Extended visiting hours for museums and archaeological sites

Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Yeroulanos announced new extended visiting hoursof a number of museums and archeological sites in Greece on May 18.
The ministry said that the list will be further enriched in the future weeks, depending on the availability of staff.
The list includes some of the most popular sites and museums in Greece such as the Acropolis of Athens – Archaeological Site, which will be open from 8.00-19.00, all year round; the Thessaloniki Museum of Byzantine Culture; the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki; the Archaeological Site of Philippi; the Archeological Museum and site of Mycenae; the Archeological Museum and site of Epidaurus; the Archaeological site of Mystras; the Archeological site and Museum of Afaia, Aegina; the Archeological Museum of Messenia; the Archeological site of Ancient Messene; the Catacombs on Milos island; the Herakleion Archeological Museum; the Archeological site of Knossos and the Spinalonga island on Crete.
The list also includes the Archaeological Museum of Drama; the Church of Panagia Kosmosoteira (Our Lady, Saviour of the World), in Ferres; the Grevena Archaeological Collection; the Museum of Asian Art, Corfu; the Archaeological Collection of Arta; the Byzantine Museum of Ioannina; the Ioannina Treasury; the Fortress of Ioannina; the Igoumenitsa Archaeological Museum; the Nekromanteion of Acheron; the Athanasakeion Archaeological Museum in Volos; the Archeological site of Nea Aghialos, Magnesia; the Byzantine Museum of Fthiotida at Ypati; the Monastery of Osios Loukas; the Corinth Archeological Museum.
Ministry of Culture & Tourism:  Brief Guides to Archaeological Museums in Greece Part I & Part II; YouTube: Culture in Greece [VIDEO] [Photo 3: The Nekromanteion of Acheron – Oracle of the Dead]
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

Advertisement

Visit Greece: Aegina Island

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) Aegina, an island full of natural beauties and great history, lies in the Saronic Gulf, in close proximity to the port of Piraeus. Having served as the first capital of Greece (1827-1829), it houses several landmark buildings, such as the Government House. Time travel continues with the ancient temple of Aphaea (pictured), built in the northern part of the island in an area covered with pine trees, overlooking the sea.Under the proper weather conditions, the visitor has visual access to both Poseidon’s temple in Sounio and the Acropolis, the 3 temples forming an equilateral triangle. Furthermore, a visit to the Monastery of St Nektarios is highly recommended.

Exploring Greece: Pieria

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   The Pieria prefecture, southwest of Thessaloniki in Macedonia, is the epitome of the Hellenic landscape – a perfect combination of mountain and sea, hosting not only the country’s highest summit, Mytikas (2,917 meters), on legendary Mount of Gods Olympus (or Olympos), but also its longest stretch of beach. The area – besides its irresistible allure for mountain lovers- presents considerable archaeological interest, and is therefore suitable for breaks and vacations throughout the year. The castle of Platamonas in the south and the sprawling archaeological site of the ancient Macedonian town, Dion, carry great historical appeal. The prefecture’s capital, Katerini, is one of Greece’s newest towns. Established at the end of 19^th century by repatriated Greeks from the area of the Monastery of St Catherine on Mount Sinai in Egypt, Katerini is today a modern urban centre with exceptional quality of life. Athens Plus (January 23): Pieria, in the shadow of the Gods  (23.01.2009, p.42)  

Greek Prime Minister: “There are no Easy Solutions to the Crisis”

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis on Tuesday reiterated his unwavering devotion to the duty mandated by the international financial crisis, warning that there were no easy solutions or recipes. Addressing a meeting of his party’s parliamentary group, the premier said that uncertainty and intense worry over the explosion in unemployment, as well as a fear of recession, prevail throughout Europe. He added that the repercussions inevitably affect Greece as well. “Greece is not outside or beyond the world,” he said, adding that the times beckon a responsible position. “We can convert the international financial crisis into a national opportunity. I am here, and I will fight with all my strength. The Greek people, with unity and unanimity, can win the challenges at this international conjuncture,” the prime minister stressed. On the Vatopedi Monastery-State land transactions affair, the premier said: “I assume our share of the responsibility.” He further added “I underestimated the issue, I did not see its dimensions early on, I did not have the full picture,” Karamanlis conceded, stressing that “the mistake is mine, and I am not passing it on to anyone.”  Athens News Agency: PM Karamanlis: There are no easy solutions 

• Greek monastic food gets cookbook treatment

(The Salt Lake Tribune/AP, 15.08.08) A cookbook written by Father Epifanios Milopotaminos, the cook on the secluded Mount Athos sanctuary gives us a rare glimpse into life in this community of some 1,500 monks in 20 monasteries that strictly limits outside access, including barring women. Published in April, ”Cooking on Mount Athos” (so far available only in Greek) offers 126 unpretentious, tasty recipes. ”It’s a clean diet that people once ate across the eastern Mediterranean. It’s the same way meals were prepared 100 years ago, or 50 years ago,” Epifanios says. FOR MORE LOOK AT: http://www.sltrib.com/faith/ci_10218542

The Bible Enters Cyberspace

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Seventeen centuries after it was written, the Codex Sinaiticus, one of the world’s oldest copies of the Bible, catches up with the digital age this week. Written in the fourth century and discovered in Egypt – at the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. Catherine’s of Mount Sinai – in the 19th, it will enter cyberpsace today, July24, courtesy of the Leipzig University library in Germany. The Codex Sinaiticus Project is an international collaboration to reunite the entire manuscript in digital form and make it accessible to a global audience for the first time. Drawing on the expertise of leading scholars, conservators and curators, the Project gives everyone the opportunity to connect directly with this famous manuscript.  Codex Sinaiticus Project: www.codex-sinaiticus.net; Telegraph.co.uk: Codex Sinaiticus, the world’s oldest Bible, goes online; Secretariat General of Information: Hellenic Culture Abroad – History, Literature & Music

Greek Island Skyros is not a destination of mass-tourism

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)     The island of Skyros lies in the Northern Aegean, the largest and most isolated of the Northern Sporades. The island is more or less divided into two halves: the fertile north, with its green, rolling hillsides and the barren, mountainous region in the south. The capital “Skyros” or “Hora” is built amphitheatrically on the slopes of a hill, and in the shadow of a medieval castle and the Byzantine monastery of St George of Skyros. Beyond the capital there’s a wonderful, long, sandy beach at Magazia and several beaches along the west coast at Atsitsa.  

Athens: Exhibition on Mount Athos in Greek art

An exhibition organised by the National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation (MIET) entitled “The Holy Mount in Greek art” is to open on January 24 in Athens at the Eynard Mansion (Aghiou Constantinou 20).The exhibition was set up in collaboration with the art gallery of the semi-autonomous monastic community of Mount Athos in northern Greece and focuses mainly on works produced in the early decades of the 20th century.About 180 paintings, etchings and books by 43 artists will be on display. Some of these belong to MIET’s collection, others are from the Mount Athos Gallery and others are on loan from a number of public and private collections in Greece.