Greece A to Z: A
23 entries from the Greece A to Z Travel Dictionary, starting with A. Search or filter them here, or open another letter.
Acropolis
SightThe ancient citadel of Athens crowned by the Parthenon, Greece's most famous monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
#Aegina
RegionThe closest major island to Athens, an easy Saronic Gulf day trip known worldwide for its pistachios and the hilltop Temple of Aphaia.
#Agiorgitiko
DrinkThe red grape of Nemea in the Peloponnese, making soft, fruity reds that are among the easiest Greek reds to start with.
The classic plate to drink it with, moussaka
#Agistri
RegionA small pine covered island in the Saronic Gulf, close enough to Piraeus for a day trip and much quieter than Aegina.
#Alonissos
RegionThe quietest of the Sporades, surrounded by Europe's largest marine protected area, which shelters the Mediterranean monk seal.
#Altis (Sacred Altis, Olympia)
SightThe sacred grove at the centre of the sanctuary of Olympia, in the valley formed where the rivers Alpheios and Kladeos meet. Within it stand the principal temples of Zeus and Hera, the Pelopion and a row of treasuries at the foot of Kronion Hill, the Bouleuterion used by the administration, the workshop of Pheidias and the stadium. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1989.
#Amorgos
RegionThe easternmost Cycladic island, dramatic and little visited, known as the filming location for the film "The Big Blue" and for the cliffside Hozoviotissa Monastery built into a sheer rock face.
#Anafi
RegionA remote, dry Cycladic island east of Santorini, with a huge limestone headland and very little development.
#Andros
RegionA green, walkable Cycladic island with a network of restored stone footpaths, deep valleys and a neoclassical main town.
#ANEK Lines
PracticalA conventional operator on the Crete runs out of Piraeus, best known for the sailings to Chania in the west of the island, which use gate E3. It asks foot passengers to be at the gate an hour before a summer departure, and ninety minutes with a vehicle.
#Antiparos
RegionA small island a few minutes by ferry from Paros, with a single main street, good beaches and a large cave.
#Apaki
FoodCretan pork, marinated in vinegar and then smoked over aromatic herbs and shrubs.
How to make Apaki
- Serves
- 6 as meze
- Time
- Prep 20 min plus 2 days steeping, cook 15 min
Ingredients
- 1kg pork loin in one piece
- 750ml red wine vinegar, enough to submerge the meat
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp dried savory or oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil for frying
Method
- Trim the pork and cut it lengthways into strips about 3cm thick, so the vinegar can reach the middle.
- Put the strips in a nonreactive bowl with the garlic and pour over enough vinegar to cover them completely.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2 days, turning the meat once a day. The vinegar firms it and turns it pale.
- Lift the pork out, discard the vinegar, and pat every surface completely dry.
- Mix the thyme, savory, cumin, salt and pepper and rub the mixture hard into the meat on all sides.
- Traditionally the strips are now cold smoked over aromatic branches. At home, sear them in the olive oil over a high heat for 3 to 4 minutes a side until crusted and just cooked through.
- Rest for 10 minutes, then slice very thinly across the grain and serve at room temperature with raki and bread.
Apokries
FestivalThe pre Lenten carnival across Greece (Patra hosts the biggest parade), ending on Clean Monday. Dates move with Orthodox Easter, check local listings.
#Arachova
RegionA stone built mountain town on the slopes of Parnassus above Delphi, busy in winter as Greece's best known ski base.
#Archaeological Museum of Delphi
MuseumThe museum of the Delphic sanctuary and of the most prominent oracle of the ancient Greek world. Its collection covers the period from the 2nd millennium BC, before the sanctuary was founded, to Late Antiquity, when a small Christian community was established at Delphi.
#Archaeological Museum of Heraklion
MuseumCrete’s museum of Minoan culture, housing representative artefacts from all periods of Cretan prehistory and history. Its Minoan collection, with masterpieces of Minoan art, is what the museum is known for.
#Archaeological Museum of Olympia
MuseumThe museum holding the finds and votives from the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia. Among its works are the Hermes of Praxiteles, the Nike of Paionios, and the pedimental sculptures and metopes from the Temple of Zeus.
#Areopoli
RegionA stone built town in the Mani where the 1821 revolution was declared, and the gateway to the Diros Caves.
#Assyrtiko
DrinkA crisp, high acid white grape variety native to volcanic Santorini, now grown across Greece and prized for producing some of the country's most distinctive dry white wines.
The classic plate to drink it with, grilled fish
#Astynomia
PracticalPolice. The Europe wide emergency number 112 works throughout Greece and is answered in English.
#Astypalea
RegionA butterfly shaped island between the Cyclades and Dodecanese, with a whitewashed hilltop chora crowned by a Venetian castle.
#Athiri
DrinkAn aromatic white grape grown on Santorini, Rhodes and in Macedonia, often blended with Assyrtiko.
The classic plate to drink it with, fish baked in paper
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