unique characteristics of this grape.

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© VICKY TSATSAMPA

On the rise

A Xinomavro tasting featuring the latest vintages.

2023-2024 EDITION

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Sunlight falls on Aghios Achillios Island.

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WILD 2023-2024 EDITION

Prespes, with its rich biodiversity and cultural heritage, stands as a symbol of resilience, overcoming a legacy of war to become a beacon of environmental conservation and peace.

B Y S TAV R O S T Z I M A S

HARMONY P H OTO S : P E R I K L E S M E R A KO S

T H E S S A LO N I K I

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The renowned Basilica of Aghios Achillios, where the remains of Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria were found.

EXPLORE

Above: The view from one of the famed Byzantine sketes in Megali Prespa.

Right: Frescoes decorate a Byzantine church in Aghios Germanos.

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2023-2024 EDITION

Prespes

A AS THE SUN RISES from behind the moun-

tains, its light reflects on the waters of the “twin” lakes in Prespes National Park, on Greece’s highland border with North Macedonia and Albania, offering a most majestic sight. Flocks of Dalmatian pelicans, pygmy cormorants, cranes, and other birds flutter from their nesting sites to the reed beds in their daily search for food.

Bears, wolves and chamois roam freely in their own realm, the surrounding verdant slopes, while on the plains below, the local inhabitants go about their daily activities, which primarily involve agriculture, fishing, and hospitality.

People, birds, wild animals, and rare flora coexist harmoniously in this mountainous region of Greece. The Prespes basin, acclaimed as one of Europe’s most important and beautiful wetlands and protected under the Ramsar Convention, is internationally renowned for its rich fauna and flora. More than 260 species of migratory birds, over 40 species of mammals, 20 species of reptiles and 15 species of freshwater fish make this a unique wildlife sanctuary.

Nature has endowed the rugged Greek mountainous terrain surrounding Florina and Kastoria with two “sister” lakes, Megali (Great) Prespa and Mikri (Little) Prespa, which, according to scientists, were once joined, not unlike conjoined twins, but in the course of geological time became separated. Meanwhile, geopolitical developments divided the lakes among three countries – Greece, North Macedonia and Albania – to form what is today a tri-national meeting place of Balkan cultures.

As the post-war Balkan map has been shaped, most of Megali Prespa now belongs to North Macedonia, with smaller areas in Greece and Albania. The latter two countries share Mikri Prespa, with the greater part of it lying in Greek territory.

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The picturesque traditional fishing village of Psarades.

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Prespes

Local craft called plaves dot the lakes of the area.

Nature lovers from all over the world converge on Prespes to study the daily lives of the birds or the rare flowers and plants, and to witness the splendor of the lakes firsthand and experience the magic and tranquility of the landscape. One can see people perched for hours on hillsides, using binoculars and drones to observe the flocks of birds flying overhead in symmetrical formations or “patrolling” the waters of the lakes in boats to take photos of nests among the reeds.

The approximately 1,300 inhabitants of the 19 picturesque Prespes villages protect the birds, now viewing them as fellow villagers, taking great care not to frighten them or damage their nests among the reeds and bean plants, not even by mistake. Apart from the celebrated Prespes beans, the product that has traditionally supported the local economy, bird tourism provides a significant source of income. “We look

after the birds. We try not to disturb them so that they have the quiet and the food they need because they, in turn, ‘feed’ us by attracting tourism,” says Lazaros Petridis from the village of Platy.

In villages such as Laimos, Psarades, Aghios Germanos, Mikrolimni, Lefkona and Karya, there are charming guesthouses, tavernas, and stores with traditional delicacies and local products, as well as offices providing visitors with information about the natural paradise that is Prespes. Today, everything revolves around respect for nature. But this has not always been the case.

For centuries, along the shores of the lakes, humans struggled for dominion over nature to earn their livelihood. When, in the early 1980s, the first environmental organizations arrived and spoke about the need to protect the ecosystem, the locals believed that, in effect, they were being T H E S S A LO N I K I

asked to sacrifice themselves for the sake of “birds and flowers.” They adopted an almost hostile approach to anyone struggling to convince them that they could coexist with the fauna and flora, viewing them with mistrust and contempt. Today, they have many stories to tell about their everyday conflict with the “ecologists,” including this one: in the mid-1980s, at a village close to the lake, a traditional wedding celebration to which all the villagers had been invited was being held with drums, brass instruments, song, dance, and plenty of tsipouro and wine. After midnight, with the party still in full swing, two unknown figures emerged from the edge of the yard and politely asked the host, whose daughter was the bride, to stop the music because it was the breeding season for cormorants and the noise would disturb them. Furious, the host threw them off his property, and the celebration continued.

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Prespes

EXPLORE

Above: Τhe Byzantine Church of Aghios Germanos in the village of the same name.

Right: Two of the “mud mansions” at Korestia.

Historical Legacy

Prespes is about more than birds and plants. It is also very much about history, architecture, and the traces of its long and storied past. Through the centuries, it remained a meeting place of cultures; there are traces everywhere of its historical legacy, from the Byzantine era, the many military conflicts in the Balkans, and the bloody 20th-century Greek Civil War, making the region even more fascinating.

The spiritual importance of the area over the years is reflected in the 10th-century Basilica of Aghios Achillios on the tiny island of the same name in Mikri Prespa Lake, connected to the shore by a floating bridge; the famous Byzantine hermitages on the southern shore of Megali Prespa; and churches dating to the 11th and the 16th century at Aghios Germanos and Platy respectively. These structures also testify to the historical significance of the region.

The Basilica of Aghios Achillios is the burial place of Tsar Samuel, one of the most renowned Bulgarian rulers.

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IN SOME OF THESE ROCK Y CAVES WHERE ANCHORITES MADE THEIR HOMES, RARE RELIGIOUS FRESCOES HAVE SURVIVED, OFFERING VISITORS GLIMPSES OF A SPLENDOR BORN OF FAITH. 2023-2024 EDITION

Historians believe he planned to make the islet the capital of the Bulgarian state that he envisioned after his attempted secession from the Byzantine Empire.

Dying from his wounds after his army was crushed by Byzantine forces, he was buried there in 1014 without having realized his plans. On the islet of Aghios Achillios, beneath the ruins of the church, human remains were found, along with the shroud in which Samuel’s body is believed to have been wrapped, which is why Prespes today is also an important site and a pilgrimage destination for many Bulgarians.

A short distance away in the village of Psarades, traditional lake boats (plaves) take visitors to hermitages where Orthodox Christian monks from across the vast Byzantine territories once sheltered. In some of these rocky caves where anchorites made their homes, rare religious frescoes have survived, offering visitors glimpses of a splendor born of faith.

