Parthenon And Santorini Rank Among Top 43 Places To See Before You Die

(Original Story in Greek By Inga Athanasiadou)

Smithsonian magazine has created a list with 43 places you must see before you die. The Parthenon monument and Santorini island of Greece are included on this list.

This is what they had to say about the Parthenon:

“More than 2,400 years after its construction, the Parthenon—the sanctuary to the goddess Athena—still dominates the skyline of the Acropolis in Athens. One treasure, however, will remain absent—the marble friezes that England’s Lord Elgin removed from the site between 1801 and 1803 and sold to the British Museum, where they remain”. The article also provides historical information about the Parthenon as well as information about its restoration efforts.

As far as Santorini island is concerned, Smithsonian magazine writes: “Some time ago, I gazed out from a balcony, peering over potted geraniums to the azure Aegean; it seemed, from my aerie, that I was perched at the edge of the world. And so I was, on edenic Santorini, the southernmost isle of the Cyclades”.

“In Oia’s clear air and quiet byways, church bells chime; black-garbed elderly women sit in doorways, shelling fava beans; and chickens cluck in the kitchen gardens. It seems that there are few places in the world where time stands still—but this is one of those rare refuges”.

Finally, the article features Santorini’s special cuisine and the traditional wines produced on the island of Santorini.

Other ‘places to see before you die’ included the Pyramids of Giza, the Ancient Ephesus, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu.