In Athens, you stumble upon ancient history at every corner. Even when you're in a district that seems to have no trace of it, like the area surrounding Sepolia and Kolonos, two heavily residential neighbourhoods just west of the city centre.
In ancient times, Sepolia was home to the Great Olive Grove of Athens, counting more than 150,000 trees. And let’s not forget that Sophocles’ famed tragic play Oedipus of Colonus unfolds in Kolonos. Until the 1960s, Kolonos was a rural region, adorned by the river of Cephissus (or Kifisos) and dotted with farms and olive trees. The two neighbourhoods as we see them today came of age during the 1960s and 70s when there was a surge of people moving to the capital for work. Part of this population settled in Kolonos and Sepolia to be close to the central railway station in the area.
Nowadays, just a few metro stops from Syntagma Square, Sepolia and Kolonos are home to a blend of locals and immigrants while still preserving some of their old Athenian charm; local stores shut down for siesta, curtains sneak through open windows in the breeze, kids run through streets and cycle through parks. Meanwhile, theatres, green spaces, archaeological sites and art spaces in forgotten spots are being revamped as the area begins to make its mark on modern history.
Kolonos Theatre
Nestled in the green hill of Kolonos, this theatre was built to resemble those of ancient times. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, you may actually feel like you’re transported to an older era in this open-air, horseshoe-shaped cultural space. It is home to the annual Colonus Festival, which takes place every summer and features a great array of music, dance, and theatre performances (though mostly in Greek.) A few steps away are two monuments that commemorate German scholar of classical studies Karl Otfried Müller (d. 1840), and French archaeologist and philhellene Charles Lenormant (d. 1859), both of whom died in Athens. Lenorman Street, which cuts through Kolonos, was named after the latter.
Sunlit Kolonos Theatre.
Photo: Georgios Makkas
Spot the neoclassical architecture around Lofos Skouze.
Photo: Georgios Makkas
Lofos Skouze
Crowned by the church of Saint Emilianos, Sepolia has its own hill, Lofos (meaning "hill") Skouze. In the early 1800s, banker George Skouze bought large plots of land on the south-east slopes where he planted olive, pine, and cypress trees, and even grape vines. Skouze, after whom the hill is named, also had water shafts built to bring ample water for this vegetation. The original tiny church of St. Saint Emilianos from the Byzantine era crumbled to the ground during the earthquake of 1854. Its current form was completed in 1976 when it was rebuilt. In 1918 Skouze’s land changed ownership and almost fell victim to city development, which was luckily prevented thanks to locals' protests. Right before World War II, people from the Cyclades, especially Mykonos, settled in the area. A walk around the hill’s quiet streets is like a mini architecture tour through the ages and a sneak peek into true Athenian life.
Old Tobacco Factory (Kapnergostasio)
The Kapnergostasio first opened in 1925 and after a fire left it in ruins, it got a makeover and reopened in 1930. Today, the building covers an entire block and stands as an emblem of industrial design. It used to house a 19,000 square metre tobacco factory, where freshly-cut tobacco leaves went in one door and ready-to-sell cigarette packs came out the other. Initially it consisted of four separate buildings that surrounded an atrium. After the 1930's makeover they were covered by a huge, earthquake-proof, glass ceiling. Renovated in the late aughts, it was finished in 2021 by NEON, an organisation that together with Stegi and EMST, is responsible for bringing the Athens contemporary arts scene to the foreground. The striking building now houses the Library of the Greek Parliament and is home to rolling temporary exhibitions staged by NEON. Its yellow and orange facade brings colour to the otherwise dull area.
Brightening up the area.
Photo: Georgios Makkas
The Antetokounmpo brothers watching over their neighbourhood.
Photo: Georgios Makkas
Municipal Sports Centre
Even if you’ve never watched a basketball game, you’ve surely heard of the Greek Freak. Giannis Antetokounmpo was born right here, in the neighbourhood of Sepolia where his fairytale career began. Upon being drafted into the NBA in 2015, Giannis rose to fame at incredible speed. A mural of the NBA Milwaukee Bucks MVP going up for a dunk spans across the entirety of one of the two courts in the complex. Painted by Athenian artist Same84 in collaboration with Nike in 2017, the artwork sparked the need for a complete renovation of the nearby sports centre, which in turn attracts people of all ages to stand on the ground where a legend began. Ever since, it has been known as the “Giannis Court.”
Plato’s Academy Park
It was around 387 BCE when Plato founded his famous school of philosophy, which is considered to be the first university in the history of mankind. Originally a sacred place, the ruins of the academy rest around various corners of the park, from the Sacred House, to the Gymnasium, to the Square Peristyle, all a short stroll from each other. While there are no erect columns, and only traces of what stood there thousands of years ago, the act of walking on the grounds where so much of western philosophy was born, where Plato, Aristotle and their contemporaries and pupils walked, is indeed priceless. It wasn’t only philosophy that was taught here, it was also astronomy, mathematics, politics, and physics. After Plato’s death, the Academy continued to operate until 529 CE when it was shut down by order of Emperor Justinian the Great. Further excavation and a complete regeneration of the area is in the works. The park itself will be remodelled and there are plans for an archaeological (and the country’s first sustainable) museum within the perimeters. Plato’s Academy Park is also the kicking off spot for the annual month-long, Athens City Festival.
Plato, the referee.
Photo: Georgios Makkas