The inhabitants of the Prespes Lakes region have come to realize that

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© ATHANASIOS GIOUMPASIS/GETTY IMAGES/IDEAL IMAGE

EXPLORE

the historical events that plagued their land and brought pain, blood and tears, have also left a legacy that can serve as a tourism product. The Greek Civil War (1947-1949) inflicted deep wounds in the region, where the long-simmering historical conflict over the Macedonian Question inflamed passions even more and made the divide even bigger. Some of the few residents left in these half-ruined villages can clearly remember those difficult times. Some have relatives who sought refuge in Eastern Bloc countries, some out of necessity, others by choice.

Most never returned.

There are locations here where events took place that marked not only the region but the country in general.

The inhabitants now wish to draw on this historical memory for tourism development and promotion, in much the same way that many other countries invest in “war tourism.” Today, local sites worth visiting include among trenches, pillboxes, a cave used as an improvised hospital by communist troops during the Civil War outside the village of Vrontero, and a cave near the village of Pyli which served as the Civil War headquarters of Nikos Zachariadis, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece. Locals are also planning to highlight the route of the “Great Maneuver,” a spectaular move used by the communist guerilla forces (and still studied today at military academies) that took their forces in just one night from the Grammos to the Vitsi and Prespes mountains, where they set up their new headquarters.

Mud mansions

The villages of Prespes and the wider region are noted for their distinctive local architecture. Some houses are built from wood, earth and reeds, while others are from stone. Two villages in the heart of Prespes, Aghios Germanos, and Psarades, are protected historical preservation sites. The village of Mikrolimni, meanwhile, on the shore of Mikri Prespa is blessed with natural beauty.

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2023-2024 EDITION

Prespes

Cormorants in search of food on Megali Prespa Lake.

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MAP ILLUSTRATION: PHILIPPOS AVRAMIDES

EXPLORE

At 22 km from Kastoria, the rural road to Florina enters the verdant Korestia Valley. This is one way to reach the Prespes basin; the other is from Florina via the Vigla Pass. Both stunning routes go through verdant forested slopes and ravines with beech and chestnut trees, which in spring turn green, in autumn take on a gorgeous pinkish-red color, and in winter are covered with snow.

If you’re heading north on the Kastoria-Florina road, Mt Vitsi rises into the sky to the right, and to the left is the Mali-Madi range, mountains where some of the most tragic pages in modern Greek history were written. In in their shadow stand seven mud-brick settlements, seven ghost villages known as “villages of oblivion.” Before the war, they were home to over 5,000 people, most of whom were bean farmers, grwoing the noted local bean. Economic hardship drove some to emigrate to 1 2 8 — GREECE IS

Canada, the US and Australia, while others turned to the Eastern Bloc, choosing instead Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and other countries. It is doubtful whether even two or three souls remain in the ruined settlements today.

If these deserted houses could speak, each would have its own story, and all would cry out for people. Today, they’re home only to owls, while bears can often be seen roaming in the streets outside.

But although the old mud-brick houses, or “mud mansions,” have been abandoned to the ravages of time, they still have impressive characteristics.

“All these houses have been built with mud bricks,” says retired teacher Vasilis Christidis, who lives further down in Neos Ikismos and is calling for some of the villages to be granted traditional settlement status. “The roofs were thatched with rye straw, one of the longest types. Thatchers would cut it 2023-2024 EDITION

with a sickle, remove the grain, and lay it expertly on the roof. They didn’t replace straw; instead, they placed more straw on top. This type of roof provided excellent insulation and helped keep the village camouflaged in a sense, safe from prying eyes. Housewalls, too, built with reddish mud bricks, were the same color as the earth, and wouldn’t stand out from a distance.”

Celebrated film directors such as Theo Angelopoulos, Pantelis Voulgaris and others have used these settlements for scenes in their most important movies, including The Suspended Step of the Stork, The Travelling Players, and Deep Soul. Scientists from around Europe have also visited the area to study the architecture of the “red houses.”

Looking forward

Today, the Prespes region is establishing itself on Greece’s tourist map

Prespes STOPS AROUND PRESPES

by Olga Harami • Aghios Achillios Island is one of the few inhabited lake isles in Europe. You can get there via a pontoon footbridge spanning 650m. Apart from the settlement, you’ll also see the charming ruins of the Church of Aghios Achillios, which dates to the 10th century. You can enjoy the tranquility of the island on a hike that follows a circular 2-hour route past several noteworthy monuments.

The acclaimed white beans of Prespes are delicious.

even as it works to build bridges with neighboring communities in Albania and North Macedonia. Their wetland has been designated a “Balkan Park,” and the three countries are planning its joint protection and promotion. Work is already underway to open a border post that will connect the region with the major tourist center of Ochrid in North Macedonia, and the same is expected to happen with Albania.

Every August for the past 35 years, the Balkan Festival has been held with great success on Aghios Achillios Island, which, due to the participation of artists and others from all over the Balkans, has become something of a “Cultural Davos” for the Balkan nations. Acclaimed artists, including Goran Bregović, Mikis Theodorakis, Irene Papas and Manos Hadjidakis, have honored the events with their presence, and the festival has, from time to time, also hosted meetings of political leaders from the surrounding countries.•

• In Aghios Germanos, a village with beautiful old houses, you can visit the church after which the settlement was named. It features well-preserved frescoes from 1743. The saint himself (in life a patriarch of Constantinople) is depicted above the entrance of the older section of the church.

Heading north, you’ll come across a reconstructed watermill you can visit before reaching the alpine meadows of Mt Varnoudas, which offer breathtaking views of the lakes.

• In Mikrolimni, nestled in a stunningly tranquil setting, you’re likely to spot fishermen setting out on their boats – locally known as plaves. By 2024, it’s expected that the municipality will deploy solar-powered boats for tours around Mikri Prespa from here. You’ll also find a taverna.

• In Psarades, there are tavernas offering local delicacies (freshwater fish, beans, and red peppers) T H E S S A LO N I K I

and, of course, many fishermen (psarades in Greek). Don’t leave the village without taking a boat tour of the tripoint, the aquatic border of three countries, or exploring the monastic traditions of Megali Prespa. In holy cliffside sites – including that of the Virgin of Vlacherna (1455) – several rare religious frescoes have survived. You can be taken there by boat, either by Germanos Christianopoulos (Tel. (+30) 694.250.3863) or Adam Traianopoulos (Tel. (+30) 697.410.8433, varkadaprespes.gr).

ACTIVITIES

• Bike rides, kayaking, hiking, rock climbing or paragliding are offered by the Social Cooperative Enterprise (SCE) Eco Tourismo (Tel. (+30) 697.687.6423, ecotourismo.gr). Cultural activities and events, as well as hikes, are also organized by SCE Nature and Culture (Tel. (+30) 694.430.5386, wildlifeandculture.com).

