Varkiza

Varkiza (Greek: Βάρκιζα), also Alianthos (Αλίανθος) is a partly urbanised area forming part of the municipality of Vari in southern Attica, located east of the Megalo Daktylo (Large Finger). It lies approximately 2 km south of Vari, 22 km S of Athens, SW of the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport and the Attiki Odos (numbers 6 and 62), NW of Cape Sounio, and south of the Hymettus Ring. This locality is linked with Poseidonos Avenue (GR-91] , and is the second most expensive area in Greece.

The Hymettus mountains lie to the northwest and the Mesogeian plain to the north ; another mountain lies toward the northeast. Most of the area's streets take names from greek mythology, and its main street, Poseidonos, forms a connection with the route running from Neo Faliro down toward the Glyfada boundary. Forests cover a part of the municipality, but much of the mountainous area is rocky and grassy ; Varkiza has a widely known beach which takes in tennis courts, parkland and fields, restaurants, taverns, complexes and other amenities. The urban sprawl sporadically covers the farmlands, and moves west of Varkiza.

The population were rural until the 1960s, while suburban housing sprang up between the 1960s and the 1990s, making most of the population urban and expanding to this day. Housing development began in the central part of district, where farmland once used to dominate its central areas, and within the Saronic. Later, Varkiza became part of the Athens Metropolitan Area, and in the 1960s, the connecting highway added two lanes.

History

The Treaty of Varkiza was signed in 1945 in an attempt to end the Greek Civil War.

Other

Varkiza has one school (dimotiko), banks, a church, restaurants, bars, taverns, a post office and couple of squares ("plateies"). It is, however, most known locally for a noted upmarket bakery, that of A. Georgiadou, located on Vas. Konstantinou Blvd. Athenian celebrities are reported to flock to this bakery for its above-par specialities, ranging from "tsoureki" (Greek Easter bread), profiterol, 'loukanikopita', to its bread. The area is still considered a vacation and summer retreat particularly for high income groups. One of Varkiza's most famous restaurants is "Yabanaki"; patrons dine at the restaurant on the beach, and watch Greek musical artists perform live.

Since 2001 Varkiza has been hugely modernised, with top shopping malls, new luxury cinemas and even its own starbucks at the "plateia". Varkiza in the 1960s was a small village for the poor but today has developed to a small town for the rich with one of the best beaches in "Attiki". In the summer Varkiza population triples as Varkiza resort is right next to the top summer clubs which are located on the "Glyfada strip". Also Varkiza is very well known for its "souvlakia taverns", the best and always full is the one named "zahos".

ee also

*List of communities of Attica

External links

* [http://www.gtp.gr/LocPage.asp?id=15550 Greek Travel Pages]
* [http://www.hellas.net/index.php?entry=entry060508-002811 360° Aerial virtual tour of Varkiza]