The Lecabettus Hill

Legend has it, that the goddess Athena wanted her temple on the Acropolis to be closer to the sky. So, one stormy night, she went to Mount Penteli and extracted a huge rock from it, which she intended to place on top of the existing one. Unfortunately, two black birds approached her as she was carrying the rock and gave her some extremely bad news which meant that she had to attend to them immediately. In her fury and hurry she dropped the rock right in the middle of Athens. After that the goddess apparently forgot all about it, and this 278m hill has been in Athens ever since. What is more, Athenians, be they ancient or modern, bless their patron goddess's heart, for her absent mindedness and short temper every time they walk up Lycavittos Hill.

Lycavittos has always been the favourite place of the romantics. And it is not just the view of the Acropolis and of the whole city spreading all the way to the sea. It is also the pine trees and cypresses, the little wooden benches, the narrow pathways. Then there is the open-air theatre which hosts music and theatre events during the summer months, when it hosts cultural events. And if the theatre does not suffice, there is the beautiful white church of Ayios Georgios that may attract you. In ancient times the hill was thickly wooded and on its top there was a temple dedicated to Zeus. When Athens was liberated from the Turks, Lycavittos was completely devoid of trees. The hill's reforestation started in 1880 and was completed sometime in 1915. Today it is covered with sweet smelling pine trees and cypresses. There is only one road that goes up to the top by car but there are many footpaths you can easily negotiate.