INFO

→ The Prespes region is located 240 km from Thessaloniki via the Egnatia Odos highway.

Autumn and spring are the best seasons to visit. Winter is charming as well, but snow may hinder movement and transport. The area lacks large hotels and is short on guesthouses, but travelers will find several accommodation options in the village of Aghios Germanos.

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Thessaloniki’s Jewish Community Finds Its Voice Again.

A LEG LEGACY RECOVERED 1 3 0 — GREECE IS

2023-2024 EDITION

Mario Matalon at the Monastiriotes Synagogue, which dates from 1927. The city’s principal synagogue, it is only open for the High Holidays or other special occasions.

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Community

HERITAGE

Amidst the busy streets of modern Thessaloniki is a narrative of resilience, rebirth, and an enduring Jewish legacy.

B Y A L E X A N D R O S M A S S AV E TA S P H OTO S : O LG A D E I KO U

Above: Iosif Vaena sits in the midst of scattered Jewish tombstones.

Right: Orly Barziv poses with her bicycle in Aristotelous Square, in the heart of the city.

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2023-2024 EDITION

The sculpture Spiral 1, by artist Mikaela Karagianni, on Filothei Hill.

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Community

HERITAGE

F FOR MUCH OF ITS OTTOMAN

and modern history, a unique demographic trait made Thessaloniki stand out from all other cities in the wider region. From the early 1500s to the late 1800s, Jews made up the majority of the inhabitants, earning the city the nickname “Madre de Israel” (“Mother of Israel”). They remained a plurality up until the city’s incorporation into Greece during the First Balkan War (1912). In 1943, the city’s 60,000 Jews were deported to the Nazi extermination camps, where 94% perished in the Shoah, or Holocaust.

Today, there are only a few hundred Jews residing here, and there’s a conspicuous scarcity of Jewish landmarks. Besides the Jewish Museum, the Holocaust Memorial, and the Modiano Market, few clear traces of Jewish presence are found in the cityscape. The days when Judeo-Spanish was heard in every street corner seem much more remote in time than they actually are. Yet the Jews are still here. The younger generations, the third and fourth after the Shoah, speak of a lively community determined to perpetuate a Jewish presence.

A close-knit community

Very few local Jews practice their religion, despite the community formally being registered as Orthodox Jews – a discrepancy characteristic of every Greek-Jewish community.

“None of us keeps kosher or observes religious rules,” says 26-year-old 1 3 4 — GREECE IS

“ THESSALONIKI IS LIKE MY CHILDHOOD BEDROOM. THE JE WISH COMMUNIT Y IS AKIN TO AN E X TENDED FAMILY. WE GRE W UP TOGE THER, AND MOST FAMILIES ARE REL ATED BY BLOOD OR MARRIAGE .”

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Elena Saias, who runs an e-shop and is a TikTok influencer. “I don’t think being observant makes you a ‘better’ Jew. I’m very attached to Judaism and our heritage. The shared experience of being a religious minority also brings us closer,” she adds. “Our identity rests on traditions, customs, and collective memory,” reflects 34-year-old Mario Matalon, a former professional basketball player now working in real estate.

Like most residents, local Jews consider their attachment to the city central to their identity. “Thessaloniki is home,” says acupuncturist Orly Barziv, born here to a Greek-Jewish mother and an Israeli father. Barziv lived in Holland, Germany, and Britain for her studies in astrophysics.

“There was this magnet which drew me back. I feel at home here; Thessaloniki is like my childhood bedroom. The Jewish community is akin to an extended family. We grew up together, and most families are related by blood or marriage.”

Attendance at the local Jewish School and participation in the summer camp are formative experiences for local Jews. The former operates as a special state school at the kindergarten and primary school levels; the latter serves all Greek-Jewish communities. “The Jewish School is where our children are taught our customs, traditions and the basic tenets of our religion, while they also take Hebrew lessons,” says pharmacist and mother-of-two Delia Filosof. Matalon concurs: “School and summer camp are the backbone of our Jewish upbringing.”

It’s the summer camp for which the fondest memories are reserved.

“Ever since it was launched in the 1950s, it has remained the most successful institution of Greek Judaism,” stresses Iosif Vaena, a pharmacist and researcher of local Jewish history.

“This year, the demand was so high that it was difficult to secure a place for one’s child,” he says. Eli Alhanati,

Demy Tiano stands in front of a window of the Eclectic-style Villa Bianca, built in 1913 for the wealthy Jewish industrialist Dino Fernandez Diaz.

who works for a jewelry wholesaler, remembers it as “the most cherished community experience: a chance to socialize, to get to know Jews from other Greek cities and, perhaps, to flirt.” Architect Beatrice Mossiou remembers her days there with fondness. “Children come from all over Greece, as well as from families in Israel with Greek roots,” she says. Saias agrees: “I joined for several summers and made friends for a lifetime.”

“So, your family came from Israel?”

Judeo-Spanish, part and parcel of the Sephardic identity for centuries, is sadly no longer spoken. Most young people understand only a few words.

On the other hand, many understand basic Hebrew, thanks to the Jewish School, but almost nobody is proficient. They look and speak like every

other Greek, and if anything signals their Jewish heritage, it would be their names. “The moment I introduce myself, I get all these questions,” Barziv says. “Just say ‘Matalon’ and wait for the question,” Mario says. “There’s no bad intention, really, just curiosity. I totally understand.” Others may find the constant questions tedious. “My family calls me Pepo [the Judeo-Spanish nickname for Iosif]. At university, I started using my full name,” Vaena says. “You don’t want to be a Jew 24/7, to stick out all the time, to have to explain. Sometimes you just want to chill.”

A common complaint is that most locals know next to nothing about the history and identity of their Jewish neighbors. “How many times have I been asked whether we came from Israel, whether my parents spoke ‘Israeli’ at home?” says Filosof, who T H E S S A LO N I K I

was raised in the small Jewish community of Larissa in central Greece. “The funny thing is I’ve never even been to Israel. Of course, I want to visit; it just hasn’t happened yet.”

For Barziv, it’s not a laughing matter. “It pains me that even close friends ask me when I am going to visit my ‘homeland,’ referring to Israel as such,” she explains. “The obvious point is that I am a foreigner here, even though my family has resided in the city for 500 years!”

“Many of our compatriots still consider us radically different from other Greeks” Vaena says. “The constant reminders of this shape Jewish experience and identity. There’s awkward bewilderment when I assure the person asking where I came from that records show my family arrived in Thessaloniki in the latter half of 1492 and has resided here ever since.”

