Anafiotika is a small yet distinct neighbourhood in Athens. It’s hidden in plain site in one corner of the larger Plaka neighbourhood, just underneath the steep northeast slope of the Acropolis. We took a wander through one morning and found it to be very quiet, well-kept, and populated by some of Athens luckiest cats.
Anafiotika means Little Anafi in Greek. The neighbourhood was constructed beginning in the mid-1800’s by migrants from the island of Anafi who had moved to Athens to work on construction projects for Otto of Greece, the country’s first king after independence from the Turks.
The Anafis built their own houses in the style of those back on their home island, with the narrow winding streets, stone staircases and smooth whitewashed walls that remain today.
Some of the streets are so small they look like drainage gullies. We likely would not have walked down them if it wasn’t for signage pointing people along a very circuitous alternative route to the Acropolis (it always appeared deceptively close on Google Maps, though in reality we knew it was far, far above us).
Several churches are tucked in and around Anafiotika.
The most striking church is the 11th Century Byzantine Church of the Transfiguration (aka Metamorphosis). Apparently it is possible to visit if you are lucky and there are some photos of the inside here.
Around the edges of Anafiotika in Plaka things get a little scruffier, but the streets remain photogenic in a different way.
