Εrmis

Music artist

Ermis, 29, writes original music that ranges from cinematic scores to pop songs streamed millions of times on Spotify, and from orchestral themes for the campaigns of the Greek National Tourism Organisation to refreshing new arrangements of classic Greek songs, such as those of Harris Alexiou. At the airport you might have been greeted by his “Cantada” or “42”. It’s also possible that you saw a video promoting Greek summer tourism with the sweet sound of his composition “Oinousses” as its soundtrack.

Ermis lives in the southern suburbs of Athens, and takes a daily morning dip on one of the beaches of the Athenian Riviera. The sound of the sea inspires him, finding its way into his addictive music. “Music sweetens our experiences, but I believe that the most beautiful moments are those where even music is unnecessary: walks through the lovely lanes of Anafiotika in Plaka, where you feel you’re on a Cycladic island, or an evening tour of the Observatory on the Hill of the Nymphs, with bright stars above.” -Vlasis Kostouros

Spotify: Ermis | Instagram: @ermismusic

Eftihia Stefanidi

Photographer and creative director

Eftihia is a photographer and the creative director and co-creator of the boutique hotels Mona and Shila. For Stefanidi, it’s important that Athens, her home, still maintains a love of community and a desire to preserve traditional crafts, notions that fit well with its respect for a quality of life that many other places seem to have left behind. There’s also a sense of freedom to the city, she feels, that goes hand in hand with an enormously appealing sense of spontaneity.

She enjoys the city’s varied architecture and the fact that it can offer both cultural rewards and escapist relief in equal measures: “You can literally be transported from the center to the beach in short order, making it feel as if you’re on an island instead of a city.” Only a bit further out than those beaches lies the Temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounion. “You can combine a visit to this magical place with a swim in one of the nearby coves.” Within the city itself, there’s another kind of magic: “A stroll through the old parts of the city center is an act of romance. Follow that with a movie at one of the open-air cinemas, and you have a great summer outing.” -Nena Dimitriou

Instagram: @eftihia

Markellos Polydorou

Fashion designer

The haute couture creations of designer Markellos Polydorou impressed singer-songwriter Risn Murphy so much that she chose a stunning yellow dress from his collection for her Athens concert a few years ago. After finishing his Master’s degree in Fashion Design at the Polytechnic University of Milan, Polydorou moved to Amsterdam, working for a year alongside the legendary Iris Van Herpen. After gaining a wealth of experience, he returned to Athens and opened a studio on Filopappou Hill, one of the most interesting neighborhoods in Athens. “There I design my collections and undertake custom orders. My designs have subversive cuts and geometric shapes, and highlight specific parts of the body. The aim is for my clothes to flatter the woman who wears them and allow her to express herself as she wishes,” he says.

His return to Athens was fueled by his love for the city. “The contrasts in Athens mean that I never get bored. Its charming anarchy is refreshing.” Summer in Athens for Polydorou means: “Afternoon hikes on Mt Imittos, the closest green space to the center of Athens, or Sunday visits to museums such as the National Museum of Contemporary Art.” The freedom he feels in Athens, he says, helps to bring out his best self. “The Greek light, the warm people, the smells of Greek cuisine, the sea… everything helps me discover who I am and fills me with inspiration.” -Vlasis Kostouros

Instagram: @markellospolydorou

Eva Papadaki

Founder and managing director of 10AM Lofts

There’s something interesting happening nearly every day at 10AM Lofts, a multi-purpose hub in Gazi created by Eva Papadaki, who transformed an old warehouse into a center open to creatives in advertising, film and digital content, an alternative multi-purpose space that has so far hosted such important personalities as Giorgos Lanthimos – he completed the editing of “Poor Things” here – and Marina Abramovic, who rehearsed her performance “As One” in this space. The hub also hosts art exhibitions, photographic productions, private dinners, live music performances, pop-up stores, workshops and artist residencies. In the basement of the building can be found the center’s most recent undertaking, 10AM Apotheke, a large space with a wide range of traditional products – frankincense; candles with natural honeycomb sourced from a monastery on Mount Athos; natural soaps; herbs; and olive oil – as well as ceramic objects by Greek and foreign artists. “I want to offer a special shopping experience through products that connect with the senses and with memory, engendering recollections of a purer time,” 10AM Loft’s founder says.

Papadaki loves Athens for its heterogeneous character, on display at its best in Gazi. “I think this is where the capital’s reputation as a ‘city of contrasts’ is best captured. Besides, how can you not be inspired every day by a city that doesn’t narrate its past, but contains it, like a hand contains its lines? I’m never bored here.” Among the many things that keeps boredom at bay are the exhibitions at studios such as Theodore Psychoyos’. She’s also quick to praise the city’s great eateries and its wonderful nearby beaches, like the one at Aghios Nikolaos Anavissos, a charming spot just 90 minutes from downtown. -Nena Dimitriou

→ Instagram: @ev_pap

Dimitra Louana Marlanti & Alexandros Kalogiros

Owners of PHON

Dimitra Louana Marlanti studied architecture at the Polytechnical University of Milan, and fashion communication and marketing at the Instituto Europeo di Design in the same city. Her client roster has included renowned brands such as Gucci, Fendi, Ferragamo and Zara. Alexandros Kalogiros spent most of his working life in Rome before moving back to Athens in 2021. He worked at Riccardo Ruini and Olivia Mariotti Studio and as an independent art director, collaborating with prestigious brands that included Bulgari, Valentino and Ferragamo.

Their new joint venture PHON is a perfumery and flower store in Athens. Every month, the shop offers a selection of bouquets composed by renowned designers and artists. A selection of artworks from upcoming ceramists, painters, sculptors and photographers are also on display at the store, which is located in Kolonaki, just below Lycabettus Hill. Marlanti and Kalogiros recommend that visitors to the city explore the slopes and enjoy the vistas from the summit of this iconic urban peak: “Gazing down upon the cityscape, which stretches all the way down to Piraeus and the sea, is an experience you’ll remember.” Another destination they’d suggest to travelers is the Vorres Museum of Folk and Contemporary Art. “With its collection of over 6,000 pieces, this museum showcases a remarkable blend of traditional and modern art.” -Nena Dimitriou

Instagram: @phaon.athens

Noura Djurić

Painter

Noura Djuric is a 25-year-old Serbian-Moroccan painter working mainly with oil painting and drawing. In her Athens studio – she also lives and works in Paris part of the year – a visitor can find portraits which approach the sense of self by covering subjects such as intimacy, body memory and tenderness. She’s currently working on an upcoming Athens exhibition; her last three shows took place in Brussels and Paris, but she wants to show these works in Athens first: “They’ve been strongly inspired by the environment here.”

Djuric loves the city: “I’m very fond of the kafeneia (traditional coffee shops), the hills, the churches, the architecture and the older shops, but what I love most about Athens is its people.” She identifies a powerful energy in the youth and the way young people express themselves. “I love the way people interact here; I find that the connections are very natural.”

A must-see in Athens for her is the National Archaeological Museum. When it comes to art galleries she suggests visits to The Breeder, the Rebecca Camhi and the Alkinois galleries. “For an outing beyond downtown, I’d recommend a tour of the Piraeus art galleries, followed by dinner at the fish taverna Yperokeanio,” Djuric says. -Giorgos Psomiadis

Instagram: @nouradjuric_