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Community

HERITAGE

Filosof speaks for many when she says: “I’d like the average citizen to know that we are a tiny minority and that the only thing which differentiates us from other Greeks is our faith.” All agree, however, that, curiosity and questions aside, they do not recall any directly offensive or threatening treatment.

Mixed marriages and demographic revival

Given how few Jews live in Thessaloniki and in Greece overall, it’s not surprising that most marry local Christians. “Mixed marriages happened in the previous generation as well,” Vaena notes. “Back then, however, they almost always produced Christian offspring, especially before civil marriage was introduced [in 1982]. Today, most children of mixed households are raised Jewish.”

Orthodox Judaism is matrilineal.

Children born to a non-Jewish mother face a challenge – they are not religiously recognized as Jewish, unless they formally convert. To spare them the hurdle, many Christian women who marry Jewish men convert themselves. This was the case with Filosof’s and Saias’ mothers. “My mother wanted to make it easier for her children to be accepted as Jews,” Saias says. “She learnt Sephardic customs, recipes and traditions from my father’s aunt.” She herself would love to marry a Jew for the sake of carrying on the tradition. “I know my father would love to see me wed in our synagogue. But there aren’t many Jewish guys to pick from. We’ve been raised together; we feel like siblings.”

She notes that her sister is about to marry a Christian.

For Matalon, mixed marriages are the only way forward. His Athenian wife, raised Christian, converted to Judaism. “Conversion is not a simple affair; rabbis may make things difficult, since Judaism is averse to proselytizing,” he notes.

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Socially, the community has embraced children who are not “officially” Jewish as part of the fold.

The Jewish School, moreover, accepts children with no Jewish heritage whatsoever. “Those children will be raised next to ours and become their friends for life,” Matalon says. “By opening up the school, we win friends, people who become familiar with Jewish culture and the Hebrew language.

At the same time, we ensure there are enough students for the school to remain open,” Filosof explains.

Demy Tiano, a mother-of-two who works in the textiles sector, concurs. “This opening made our community more extroverted, winning us allies in the war against prejudice.” Filosof notes that there are presently 70 children in the Jewish school. “About half have at least one Jewish parent. There are about 12 students in my daughter’s class; only half of them are Jewish.” Saias notes there were fewer Jewish births in her time, and classes were much smaller.

“Only two of us were born here in 1997, which is why I did not attend the Jewish School.” Mossiou did.

“My class had four pupils, but there were others with two and three,” she says. Vaena suggests there’s been a

moderate demographic regeneration.

Most children of mixed couples are raised Jewish. They attend the Jewish School, join Shabbat dinners at the community club and go to the summer camp. Those whose mothers aren’t Jewish, however, must decide in their teens if they want to convert formally to Judaism and become "officially" Jewish. In many mixed couples, neither parent takes a proactive stance on religious upbringing. “Neither my [Christian] wife nor I are interested in religion,” Alhanati explains. “Our children will get an insight into Jewish tradition in the Jewish School; I also take them to Shabbat dinners. But my wife and I try to maintain a balance – we declared no religion when having their births registered, and we will let them decide which one to follow, if any.”

Barziv was married to a Christian. “Being irreligious from a young age, I made no particular effort to instill the Jewish faith in my daughter.

She’ll decide for herself.” She believes the children of mixed couples, versed in both traditions, push society towards becoming more accepting of diversity: “I’m confident the next generation will be freer, more selfaware and more tolerant.”

A change in public attitudes

SOCIALLY, THE COMMUNIT Y HAS EMBRACED CHILDREN WHO ARE NOT “OFFICIALLY” JE WISH AS PART OF THE FOLD. THE JE WISH SCHOOL , MOREOVER, ACCEPTS CHILDREN WITH NO JE WISH HERITAGE WHATSOE VER. 2023-2024 EDITION

Jews are now more confident in asserting their identity. “My generation was raised being told we should remain under the radar,” Alhanati says. “The idea was not to ‘provoke’ by flaunting one’s Judaism.” Mossiou adds: “They were told similar things that LGBT people are still being told today: it’s OK to be Jewish in private, but why provoke?” Vaena agrees: “Avoid visibility to stave off trouble – that was the message.”

It’s easier for Jews today to claim more visibility in Thessaloniki, thanks to significant changes in public discourse and attitudes. They all trace the new climate to the mayoral

Elena Saias poses in front of the many newly renovated buildings in the city.

tenure of winemaker Yannis Boutaris (2011 to 2019). “His work on raising awareness of local Jewish history was of paramount importance,” Barziv says. “Interest in our history skyrocketed, both locally and internationally, and this helped the Jewish community claim a more prominent place. A chair of Jewish studies was established at Aristotle University, and the Jewish Museum became a hub for tourists and locals alike. A Memory March for the Shoah now takes place every year, helping the city remember and us to overcome

our collective trauma.” Jews are now claiming a more active role in city affairs. Matalon ran for municipal councilor in the last local elections.

Tour guide Tasos Papadopoulos began Jewish heritage walks in 2015.

“There’s been a tremendous increase in public interest in Jewish heritage; the Jewish-themed tours are the most popular and book out in a matter of hours,” he says. “The construction of a new Holocaust Museum is about to begin; it will dominate the western edge of the city and become a outstanding landmark. I believe T H E S S A LO N I K I

Thessaloniki’s future as a tourist destination rests on its modern history and, above all, its Jewish heritage.”

Local Jews have returned after years abroad. Some, like Tiano, brought their foreign partners back with them. “I returned after 13 years.

My [Jewish] husband was born in Buenos Aires and raised in Madrid.”

It’s a hopeful sign. “A generation ago, everyone expected the community to disappear,” Vaena says. “However, it’s exhibited remarkable resilience and the ability to transform and regenerate. I’m optimistic about its future.”• GREECE IS — 1 3 7

A Bright New Home for Aigai’s Royal Splendors

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A new museum at Aigai, the capital of ancient Macedonia, reveals wonders and secrets as a ruined palace rises once more, a long-troubled history receives a fresh look, and Philip II reigns as progenitor of the soon-to-come Hellenistic world.

BY JOHN LEONARD P H OTO S : KO N S TA N T I N O S T S A K A L I D I S

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Inscription from Veria mentioning the inauguration of games in honor of Alexander the Great, AD 240, showing Alexander’s legacy continued in ancient Macedonia even after Aigai was eclipsed by Veria as the occupying Romans’ new seat of authority.

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Women’s bronze, gold, carnelian accessories, from Iron Age graves: figure-eight and bow-shaped pins, bracelets, spiral rings; 11th-7th c. BC. Right: Terracotta figures from the Palace: Mother of the Gods, Tyche, Athena, Heracles, Aphrodite, Eros, Dionysus, sacrificial altars & bulls.

