Conference participants are welcome to participate in one of the four guided tours that will take place on the second day of the conference (October 12) before the Gala Dinner. The participants will be transferred to cultural events by shuttle buses. Please note that accompanying guests that have been registered to the Conftool (through the payment of the according fee) are welcome to participate in the cultural events too.
Guided Tour 1: New Acropolis Museum
The Νew Acropolis Museum (http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en) is located opposite of the Acropolis itself. It is a landmark not only for Athens, but for the whole Greece. Archaic and classical finds from the Acropolis site are displayed here, i.e. sculptures, inscriptions, finds from sanctuaries, as well as objects used in everyday life. The visitor progresses gradually upward through the building, where on the top floor, the marble frieze that once ran around the top of the Parthenon await. Furthermore, there is an excellent restaurant on the second floor that offers a breath taking view of the Acropolis.
The guided visit will last one hour and a half and includes: a) the permanent exhibition (The Gallery of the Slopes of the Acropolis, the Archaic Gallery, the Parthenon Gallery, the Propylaia, the temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion etc.), b) as well as the very interesting temporary exhibition “εmotions” which sheds light on the unseen world of emotions in the personal, social and political life of antiquity, through 129 exhibits from the world’s greatest museums.
Guided Tour 2: National Archaeological Museum of Athens
The National Archaeological Museum of Athens (http://www.namuseum.gr/index-en.html) is one of the best museums in the world. It has more than 11.000 exhibits and offers a panoramic experience of the Greek civilization from prehistory to late antiquity. The core of the building was completed in 1889, although several additional sections have been built since then.
Numerous galleries house five large permanent collections: a) the Prehistoric Antiquities, which includes works of the great civilizations that developed in the Aegean sea from the sixth millennium BC to 1050 BC (Neolithic, Cycladic, Mycenaean), b) the Sculptures Collection, which shows the development of ancient Greek sculpture from the seventh to the fifth century BC, c) the Vase and Minor Arts, which contains representative works of ancient Greek pottery from the eleventh century BC to the Roman period, d) the Bronze Collection, with many fundamental statues, figurines and minor objects, and e) the only Egyptian and Near Eastern Antiquities Collection in Greece, with works dating from the pre-dynastic period (5000 BC) to the Roman conquest.
The conference participants will be guided in all five collections as well as in the new temporary exhibition “Odysseys”, which is the main commemorative event on the occasion of the 150th anniversary since the foundation of the Museum. It attempts to give an account of the adventurous journey of man through time considered from an abstract and symbolic perspective that draws its inspiration from the Homeric Odyssey.
Guided Tour 3: Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC)
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC – https://www.snfcc.org/default.aspx) is a sustainable, world-class cultural, educational and recreational urban complex that is built on the edge of the Faliro Bay and includes three main facilities: a) The new National Library of Greece, b) The new Greek National Opera, and c) The Stavros Niarchos Park. The idea originates in 1998, but it is not until 2016 that the SNFCC was completed. It was designed by the architectural firm Renzo Piano Building Workshop and is one of the world’s most sustainable building complexes of its size. It achieved the highest international standard for sustainable design and construction (the Platinum LEED) for its innovative architecture and green technology. The conference participants will be guided in all the three main facilities of the complex.
Guided Walk: Sites of historic and cultural interest in the centre of Athens
This event is composed of two parts. The first one will last 20’ minutes and regards a guided tour by bus of the most historic and famous buildings and squares in Athens’ city centre. In particular, the bus tour includes the Panathenaic Stadium, where the first modern Olympic Games took place, the House of the Greek Parliament and Syntagma Square (the central square of Athens), the so-called Athens Trilogy that includes the neoclassical buildings of the Academy of Athens, the University of Athens and the National Library, the Klauthmonos Square and the old House of the Greek Parliament.
The second part of the tour will last 1 hour and includes a guided walk through Plaka, which is the oldest district in Athens, built at the foothill of the Acropolis, with picturesque neoclassical houses and mainly pedestrian streets. Subsequently, the conference participants will walk alongside the Ancient Roman Forum (Agora) and some of the alleys of Monastiraki, which is a very old neighborhood in Athens, well known for the flea market. After reaching Monastiraki Square, the conference participants will walk the pedestrian street “Adrianou” that has a wonderful view to Acropolis, the Ancient Greek Forum (Agora) and the ancient temple of Hephaestus at Thisseio area, which is the end point of the tour.
