Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Herodes Atticus, an Athenian magnate of the Roman period, built the odeon in AD 161 in memory of his wife Regilla: a steep bowl of seating for around five thousand, faced in marble, backed by a three-storey stone wall pierced with arches that still stands to a considerable height. It was roofed in cedar originally and destroyed in the third century, then left ruined until restoration in the 1950s returned marble seating and made it usable again. Since then it has hosted the Athens Festival every summer, with orchestras, opera and Greek performers playing under the open sky with the Acropolis lit above; Maria Callas sang here, and a ticket for any performance is the best way to see the building.

What you actually see

• The arched facade - the three-storey stage wall standing above the slope.
• The marble seating - the restored bowl for around five thousand.
• The Acropolis above - the rock and the Parthenon lit at night.
• The summer festival - concerts and theatre from June to September.

When to go

Summer evenings for performances, which is when the building comes alive; by day it is seen from above on the Acropolis path or from the pedestrian street below, as the interior is closed except to ticket holders.

Honest expectations

The odeon cannot normally be entered without a performance ticket, and the daytime visit is a view from the fence or the slope above. Seats are ancient marble, so cushions are sold and worth buying; there is no roof, and late summer evenings can be warm and long.

Nearby

The Acropolis and its museum are directly above; Filopappou hill faces it across the walkway.