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Visitors trace ancient Macedonia’s impact on the Mediterranean world, in the Museum’s temporary exhibition gallery. Below: Wandering among Aigai’s Iron Age "Queens."

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Heads of korai (maidens) and daemons (spirits), early 5th c. BC. Below: Coming “face to face” with Temenid royals buried at Aigai.

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A A BRILLIANT NEW CULTURAL

monument is rising from the lush Macedonian countryside of northern Greece. The newly constructed Polycentric Museum of Aigai, near the town of Veria to the south of Thessaloniki, has already opened its doors, but there is so much more to come... The plan is eventually for the main museum building to serve as an illuminating gateway to three major areas of Aigai, the extraordinary royal capital of ancient Macedonia: the burial cluster of Philip II (with its existing Museum of the Royal Tombs); the palace, with its associated theater; and the tumuli cemetery, with its burial clusters of the Temenid kings and queens. Particularly exciting will be the in-situ partial reconstruction of Philip II’s palace, slated to rise some seven meters above its once-humble ruins and to begin welcoming visitors by the end of 2023.

The fifth and sixth components of the new Polycentric Museum’s complex are a soon-to-be-completed virtual Museum of Alexander the Great and the recently restored 16th-century Church of Aghios Demetrios in the adjacent village of Palatitsia – a threeaisled basilica with magnificent wall paintings. In the narthex, Alexander the Great appears as a Byzantine emperor, with his name inscribed beside his head!

The church stands at what was once the 1 4 6 — GREECE IS

easternmost point of Aigai’s necropolis, and most of its building material came from the ruins of Philip’s palace.

We recently had the opportunity to visit Aigai, tour the site’s current exhibitions and accessible areas, and speak with Dr. Angeliki Kottaridi, the director of the Imathia Ephorate of Antiquities and the primary force behind the new museum. This remarkable contribution to Greece’s cultural heritage, spearheaded by Kottaridi, offers its visitors a fascinating experience, bringing them into closer and more extensive contact with ancient Macedonia's royal figures and daily life than was ever possible before.

“Return gifts” for Aigai

A visit through the galleries of the new Aigai museum is designed to be an incremental journey of discovery as one progresses thematically, moving from the larger Hellenistic world to the Macedonian capital’s palace, with its male banqueting halls and women’s private domestic spaces, and finally into Aigai’s royal necropolis, or “city of the dead.” From the moment you enter the museum’s spacious foyer, you’re treated to a cascade of colorful panoramic images of Alexander the Great’s eastward-stretching empire, projected on giant twin video screens, reminding you of the far-reaching influence and legacy of Aigai.

Through a doorway on the left, a small gallery for temporary exhibitions now presents “The Antidoron of the Oikoumene,” an extensive collection of gold, silver and bronze coins – called “antidoron,” or “return-gifts” – that further illuminate the theme of the “Oikoumene,” the expanded and more inclusive globalized world created by Alexander the Great. Through the coins’ obverse portrait images – tiny, beautifully crafted works of propagandistic art that regularly crossed the palms of ancient people – we come face to face with an array of historical leaders, both Macedonian (or Macedonian-related) 2023-2024 EDITION

and foreign, who, through the centuries, either ruled Macedonia itself or governed its distant territories. Also appearing are Roman and Byzantine emperors, who eventually succeeded the Macedonians as rulers of the known world. In international commerce, the circulation of such coinage was itself a unifying factor, with many of these coin types from the Oikoumene eventually making their way back to the markets of Aigai, where it all began.

Of particular interest in this temporary gallery is a relief-carved marble ceiling coffer depicting Zeus-Ammon – the divine “father” of Alexander the Great – which was unearthed at nearby Veria. This remarkable artifact from the 2nd/3rd c. AD shows that Alexander’s historic legacy was also perpetuated right here at Veria – the new seat of Macedonian authority, albeit now under the control of the Romans.

Aigai From left: Bronze Gorgon decorative applique for a bronze vessel, from a royal grave, late 4th/early 3rd c. BC; An Attic calyx krater with sacrificial scene, 4th c. BC; An “Illyrian” type helmet common among Macedonian troops, likely dating to the 6th c. BC; A roof tile fragment stamped with a goat’s head, identifying it with Aigai (“The Goats”).

“The Remembrance of Aigai”

Back in the main foyer, one cannot help but marvel at the Aigai Museum’s modern design, which combines high ceilings and white walls with reminders of historic architecture – in particular the courtyard (“peristyle”) houses of the Hellenistic era. Colonnaded courtyards were a defining feature of Hellenistic architecture in the broader Oikoumene, as we see, for example, in the houses of Olynthos or Delos. The royal seat at Aigai, according to Dr. Kottaridi, was a center of architectural influence that radiated far out through the dominions of Philip II and Alexander.

At the new museum, two large, semi-roofed courtyards flanked by enormous windows fill the building with natural light and air. These bright spaces hold the first two significant displays of the museum’s permanent

THE ROYAL SE AT AT AIG AI WAS A CENTER OF ARCHITECTURAL INFLUENCE THAT RADIATED FAR OUT THROUGH THE DOMINIONS OF PHILIP II AND ALE X ANDER. T H E S S A LO N I K I

exhibition – “The Remembrance of Aigai.” The left courtyard presents a finely executed reconstruction of the upper story of the east façade of the palace. Incorporated into this standing façade and placed individually along the court’s side walls can be seen the surprisingly meager remains of the original structure, reminding visitors of the great efforts and care that have gone into interpreting and resurrecting this 4th c. BC building.

The right-hand courtyard features a variety of marble sculptures, including relief-carved frieze blocks, steles, altars, and other grave markers. Especially significant are the votive statue of Queen Eurydice (wife of Amyntas III, mother of Philip II) and several inscribed bases for dedications that specifically name her as the donor – thus providing irrefutable evidence of the Temenids’ presence at Aigai. Eurydice was a crucial central GREECE IS — 1 4 7

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figure in Macedonian, and indeed Hellenistic, history, as she, a widowed queen, overcame her own personal circumstances in a time of great turmoil to preserve the throne for her sons. “If she had not intervened at the critical moment, we would not have had the Hellenistic Oikoumene,” Kottaridi reminds us.

Untangling the threads

Nowadays, there is another strong female leader at Aigai, as Kottaridi, backed by her team of specialists and other supporters who have ensured the archaeological, financial and bureaucratic success of the new museum project, pushes ahead to realize a dream that began decades ago. Ever since she was a young archaeologist in the 1980s and ’90s, often working alongside Prof.

Manolis Andronikos, the discoverer of Philip II’s tomb (1977), Kottaridi has been a tireless, multi-tasking scientist, dedicating her professional life to the investigation and presentation of Aigai.

