Textiles and Treasures of Ancient Athens

Meet Karin and your tour manager at London Heathrow airport for your flight to Athens. Arriving in the afternoon we will be transferred to our hotel, the Athenian Callirhoe. Later, we will re-group and take a stroll into the historical centre of the city, Plaka. Admire the neo-classical buildings, the narrow streets, and the numerous shops and restaurants. We will enjoy dinner together in a typical Greek tavern.

This morning we will explore the city of Athens, beginning our day with a panoramic tour to the city’s most important monuments and landmarks. Capture the Panathinaikon stadium, the Zappeion, the temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian’s Arch, Syntagma square, the Parliament, the tomb of the unknown soldier, Schliemann's house, the Academy, the University, the National Library, and the old Parliament.

Our panoramic tour will finish at the sacred rock of the Acropolis, for our guided visit, including the Propylae, the temple of Athena Nike, the Parthenon, the Erechtheion. From here, we will continue on foot along Dionysiou Aeropagitou street, to Thisio. We will walk along Adrianou street, right next to ancient Agora (market), with great views to the Acropolis and the temple of Hephaestus, the best-preserved ancient temple in Athens. A further walk, will bring us to Monastiraki with the famous flea market.

We will end our exploration day in Athens at Ermou street, and browse the family-run fabric shops, many of which have existed since the 60’s.

Today we will discover some of Athens' textile shops and organisations where we will learn about the various weaving techniques and tools used. We will visit 3Quarters, a small fashion accessory production unit that focuses on upcycling locally reclaimed materials, and Handmade LOOM, another small company that creates a variety of weaving products by using a horizontal loom.

We hope to visit IFENIN, an exhibition showcasing old weaving tools, and the Society for the Education of Young Women, an organisation devoted to helping young women learn the art of embroidery.

Please note some of these visits are subject to availability on the day as these are working organisations.

This morning we will visit several interesting museums. We begin with a visit to the National History Museum, where you will find a folklore collection of 6,000 representative examples of Neohellenic folk art spanning the period from the second half of the 18th to the end of the 20th century. After, we will visit the Benaki Museum to explore the post-byzantine and neo-hellenic art collection and the Cycladic Art Museum where we can admire exhibits artefacts, testimonies of the civilizations that flourished in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean from the 4th millennium BC.

We will return to the hotel in the afternoon and you will have the opportunity to enjoy some time at leisure

Enjoy a day of workshops at the hotel with Karin, where you will work on your projects.

This morning we will be heading towards the Peloponnese making a short stop to admire the unique architecture of the Corinth canal, and then continue our drive to Epidaurus. This used to be one of the most important healing centres in antiquity, and today is known for its best-preserved ancient theatre, famous for its unique acoustics.

After our visit, we will continue to Nafplio, the first capital of modern Greece, a picturesque town dominated by the Venetian castle of Palamidi. Enjoy a walk in the old town as you wander along the cobbled narrow streets with neo-classical buildings. Here, we will visit a local shop which has kept old weaving traditions and techniques to product modern clothing and accessories. The store owner will guide us and give us a short demonstration of the of weaving on an old hand operated wooden loom and tell us all about the concept and how they are trying to preserve traditional weaving techniques in today’s world.

We will then have free time to explore more of Nafplio, take lunch (on own – not included), or enjoy a coffee at the sea-front promenade with views to Bourtzi, a tiny fortified islet guarding the entrance of Nafplion’s port. Return drive back to Athens in the afternoon. In the evening, we will enjoy a farewell dinner at the hotel.

At the indicated time, transfer to the airport for your return flight home.