Panathenaic Stadium or Kallimarmaro (beautiful marble)

This is where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896, inside a refurbished ancient marble stadium, 3^rd century BC, shaped like a horseshoe and capable of seating 50,000 people. The sheer amount of white marble feels almost unreal.  It is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble.  

Walk the track. Sit in the stands. Don’t miss the tunnel at the end of the stadium—it’s atmospheric and oddly moving. Recently, Dior staged a much-talked-about fashion show here, which felt both surreal and strangely appropriate. Athens has always been good at mixing the ancient and the now.

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