Even before becoming an ephorate director in 2010, she had drawn up a comprehensive plan for the Polycentric Museum of Aigai; she later went on to oversee the construction and outfitting of its premises (2015-2022). However, as she nears retirement, Kottaridi’s distinctive legacy in Greek archaeology is based not only on her past record but on her current, ongoing endeavors as well.

At the top of that list is her determination to restore Aigai to its well-deserved place in Macedonian history.

Aigai, not Pella, Kottaridi tells us, was the political, administrative and cultural center of the Macedonian kingdom at the time of the Temenid dynasty (about 700-310 BC); this was the place where the royals lived and ruled, where Philip II was proclaimed king in 359 BC and assassinated in 336 BC, and where Alexander assumed the throne and subsequently launched his own campaign to the east in 334 BC. Modern historians have traditionally contended that Pella was established 1 4 8 — GREECE IS

by Archelaos I around 400 BC and soon became the new capital of Macedonia. However, no historical evidence exists to support this idea. Pella was unquestionably a large, affluent Hellenistic port, but archaeological and geomorphological studies now show that its palace lies far inland from the once-coastal, now-silted area of the city that Philip II and his son had occasionally frequented. Moreover, the currently visible agora (or central square/ marketplace) of Pella lies on top of the necropolis that had previously existed outside the city during the Temenid era. This indicates that Pella expanded outward to include these areas perhaps a century later than previously believed and, according to Kottaridi, was a place more important to the post-Temenid kings of the Antipatrid and Antigonid dynasties.

AIG AI, NOT PELL A , KOT TARIDI TELLS US, WAS THE POLITICAL , ADMINISTRATIVE AND CULTURAL CENTER OF THE MACEDONIAN KINGDOM AT THE TIME OF THE TEMENID DYNAST Y ( ABOUT 700-310 BC).

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The royal residence of Archelaos – who decorated his halls with paintings by the preeminent Zeuxes and who played host to famous artists, musicians, poets and writers, including Euripides – was at Aiga, not Pella, Kottaridi concludes. A clear indication of Archelaos’ connection with Aigai (whose name means “the Place of the Goats”) is found on his silver coins, on which are depicted the front half of a goat. Kottaridi adds that the supposed transfer of the Macedonian capital to Pella under Archelaos is a construct of the 20th century that needs to be amended.

Aigai and Pella through fresh eyes

These fresh ideas are displayed everywhere throughout the new Aigai Museum. Dr. Kottaridi’s words and perspective permeate the visitor’s experience, from the exhibition’s design to its information panels and individual labels. Her reassessment of the historical sources and the roles of Aigai, Pella, and Philip II offers both a watershed moment for Macedonian history and a cautionary tale on making contemporary amendments to ancient sources or not giving them enough credence.

Herodotus’ mention of Pella shows it already existed by at least the 5th c. BC, while Xenophon implies it was larger than Aigai – - indeed, one would expect such a well-placed coastal town to be a large thriving trade center. Demosthenes reports Philip was brought up there, although there is no direct evidence for either his or Alexander’s birthplaces.

We do know these two spent time in Pella, where Philip received embassies, such as that of the Athenians in 346 BC, described by Demosthenes and Aeschines. In the end, it appears Aigai and Pella were closely linked, with Pella being a larger, more accessible port town, in contrast to Aigai, which remained the Temenids’ ancestral royal seat and residential enclave, as well as home to their entourage of fellow nobles and companions.

Aigai

Aigai Museum Director Angeliki Kottaridi, appreciating Queen Eurydice, mother of Philip II, without whose strong leadership Philip and Alexander would never have come to the Macedonian throne. Her votive statue provides irrefutable evidence of the Temenid dynasty at Aigai.

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“Not for archaeologists…”

In a particularly intriguing remark, Kottaridi says the new Polycentric Museum “has been created not for archaeologists, but for all people interested in learning Macedonian history and having contact with the past.” In this vein, the objects are arranged in a strikingly artistic manner, without many individual labels or the usual dizzying array of artifact numbers. Important information is conveyed through numerous narrative plaques. Most of the museum’s finds come from Aigai’s excavated palace and from thousands of graves. Nevertheless, they appear in thematic groupings to illustrate ordinary life, construction, destruction, warfare, men’s banqueting rituals, women’s private and domestic activities, and the luxurious funerary practices of Iron Age noble ladies and Temenid kings and queens.

There are many facts to be gleaned from the information panels. Still, the most remarkable immediate impression is made by the innovative artistry of the artifact exhibits – arranged either in distinctly patterned “tableaux” or in reconstructions of their original burial positions – and by the often poetic tone of their labels; in the first gallery after the courtyards, visitors read that five large showcases on the wall represent “a ‘book’ with five pages or scrolls,” displaying artifacts which, “liberated from the layers of [the palace’s] destruction, are raised to the firmament of memory, becom[ing] words and sentences that reveal the identity of the city, the fingerprints and thoughts of the inhabitants…” Opposite stands a long case of bronze “sarissa” lances, smaller weapons, helmets, and scrapers (or strigils), which accompanied Macedonian warriors “in life and death [and now] march with shouts of victory to hail the long-yearned return into the remembrance of their descendants.”

Treasured objects tell a stor y

Among the artifacts displayed in the museum’s middle galleries are roof 1 5 0 — GREECE IS

tiles still bearing the impressions of the fingers that made them or the footprints of Aigai’s humbler animal residents, including goats, chickens, cats and dogs.

Another tile is stamped “AMYNTOU,” affirming the existence of a prominent shrine probably dedicated to Amyntas III, Philip’s father. Fragmentary tiles marked with goats’ heads also confirm Aigai’s identity. Further displays present bronze keys, ornaments, equestrian equipment, ceramic cups and plates, lamps, writing implements, household tools, and terracotta figurines of Athena, Dionysus, and Heracles, the Temenids’ mythical ancestor. More recent hammerheads and wedges from the palace’s ruins point to the “quarrying” of the historic site by early modern villagers seeking building materials for their homes and churches.

After passing through a space meant to call to mind a customary “andron” (male dining hall) – filled with jugs, kraters, drinking cups, and other symposia vessels of the Geometric, Archaic and Classical eras – the visitors comes to some of the Museum’s most unexpected and delightful displays. First, a small gallery evoking females’ traditionally secluded residential quarters holds two more “tableaux” cases with creatively arranged and fascinating selections of women’s ornaments, jewelry, miniature perfume dispensers, and other cherished personal possessions. Even the more commonplace loom weights are exhibited inventively, suspended together as if for use on an actual loom.

