Right next to Plaka, upon the sacred rock of Acropolis, is the area of Anafiotika.

One can say that Anafiotika is maybe the smallest neighborhood in Athens, but most certainly the most picturesque.

Its history starts in the 19th century, when builders from the island of Anafi settled in the area in order to help in the rapid reconstruction of the city of Athens that was gradually transforming from a village to a new capital.

Actually, many of them worked in the erection of the palaces of King Othon, who was the first modern king of Greece in 1832.

It is said that the people of Anafiotika, who were famous builders at the time, chose to built their own houses upon the rock of Acropolis, because the specific location was reminiscent of their hometown. In an effort to intensify this feeling, all the houses they built (most of them illegal) are a typical example of cycladic architecture, while the new neighborhood was named Anafiotika after their home-island Anafi.

So, a tiny "aegean island" was created, with small and low white houses just in the heart of Athens. This was a place inhabited exclusively by islanders until 1922. It is only after the Asia Minor Catastrophe (Mikrasiatiki Katastrofi) that some refugees did settle in.

Today the area of Anafiotika is a preserved village with approximately 45 houses.

It is worth visiting, not only for its characteristic beauty and the quaint neighborhoods, but also for the breathtaking view it offers, overlooking a great part of Athens.