Above this memorable grotto
stands a plain monument erected in memory of Philopapoe.
The Turks surrounded the Acropolis with a broad wall, in the
building of which they made use of many fragments of columns and
other remains of the most beautiful temples.
No remnants of antiquity are to be seen in the old town of Athens
except the Tower of the Winds, or, as others call it, Diogenes'
Lantern, a small temple in the form of an octagon, covered with fine
sculpture; also the monument of Lysicrates. This consists of a
pedestal, some columns, and a dome in the Corinthian style.
The chapel Maria Maggiore, is said to have been built by the
Venetians, 700 years after Christ. Its greatest peculiarity is that
it was the first Christian church in Athens.
The view of the whole country from the Acropolis is also very
interesting; there can be seen the Hymetos, the Pentelikon, towards
Eleusis, Marathon, Phylae, and Dekelea, the harbour, the sea, and
the course of the Ilissus.
Athens contains a considerable number of houses, most of which are,
however, small and unimportant; the beautiful country-houses, on the
contrary, surrounded by tasty gardens, have a very agreeable
appearance.
The small observatory was built by Baron Sina, the well-known banker
in Vienna, who is by birth a Greek.