Regal burial goods defy histor y’s tribulations

A large hall presents the “Remembrance” exhibition’s stirring culmination, with elite and royal funerary goods from the Aigai necropolis and its burial tumuli of “The Temenids” and “The Queens.” Here, Kottaridi and her team colorfully envision visitors “experiencing” a “nekyia” – an ancient rite in which spirits of the deceased were called up and questioned. One panel reads: “The 2023-2024 EDITION

objects – so full of meaning – truly shine as ‘beings’…, ready to share their truth in a[n]… environment that both respects and exalts them.” Thus, the treasures of Aigai are meant to “speak” to us, and they almost seem to do so. The abundance and the diversity of the ancient material on display are particularly impressive.

Despite extensive looting and repeated sackings of Aigai (by Pyrrhus’ troops in 273 BC and the Romans in 148 BC), much has survived.

Magnificent Attic polychromatic white-ground lekythoi by known painters – along with black-figure, red-figure, and black-glazed banqueting vases in the previous room – attest to Athenian trade and influence in the 6th-4th c.

BC. The Temenid kings are represented by objects from their funeral pyres and tombs and through written descriptions on an information panel. The “Queens” – in fact, pre-Temenid “noblewomen” (10th-8th c. BC) and the so-called “Lady of Aigai” (495 BC) identified as the Lydian wife of Amyntas I – have had their personal funerary adornments and other gifts arranged on or in front of standing, translucent, human-like forms, imparting the striking impression that these ladies have ethereally reappeared before us.

Six of the Iron Age figures are accompanied by tall, originally wooden rods – apparently scepters – topped with triple bronze double-axes. These noblewomen remind us that this site, even before it was Aigai, was already a regional center inhabited by well-to-do elites. The “Lady of Aigai’s” gold, silver, bronze and ivory grave goods are wondrous, and include a gilt-edged veil, pins, jewelry, a scepter, a distaff, a spindle, a phiale for offerings, a hydria (water jar), libation bowls, and golden-soled slippers.

As artistic, fresh and informative as the new Aigai Museum clearly is, it’s also still a work in progress. To fully understand the rich, innovative displays that the new Aigai Museum offers, visitors need to carefully read all the narrative panels, which are lengthy and dense (often over 2000 words of

Aigai Visitors enter the new Polycentric Museum of Aigai, at Vergina, in the heartland of ancient Macedonia.

text). Eventually, they’ll be able to scan QR codes and take these texts with them to peruse later, or perhaps access internet resources on their mobile phones, but at the moment, neither the QR system nor reliable internet or mobile phone service are available in the main museum building. The café and bookshop, too, remain as yet unfinished.

A new era for ancient Macedonia

Despite any temporary drawbacks, the Polycentric Museum of Aigai represents a gigantic, inspiring step forward in understanding the cultural heritage of ancient Macedonia. Establishing a museum complex with some 7,000 sq. m of new exhibition space and resurrecting the monumental architecture of Aigai’s royal palace have been enormous tasks, and the digital Museum of Alexander the Great promises even greater historical riches. Most importantly,

material evidence for an evolving interpretation of the roles of Aigai and of Philip II himself is now, more than ever, on display. Given the splendor of the royal graves and the architectural, social, and political significance of Philip’s inherited Temenid seat at Aigai, it seems little wonder that Kottaridi has drawn parallels between the golden ages of Macedonia and Periclean Athens.

The Athenians may have focused their energies on democracy and democratic institutions, and monarchy and individual power may have been the driving force in Macedonia, but Kottaridi argues that Philip was an enlightened, ambitious, and far-reaching king, surrounded by some of the leading creative minds of the day. Although she

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herself has previously conceded that her more benevolent view of Philip could upset scholarly traditionalists, it’s doubtless that the lay public and archaeological specialists alike will find much to marvel at here, in the Macedonian heartland, where leading artists and thinkers of the day gathered, where crucial policies were decided, where a scion was likely born and raised, and from where an eastward military mission was launched that would forever change the world. Alexander the Great’s inclusive approach to diverse cultures and his “globalized” Hellenistic world community – the Oikoumene – holds lessons on tolerance and on our shared human experience from which we can all still benefit today.•

• Polycentric Museum of Aigai: Archaeological site of Aigai Vergina, Imathia, Tel: (+30) 23310.925.80. Open: From November until end March 2024, Mon, Wed-Sun 09:00-17:00, Tue closed. From April to end October Mon, Wed-Sun 08:00-20:00, Tue 12:00-20:00.

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IN A HEARTFELT LETTER TO HER INFANT SON, WHO WAS BORN DURING HER ASSIGNMENT AS U.S. CONSUL GENERAL IN THESSALONIKI, LIZ LEE

© OLGA CHARAMI

DESCRIBES WHY THE CITY AND HER JOURNEYS ACROSS NORTHERN GREECE WILL ALWAYS HOLD A SPECIAL PLACE IN HER HEART.

BY ELIZABETH K. LEE

Its stunning natural beauty makes Vikos Gorge a popular destination for hikers and nature enthusiasts.

ΑN AMERICAN DIPLOMAT’S

Farewell

© NIKOS KARANIKOLAS

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The Evros Delta, a paradise for bird-watchers.

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forests of the Rhodope Mountains that rise above the banks of the Nestos River in Thrace, and the peaks of the wild island of Samothraki, where Poseidon once sat for ten years, watching the Trojan War from a godly distance.

As fate would have it, northern Greece is where I found myself, alone, when a great pandemic began. This is where I started thinking about you. You began as an audacious idea, one born on the precipice of opportunity. And, my son, one important thing to learn in this life is how to recognize and seize moments before they disappear. This will require experience and many, many mistakes. And you will need courage, which, if there is one, I believe is the secret to a life well-lived. For within decisions born of courage, even the worst failures will hold a tiny golden seed, deep inside. And from this seed, future successes can be born. Like you, my biggest and proudest achievement.

YOU WERE BORN in Thessaloniki,

in northern Greece: a place of fantastic stories and images, a tapestry of rich and coarse fabrics; the mythical, mystical, and mundane. Alexander the Great, after whom you were named, once reigned over and marched through these lands on his way towards conquering everything which lay east of him. Thessaloniki was named after his half-sister, by King Cassander, her husband. It is a place where sultans and dragoons once rode through the streets on carriages and horses; a place of miracles and saintly interventions. It is where a people, the Sephardic Jews, built a new home after becoming exiles six hundred years ago. Where souvlaki is souvlaki, not kalamaki. And at every dusk, from the shore fishermen silently toss their lines into the green waters of the Aegean repeatedly, waiting for just a sliver of luck to strike.

