Archaeologists in Greece have discovered what they believe to be the oldest known excerpt of Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey.”

Original source: Protothema
Translated by: XpatAthens

Registrations are now open!

Global sports figure Mike Tindall joins this year’s event!

Costa Navarino presents the 3rd edition of Messinia Pro-Am , 20-23 February 2019. The international golf tournament will welcome a total of 30 teams, while professionals will be competing for a total prize fund of 30,000 euros.

Among this year’s participants, a global sports figure will be joining Messinia Pro-Am: Former international rugby player Mike Tindall that represented England 75 times and 5 times as captain over a 17 year career.

Registrations for the 3rd Messinia Pro-Am are now open at the official tournament website, HERE  and will close on January 18 th 2019.

Those who register until October 20 th 2018 will benefit from an “early bird” discount on their participation packages.

The tournament will take place at the award-winning golf courses of Costa Navarino , which has been selected by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) as the “European Golf Resort of the Year 2017”. The two signature 18-hole golf courses, The Dunes Course and The Bay Course will once again host professional and amateur golfers, for a four-day event filled with unique experiences both on and off the course.

The 3 rd Messinia Pro-Am is organized in collaboration with the PGAs of Europe and is held under the auspices of PGA of Greece and the Hellenic Golf Federation .

AEGEAN, a member of Star Alliance, is the official airline partner of the event. The
company was awarded for the seventh consecutive year and for the eighth time in nine
years, as "Best Regional Airline in Europe" at the Skytrax World Airline Awards.

Erasmus is the official travel partner coordinating and ensuring the smooth registration
& accommodation process.

For those wishing to stay at The Westin Resort Costa Navarino and enjoy the full
programme of Messinia Pro-Am, special accommodation packages are available HERE!

Watch the Messinia Pro-Am Video HERE!

Hashtag: #messiniaproam

( Photo credit: Vassilis Sfakianopoulos )

Much of Greece has been hit by a heatwave and as temperatures are expected to reach over 40 degrees on Monday July 23, the Acropolis will close early again.

The Acropolis and Dionyssos Theater closed early on Sunday, July 22 and will close on Monday July 23 at 14:00 in order to protect staff and visitors from the dangers on heatstroke.

Visitors who have already purchased tickets online can visit any of the ticket issuing posts and exchange for a different date.

Source: Greek City Times

After the devastating wildfires that hit the Attica region recently, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is encouraging travelers to stick with their plans and visit the country. The UNWTO stated to tourists, "Tourism means much needed income and creates new opportunities. Go there!"

The Secretary General, Zurab Pololikashvili, expressed his condolences during this challenging time for Greece. He said, "In this difficult moment allow me to convey, on my personal behalf and that of UNWTO, our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims and reiterate our full support to the people and the Government of Greece."

He added, "The people of Greece have proven their resilience many times before and I truly believe this time will be no different."

According to the Infrastructure Minister Christos Spirtzis, victims of the Attica fire will be able to submit applications starting from July 31, 2018 to receive 5,000 euros in aid.

The government has stated that they will pay 5,000 euros to households affected by the fire and 6,000 euros to families with more than two children. Businesses will receive 8,000 euros.

After inspecting over 3,500 buildings, Spirtzis and his team declared almost 1,000 of those not fit for use and about 800 buildings are temporarily unfit for use.

Government spokesperson Dimitris Tzanakopoulos also announced in addition to this aid, a complete set of measures for fire victims, including support for unemployed and pensioners, measures to compensate and support the families of victims, suspension of foreclosure auctions, reparation of material damages, and measures of direct tax and contribution relief.

Please visit Greek News Agenda to see the full list of fire relief measures.

Articlce source: Ekathimerini

To celebrate the two-year anniversary from the day it opened its doors to the public, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) invites photographers of all skill levels to participate in a group photography exhibition that will showcase moments of SNFCC life through their lenses.

The images may have been captured at an earlier date. They can focus on architecture, or a moment in time – any time of the year, any SNFCC area. Creative interpretations of this topic are encouraged!

This call for entries is free to enter for all photographers around the world over the age of 18. You may submit your entry at SNFCC.org/fence until 2 September 2018. Once the call for entries has come to a close, a jury of highly-regarded photography curators, academics and representatives of the organizers will review all images submitted for consideration The images selected by the Jury will be presented as a large-scale outdoor photography exhibition at the SNFCC. The exhibit will span a length of 400 meters, installed along the perimeter of the SNFCC.

The exhibition will be designed and produced by the New York based organization United Photo Industries in its signature "FENCE" exhibition style, and will be open for all visitors to explore and enjoy, thanks to an exclusive grant by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

For more information, please visit: SNFCC

The latest campaign launched by Marketing Greece called "Event-ually Athens" is promoting the Greek capital as a leading year-round tourist destination. Athens boasts a diverse and unique range of cultural options for visitors to enjoy at any time of the year.

The campaign will run through the end of August on Discovergreece.com, also aiming to promote Athens as a city break destination.

Among the major international events highlighted by the “Event-ually Athens” promo are the Athens Festival, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center’s (SNFCC) “Taste of Athens” gastronomy event, the National Opera concerts, the Athens Flying Week, the 28th Blue Cup Regatta, the Spetses Mini Marathon, and much more.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

According to Forbes, "the laidback Kerameikos neighborhood seems to live in a magical world of its own.” Because of its vibrant neighborhood with murals painted on the walls, new exciting restaurants, and some of the trendiest places for a drink, this Athens suburb has been labeled by Forbes as one of the coolest, hip, and artistic neighborhoods in the world.

The hippie-like atmosphere of the neighborhood has caught on and even tourists check it out and hang out with the local crowds. There are up-and-coming artists who display their work at galleries, theatres, bars, and there is something do around every corner.

Kerameikos is just a 10 minute walk from the historic center of Athens. As Forbes says, "It’s a place where old and new, Greece’s storied past and often turbulent present, tradition and forward-looking creativity all coexist happily together."

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Reporter

Photo credit: Greek Reporter

It was recently announced that Athens, Greece is a finalist amongst 12 cities for the 2018 European Capital of Innovation Award. The award is an annual prize awarded to the European city that is best able to demonstrate innovation that improves the lives of its citizens.

Cities that are able to contribute to open dynamic innovation ecosystems, involve citizens in governance and decision-making, and use innovation to improve the resiliency and sustainability of their cities are given consideration for the award. The city that is named the European Innovation Capital of the Year will receive 1 million euros, while the five runner-up cities will receive 100,000 euros.

The Mayor of Athens, Giorgos Kaminis, explained that Athens being nominated for this award began with a variety of innovation programs in Athens, such as renovating old abandoned buildings and opening them to local communities.

The other cities in running with Athens are Aarhus, Antwerp, Bristol, Gothenburg, Hamburg, Leuven, Lisbon, Madrid, Toulouse, Umeå, and Vienna.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

This summer, the Municipality of Athens launched a new smartphone app called "myAthensPass" that will help connect drivers with available parking spaces in the center of Athens. With only 10,500 open parking spots, Athens is making use of everyday technology to make parking easy and reliable.

Smartphone users can download the “myAthensPass” application through the Google Playstore or Apple’s Appstore; charge their credit, debit or prepaid card with the desired sum starting from 50 cents and up to 20 euros; choose a parking space on the digital map, the parking duration and type in their licence plate number.

The "myAthensPass" app only covers Athens' controlled parking zones and has replaced the scratch card parking system. The app is part of Athens' ongoing effort to provide better digital services to residents and visitors.

Article source: Greek Travel Pages