#cyprus

#cyprus

Syracuse began as an ancient Greek settlement nearly 3,000 years ago, and its beauty has beckoned both travelers and empires for centuries. Even the Roman orator, Cicero, referred to it as 'the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of all.'

Mosaico is a lively local haunt overlooking a church yard, where patrons can enjoy ouzo-meze and live Greek music while catching up on local gossip.

The most emblematic project of the development of this coastal community is the Cap St Georges complex, a luxury resort that includes a hotel and hundreds of beachfront villas.

Athens is a place you feel, not see. The beauty and soul of the city is laced into the way of life - the small moments and exchanges that happen daily - rather than in immaculately preserved monuments, museums and high streets like those of other European capitals.

Easter Monday in Lefkimmi was alive with families spilling from cafes, a marching band dazzling in the sun, and priests chanting beneath their hats. Men let off shotguns, filling the air with excitement.

The first wave of artists announced for BEONIX 2026 offers a potent mix of techno heavyweights, house innovators, and melodic pioneers. Leading the lineup are global favourites Adam Beyer, CamelPhat and the acclaimed Norwegian electronic duo Röyksopp (DJ Set), alongside internationally respected acts PAN-POT, Omiki, and Plastik Funk.

Authorities in Cyprus have urged residents to reduce their water intake by 10% the equivalent of two minutes' use of running water each day as Europe's most south-easterly nation grapples with a once-in-a century drought. The appeal, announced alongside a 31m (27m) package of emergency measures, comes as reservoirs hit record lows with little prospect of replenishment before the tourist season starts.

For a true sense of freedom and escape, nothing quite compares with an island getaway. Whether it's island hopping in Greece, exploring a Scandinavian archipelago by kayak or simply getting on a ferry to the Isle of Wight, we'd love to hear about your favourite European islands. The best tip of the week, chosen by Tom Hall of Lonely Planet wins a 200 voucher to stay at a Coolstays property the company has more than 3,000 worldwide.

Berat is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its unique historic downtown characterized by 18th and 19th century Ottoman structures and urban design, but human presence in the area goes back to the 4th/3rd millennium B.C. and there is evidence of an urban settlement in Berat defined by defensive walls dating to the 7th-6th century B.C.

Travellers from the UK and mainland Europe are increasingly swapping their holiday destinations away from Cyprus, Turkey and Greece towards Italy, Spain, Malta and Croatia, as the region around the Middle East grapples with flight cancellations and airspace closures.

A new summerhouse by Biris-Tsiraki Architects rises above a rocky cape on Antiparos, facing the open Aegean and the island of Despotiko across the water. Set into a steep slope and exposed to northern winds, the house addresses sea, sky, and terrain with a measured architectural language shaped by orientation and movement. From the approach, the building reads as a composition aligned to horizon and topography.

Early Monday morning, an Iranian-made Shahed drone—allegedly shot from Lebanon, according to the Cypriot government—crashed on one of the runways at the Akrotiri airbase in the south of the island, causing no injuries and only minor damage. Two other drones traveling in the same direction were intercepted throughout Monday, and another was spotted over the civilian airport in Paphos, forcing its closure for a few hours.

A conversation with Alicia Walker on the pseudo-Arabic inscriptions (or pseudo-kufic) that appear on a number of tenth- and eleventh-century churches in Greece, most notably at the monastery of Hosios Loukas. What did the Arabic script signify in Orthodox culture at the time if not tension with Islam? Alicia Walker is Professor of History of Art at Bryn Mawr College.

Seven were the strings of the lyre (unless there happened to be eight or nine), seven were the gates of Thebes, and seven were the "wandering stars" in the night sky (if you count the sun and moon). The identity of the wonders was less important than the length of their list, and indeed, additions and changes were proposed since the beginning.