arxiki-91 – ROTARY ATHENS SUMMIT 2025

Friday, November 14, 2025

In the morning, we are organizing an optional excursion – a visit to Ancient Corinth, the Corinth Canal, and Loutraki. Transportation will be by coach. Upon arrival, we will be welcomed by the Rotary Club of Corinth and guided through the archaeological site by an experienced guide. Lunch will follow at a local restaurant and return to Athens to get ready for the official opening of our Conference in the afternoon.

In the afternoon at 18:00, in formal dress (black tie), we will meet at the Armed Forces Officers’ Club – L.A.E.D. (Sarogleio Mansion) on Rigillis Street. This is a two-storey Neo-Baroque building, a characteristic example of eclecticism, completed in 1932. It was designed by architect Alexandros Nikoloudis and covers an area of 8,270 square meters. It is named after the great national benefactor, Officer Petros Saroglou. The opening of the Conference will start with spectacular performances and conclude with the GALA dinner and dance.

Saturday, November 15, 2025

At 9:30 a.m., the work of our Conference will begin at the Royal Olympic Hotel and is expected to conclude at 5:30 p.m., with coffee breaks and a light lunch at midday. It will be an interactive conference with distinguished and prominent speakers and moderators.

At 8:30 p.m., we will have the farewell dinner, an exquisite meal in a wonderful setting on the 7th floor of the Royal Olympic Hotel, overlooking the Acropolis and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Thursday, November 13, 2025

Athens & History Infos 1

Greece is a country in southeastern Europe, a member of the European Union, with a population of 10,500,000 according to the 2021 census.

The vast blue in all its shades—from the color of the sky that covers it to the sea that surrounds it—along with the sun that shines upon it most days of the year, offer the visitor the peace they long for.

The name "Greece" (Hellas) refers to the modern Greek state that was formed after the Greek Revolution of 1821. However, this land has long been the cradle of a civilization that bequeathed to the world a vast heritage in many fields—science, philosophy, and the arts—and the birthplace of democracy, the political system that respects the opinions of others.

Here, at a crossroads of trade and ideas, ancient civilizations flourished as early as the Stone Age. Around 2500–3000 BC, during the Bronze Age, three major civilizations emerged: the Cycladic, the Minoan, and later the Mycenaean (1600–1100 BC). The millennium that followed, culminating in the 5th century BC, witnessed a remarkable cultural development.

Friday, November 14, 2025

Athens & History Infos 2

Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, Sappho, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Thucydides, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Diogenes, Demosthenes, Archimedes, Galen, Phidias, Praxiteles, Solon, Pericles, Pythagoras, Grand Alexander, Leonidas (Sparta) —these are just a few of the names that left an indelible mark on global civilization and continue to inspire today.

Poetry, theater, history, philosophy, rhetoric, geometry, medicine, the arts, and politics were developed to the highest degree.

But it is not only antiquity that shaped Greece’s culture. Its history and contributions continued during the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and modern periods, evolving through the respective historical and social conditions.

Greece and culture cannot exist without language, because the language is the essence of Greece and its people. It is a language spoken “on Homer’s sandy shores,” as the great modern poet Odysseas Elytis wrote—a language that gives unique meaning to experiences, emotions, and concepts not found in any other language. One such concept is "filotimo", a deeply rooted value in the soul and culture of the Greek people, expressed daily through generosity and hospitality—the hallmark of the Greeks.

Saturday, November 15, 2025

Athens & History Infos 3

Since the ancient times, Greek hospitality, has been an institution and moral duty. Over the centuries, even through the harshest conditions, it has never lost its value. From the warm welcome of a stranger to treating them to a meal with traditional delicacies, the guest feels as if they are in their own home.

The capital of Greece is Athens, known for its over 3,000-year-long history, with its peak during the Golden Age of Pericles (5th century BC), and for its presence in the modern world. With a population of approximately 4,000,000, it is the most densely populated city in the country.

The Parthenon, a masterpiece of the 5th century by the architects Ictinus and Callicrates, situated on the Acropolis hill, is the most iconic monument of the ancient world. It dominates the city and and lives in the consciousness of all people as a symbol of universal values like Art and Democracy. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the Monastery of Daphni—which represents the city's medieval history—they stand as testimony to a civilization of enduring legacy

Sunday, November 16, 2025

Athens & History Infos 4

Athens has been the capital of Greece since 1834. From a small town at the foot of the Acropolis, it evolved over the decades into a modern state and the center of the country’s economic, political, and cultural life.

Piraeus, the largest port in Greece and the "seaport of Athens," lies just 9 kilometers from the capital. Its geographical location in Attica, in the southeastern part of mainland Greece, provides easy access to the sea and the islands for residents and visitors alike.

Athens is adorned with many museums, large and small, which house exhibits of immeasurable aesthetic and artistic value. The most prominent among them are the National Archaeological Museum and the new Acropolis Museum, which contain the largest collections of works from the ancient world.

The Attic sky that covers it, a blue dome on most days of the year, lifts the spirits of both its residents and visitors amidst the challenges of daily life.

Visitors to Athens, in addition to immersing themselves in its rich cultural heritage—both in open-air and indoor sites—can enjoy short trips along the Attica coast, all the way to Cape Sounion and its famous Temple of Poseidon, and dream at sunset.