Product Description

In his new book, The Athenian Walk, Professor Alexandros Papageorgiou-Venetas, recommends a route by which to approach, both physically and intellectually, the Athenian Acropolis, the main historical landmark in the city. The author is an architect and town-planner, recognised internationally as an expert on the urban-design evolution of modern Athens. In this book, he essays a tour-pilgrimage which, through the midst of the hurly-burly of the modern megalopolis, leads us to the venerable, yet always new monuments of the Acropolis.

The book is also a chronicle of visits made to the Acropolis by Greeks and foreigners in the 19th and 20th century, and investigates various subjects. How did successive generations of Greek and foreign visitors experience the shrine of the Acropolis? What were their cultural beliefs as they gazed on the rock of Pallas Athena? What course did they follow on their way to the monuments? And how far did they respect the ancient access routes? How was the new ‘Athenian Promenade’ created, fulfilling an urban-design vision born at the same time as modern Athens in 1833?

The album is written in an elegant yet readily understood style, embellished with rare drawings and photographs, reminding us that in life, as in art, the journey is the end.