Anafiotika: The Cycladic Island Village Under the Acropolis

Why is it significant?

Turn into the labyrinth of miniature alleys of Anafiotika and suddenly feel as though you have been magically transported from Athens onto a tiny Aegean island.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Turn into the labyrinth of miniature alleys of Anafiotika and suddenly feel as though you have been magically transported from Athens onto a tiny Aegean island. Whitewashed flat-roofed houses with bright cobalt blue shutters, potted geraniums, and cascading magenta bougainvillea hug the vertical cliffs of the Acropolis.

In the eighteen forties, King Otto brought master stonemasons and carpenters from the remote Cycladic island of Anafi to build his royal palace. Homesick for their island, these artisans illegally built this tiny village under cover of night, invoking an old Ottoman law that decreed any house built between sunset and sunrise on public land could not be demolished.

With no street names, addresses were designated simply by the family name and house number. Walk quietly through these tiny hallways—only around forty-five historic houses remain, protected as national architectural treasures.

Descend the winding stairs into the picturesque square of Upper Plaka.