traveldk.com

You may not feel you deserve such a jaw-dropping view after such an easy, shaded walk. But the hilltop directly overlooks the Acropolis and all of southern Athens stretching to the sea. This was once a favourite vantage-point for generals – and it’s equally appealing to photographers today.

Roman senator Gaius Julius Antiochus Filopappos was a lover of Classical Greek culture. He took his retirement in Athens and died here in about 114 AD. The Greeks built this marble tomb and monument to the senator, showing him as an Athenian citizen, surrounded by his royal Roman family. Its partially destroyed form looks across to the Acropolis.

This is believed to be the cave where Socrates (see Socrates 470–399 BC) was imprisoned, having been condemned to death. His disciples sat with him as he drank the hemlock that dispatched him.

In 1648, an Ottoman commander planned to bombard this charming Byzantine church. But lightning struck his cannon, giving the church the name of “Saint Dimitri the Bombadier”.

If Athens is the cradle of democracy, this spot is its exact birthplace. After Athens became a democracy in 508 BC, the first ever democratic congress met here weekly, and the greatest orators held forth. The limestone theatre, cut into the hill, accommodated over 10,000.

This ancient road leads from the Acropolis to Piraeus, passing between Filopappos Hill and the Pnyx to follow the course of the Long Walls (5th century BC). It was a two-lane road, 8–12 m (26–40 ft) wide, with anti-slip grooves. A 500-m (1600-ft) stretch has been excavated.

Agia Marina is associated with childbirth and sick children, and so pregnant women come here and slip down a carved slide to ensure a safe delivery. In the past, mothers brought sick children here to spend the night. A colourful festival honours Marina each July.

Greece’s oldest research centre is housed in a beautiful Neo-Classical building. The centre monitors astronomy, weather, and especially the earthquakes that occasionally rattle Athens.

In ancient times, Greeks believed Filopappos was inhabited by the muses of art, music and poetry. And this smaller hill was the dwelling place of nymphs – the female spirits of trees, fields and springs.

Dora Stratou’s troupe travels the land, learning and keeping alive hundreds of regional dances. Here, they present the intricate moves that have been part of Greek culture for centuries.