Katerina Batzaki took us to the beating heart of old Athens — Metaxourgeio, a neighborhood that unravels the thread of history from Pericles’ Funeral Oration to the café chantant of Sophia Vembo.
Guest in the studio, Vicky Papadimitriou, a guide who walks through Metaxourgeio like a living book, uncovered stories buried beneath the city’s stones: from the ancient cemeteries of Kerameikos, to the Duroutis brothers’ silk factories, to the theatres and cafés where popular culture was born.
The episode shed light on the district’s contrasts — from the marshes of the “Minotaur” and the poverty of the 19th century to today’s artistic revival of galleries, theatres, and young creators who are giving Metaxourgeio back its soul.
With music by Giorgos Zampetas, Sophia Vembo, Stelios Moscholiou, and Usurum, the show wove a sonic Epitaphios — a hymn to the resilience of Athens.
Because Metaxourgeio is not merely a neighborhood; it is the city itself — a city that refuses to forget.
Produced and presented by Katerina Batzaki