For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Parthenon, the iconic 5th-century B.C. temple atop the Acropolis, enabling visitors to Athens to enjoy an unobstructed view. The scaffolding had been the most visible part of an extensive and detailed renovation and removed in late September, revealing this most famous of UNESCO World Heritage sites in its full glory. The western side also offers the best street-level perspective, making the change particularly wonderful.
The Parthenon is a temple that dominates the hill of the Acropolis at Athens and thereby the whole city. It is indisputably one of the most famous buildings ever constructed, and was built in the mid-5th century bce and dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin). The temple is generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order, the simplest of the three Classical Greek architectural orders.
However, the break is temporary. New, lighter scaffolding, designed to blend better with the monument, will be installed in about a month. Conservation work is set to continue until mid-2026, after which the Parthenon will be fully scaffolding-free.
So now is the time to go, and given that Athens has an average high of 18 degrees centigrade in November and remains one of the cheapest major cities in Europe to visit, I would suggest hopping on a plane at the earlies opportunity!
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