Walking in Athens with Constantine Cavafy

Cavafy travelled for the first time in Greece in the summer of 1901 during a period of leave from his job.The poet was 38 years old and was accompanied by his brother Alexandros. Travelling to Athens with Cavafy is a fascinating experience. We above all discover that despite the fact that a hundred and ten years have gone by and even dramatic changes have occurred in the capital, especially after the arrival of the million and a half refugees of Asia Minor, the city centre has preserved the broad outline of its physiognomy. The urban grid, shaped like a large isosceles triangle and dating from the time of King Otto is still the most obvious trait of Athens, while the large public buildings that are visited today would have been seen by Cavafy in the same way. The majority of changes have occurred in the archaeological zone which at the time of Cavafy was still partially inhabited, and in human geography. Many theatres, cafes and buildings mentioned by Cavafy no longer exist, being unable to survive the historical watershed between 1922 and 1949, which effectively marks the start of a new chapter in the history of “Athens the Capital” but above all marks the demographic and urban boom of the city.