For those born before 1970, the famous television commercial featuring the monk Akakios and the abbot calling out to him as he headed down to the village to do the monastery’s shopping — reminding him not to forget his favorite pasta — remains one of the most beloved and certainly one of the most inspired advertisements of its era.
On the Tuesday, 05 May 2026 edition of “Common Ground”, broadcast on Voice of Greece, listeners were introduced to the village where Saint Akakios lived as an ascetic and from which the settlement eventually took its name. It is a semi-mountainous village in the regional unit of Karditsa, now home to only a small number of residents, set within an idyllic landscape of plane trees and running waters — although the devastating floods of recent years have left deep scars behind. The village’s history stretches back into the depths of antiquity.
Helping present the story of Saint Akakios and the village were the program’s guests: Lambros Athanasiou, president of the village community; Thomas Konstantinou, president of the Athens-based association of people originating from Agios Akakios and a retired Army officer; and, at the close of the program, Panagiotis Mosialos, educator and treasurer of the association.
Produced and presented by Prokopis Agelopoulos