I knew next to nothing about Thessaloniki or northern Greece when I first arrived three years ago with Pumpkin the Golden Retriever (who I know is a curiosity to you now as an infant, but who will become your best friend very soon). What I knew about Greece was limited to Athens and the blue and white Cycladic islands such as Mykonos and Santorini, like for many travelers who pass through Greece. But here’s what I discovered: northern Greece is not white or blue – it’s green. There are the magnificent tall grasses of the Evros Delta just outside Alexandroupoli, the 1 5 6 — GREECE IS

Joy on the trail

THE OUTDOORS HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY REFUGE . WALKING IN A HUSHED FOREST ALONE IN THE E ARLY MORNING FOR ME IS AKIN TO BEING INSIDE A CANOPIED, LIVING MONASTERY, WITH BIRDSONG CHORUSES AS LITANIES. 2023-2024 EDITION

There is so much I want to tell you about this place – about the region’s famed gastronomy, its rich religious diversity, its many archaeological treasures, such as the tombs of Aigai in Vergina and the Lion of Amphipolis…the list goes on. But we have time. When we return, and you are older, we can discover all of this together. Today, I wanted to share some of my favorite places in the outdoors here that have made the past three years unforgettable.

The outdoors has always been my refuge. Walking in a hushed forest alone in the early morning for me is akin to being inside a canopied, living monastery, with bird song choruses as litanies. There is peace, restoration, and strength on the trail, as well as the thrill of discovery. What’s around the next bend? A dramatic vista? A wild pig?

(And yes, there are many of those here.)

There is a simple joy in putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward, regardless of obstacles, be they weather or a steep incline. Although walking is still at least several months

© LIZ LEE

Heartfelt

Elizabeth with her beloved Golden Retriever Pumpkin at Acheron.

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away for you right now, at times in your life, you’ll find that taking even small steps forward may seem difficult. My advice at those moments is to find a good trail, somewhere beautiful. Lace up your boots. And try.

Northern Greece has more than its fair share of beautiful hiking, such as magical Mount Olympus, seat of the Greek pantheon. These trails were the first that I tackled with Pumpkin upon arriving in northern Greece, followed shortly thereafter by the Rhodope Mountain range in Thrace. Although it’s not strictly in my consular district, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Vikos Gorge in Epirus, one of the deepest gorges in the world, with magnificent views and a frigid, deep blue-green pool waiting for weary hikers at the bottom (which, I confess, I wasn’t brave enough to swim in). Next to the Gorge is an alpine lake, one of the many drakolimnes, or “dragon lakes,” high in the Pindos 1 5 8 — GREECE IS

THE MOUNTAINS, ROCKS, SE AS AND RIVERS IN GREECE ALL HAVE A TALE TO TELL . FOR E X AMPLE, THERE IS THE ACHERON RIVER, WHICH IN ANCIENT TIMES WAS BELIE VED TO FLOW INTO HADES AS ONE OF THE FIVE GRE AT RIVERS OF THE UNDERWORLD. 2023-2024 EDITION

Mountains. According to myth, it’s where dragons battled overhead with stones, pitting and pockmarking the landscape. More likely, they are named after the numerous newts which claim the lakes as their habitat. If you squint hard, these creatures look like tiny dragons. We can decide which version is true when we go there together.

The mountains, rocks, seas and rivers in Greece all have a tale to tell.

For example, there is the Acheron River, which in ancient times was believed to flow into Hades as one of the five great rivers of the underworld. Although the name in ancient Greek means “unhappiness” or “misery,” the river is quite beautiful, teeming with fish and birds. It wears many faces. Near the mountains, it is cold, green and fast-moving – I swam it one summer with Pumpkin (I had a wetsuit; she did not) and we saw trout swimming curiously alongside us as we pushed upstream to eddies,

© LIZ LEE

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pools and waterfalls. Closer to the sea, the river is best explored by kayak. It’s calmer, and willow trees hang low on its banks, with bird nests lodged in branches that gently touch the water.

But before very long, the tree-lined banks have disappeared from view, and you’re out in the impossibly blue waters and wide expanse of the Ionian Sea.

1. Kastoria Lake, known for its important ecological role in supporting diverse wildlife.

2. Aerial view of the northern Pindos National Park that fascinated the author.

3. At the Lion of Amphipolis, a statue believed to date back to the 4th century BC.

A place in my heart

While famed Cyclades Islands such as Mykonos and Santorini are lauded for their turquoise waters and stunning beaches, the sea in northern Greece is just as breathtakingly beautiful.

Northern Greeks are rightfully proud of the Halkidiki region, which is a peninsula comprised of three legs – Cassandra, Sithonia, and Athos – with an impressive coastline that stretches for hundreds of miles and with beaches that rival any island. I spent a lot of time exploring Sithonia’s rugged,

less-developed beaches, where I’d often swim or stand-up paddleboard with Pumpkin at the helm, and with Mt Athos, one the holiest mountains in all of the Orthodox Christian world, rising in the distance and flying fish leaping around me. There is a northern Greek saying, «Σαν την Χαλκιδική δεν έχει» (“There’s no place like Halkidiki”) – and I believe this to be true.

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There’s so much more to write about: the warm and sandy island of Thassos and its even warmer people; Kastoria, the lakeside city of churches; the monasteries built into cliffs and on top of rocky pillars in Meteora; and the Old Town of Xanthi by moonlight…but what makes Thessaloniki and northern Greece so special isn’t just its natural beauty, mythology, or its history – it’s the people who live here and it’s the incredible filoxenia, or hospitality,that is a deep part of their culture. As diplomats, we take pieces of the places we leave with us. But the past three years in Thessaloniki changed my life: it’s not only the place where you were born, it’s also where I met my wife, your other parent – and it is where we became a family. For me, «Σαν την Βόρεια Ελλάδα δεν έχει» – there is no place like northern Greece.

Thessaloniki and this region will always have a special place in my heart.• GREECE IS — 1 5 9

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Thessaloniki offers a brilliant showcase of the evolution of Byzantine art and architecture, spanning centuries of the city’s remarkable history of splendor, struggle and survival.

We join an intriguing walking tour focused on women who left their mark on the city of Thessaloniki.

A NEIGHBORHOOD ON THE RISE AND ITS “CURSED” SECRET

“VOLTA” TIME: 5 GREAT STROLLS TO TAKE IN THE CITY

A trip through the magical microcosm of Hippodrome Square, where the streets hide urban legends, musical surprises, and hangouts for the young.

Thessaloniki is definitely one of those made-for-walking cities.

Strolling by the sea or through the city's narrow streets will bring you to all the best old haunts and popular new spots.

© PERIKLES MERAKOS

UNSUNG HEROINES: THE WOMEN WHO SHAPED THE CITY'S HISTORY

© PERIKLES MERAKOS

THESSALONIKI, A TIMELESS BYZANTINE CITY

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