- Traditional Arts & Crafts: So many places in Greece pride themselves on their needlework that it is hard to single out even a few, but among those few would be Crete, Rhodes, and Skyros. Two places in Athens deserve mention: The Center of Hellenic Tradition (59 Mitropoleos and 36 Pandrossou) and the National Welfare Organization (6 Ipatias and Apollonos). The Center offers ceramics, woodcarvings, prints -- and one of the finest views of the Acropolis in Athens. The National Welfare Organization contains hand-loomed rugs and silk embroidery done by village women, as well as excellent copperwork and ceramics.
- Leatherwork: Both Rhodes and Crete feature local leatherwork, from sandals to handbags, from belts to jackets. Pay attention to quality.
- Furs: Kastoria, in northwestern Greece, is the center of the fur trade, and fur products are everywhere. Athens, of course, sells expensive fur coats. Rhodes also features fur coats. Wherever furs are sold, be sure you know what you are buying.
- Jewelry: It now seems that half of Greece's retail stores sell jewelry, so shop around. Much of it is really no different than what can be found in cities all over the world, but Athens does have major, internationally known jewelers such as LALAoUNIS and Zolotas. Try Chania, Crete, for sophisticated local artisans' work. Islands such as Hydra, Mykonos, Santorini, Skiathos, and Rhodes have scores of stores appealing to the tourist trade.
- Ceramics: As with needlework, pots and ceramics of all kinds are to be found throughout Greece. Some of the more traditional may be found on Chios, Crete, Mitilini, Sifnos, and Skopelos.
- Rugs/Weavings: Crete probably offers the largest variety of rugs and weavings. Metsovo has some distinctive textiles. If you like rag rugs, keep an eye out for kourouloudes on sale at small shops as you travel the Peloponnese.
- Wood: Corfu seems to be the center of olive-wood products -- carving boards, bowls, and utensils. Rethymnon, Crete, also has a selection. In the Peloponnese, woodcarvings and utensils are often found in the villages of Arcadia. Chios and Mitilini also boast wood-carving traditions.
- Icons and Ecclesiastical Books & Items: On the streets around the Greek Orthodox Cathedral (Metropolitan) in Athens, you'll find many shops selling votive offerings, candles, and reproductions of icons. In Thessaloniki, Apostolic Diakonta Bookstore (tel. 2310/275-126) has a wide selection of religious items. Many of the most important religious shrines, such as Panagia Evangelistria on Tinos, and many convents and monasteries, including most of the Meteora monasteries, sell reproductions of icons and other religious items. On Crete, the Petrakis couple in Elounda paint internationally sought traditional icons.
- Museum Reproductions: Officially approved, fine replicas of many famous museum pieces may be purchased at the Archaeological, Byzantine, Benaki, Goulandris, and LALAoUNIS museums in Athens; at the Archaeological and Byzantine museums in Thessaloniki; and at official archaeological service stores in Rhodes Old Town and in Chania and Rethymnon, Crete.
- Books: Whether you're looking for books about Greece or books for vacation reading, in Athens the places to go are Eleftheroudakis, Compendium, Reymondos, and Folia tou Bibliou. In Thessaloniki, head for the excellent Molho.
- Natural Products: In the last few years, Greece has begun to produce superb organic and natural products, including olive oil, honey, jams, and cosmetics. Keep an eye out for food products with the Peloponnese, Gaea, Milelia, Nefeli, Yiam, and Stater labels in groceries and delis. Good places to look in Athens include most specialty food shops in Kolonaki, and the Mesogaia delicatessen in the Plaka section of Athens. Green Farm in Kolonaki sells only organic produce. Korres Natural Products (www.korres.com), including a wide range of herbal shampoos and lotions, and Apivita's Aromatherapy Essential Oils (www.apivita.gr), are now carried in many pharmacies and cosmetics stores (such as the widespread Hondos Centers) throughout Greece. And, more than 10 Mastihashops in Greece sell natural mastic products from liqueur and gum to toothpaste and soaps.
Greece Travel Experiences
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Living History
To say that Greece has a rich history is an understatement. To us western countries, it IS history. The beginnings of it anyw... Continue reading »
