Ano Poli: Where Thessaloniki Still Feels Like Home
Discover the old streets, family stories and slower pace of life in Thessaloniki’s Upper City.
In August 1917, a great fire changed the face of my hometown, Thessaloniki.
The fire burned for about 32 hours and destroyed around 9,500 buildings, leaving more than 70,000 people homeless. It destroyed much of the historic center and changed the city forever. Large parts of Thessaloniki had to be rebuilt, and the new city that grew after the fire looked very different from the one that existed before.
But one part of the city was mostly saved.
The uphill neighborhood known as the Upper City (Ano Poli).
For me, it is one of the most beautiful parts of Thessaloniki.
Here, the city feels different. Historic walls rise above old houses. Narrow streets wind between traditional homes, small courtyards and balconies filled with flowers. Many corners have kept a feeling of the past that is harder to find in the busy streets below.
And then there is the view.
From the Upper City, you can look across the rooftops of Thessaloniki toward the Thermaic Gulf. On a clear day, you can even see Mount Olympus in the distance.
But my connection with this neighborhood is not only about its history or beauty.
It is also part of my family story.
My grandmother’s family home was destroyed in the fire of 1917. After the fire, she moved to another house, just above the area where the fire had stopped. It stood at the entrance of the Upper City, where the old neighborhood met the newer city.
That house became an important part of my family’s story.
My father was born there.
And many years later, so was I.
I grew up in a place where you could almost see two different sides of Thessaloniki from the same spot.
In front of the house, further down the hill, there were newer homes and apartment buildings. Behind us, and higher up, was the old Upper City narrow streets, traditional houses and small courtyards.
In a way, my childhood stood between two Thessalonikis: the new city below and the old historic neighborhood above.
And that is one of the reasons this neighborhood means so much to me.
For me, this is more than a historic neighborhood. It is the place where Thessaloniki still feels like home.
Childhood Memories in the Upper City
I believe that our childhood shapes who we become in many ways.
For a child, simply leaving home to walk around and play in the Upper City was something magical.
There were no cars in the narrow streets. Houses had courtyards full of flowers. You could smell food cooking in family kitchens while children played outside. There were old walls, the castle and small alleys waiting to be explored.
It felt like a different world.
Many of my strongest childhood memories come from those years.
Even today, although I live only a ten minute drive away, I visit the Upper City as often as I can. In my eyes, it is the part of Thessaloniki that has changed the least. It is a place where I still feel at home and, in some ways, feel like a child again.
I meet old friends and familiar faces, walk through the same streets and enjoy the same atmosphere.
I never get tired of it.
A Walk Through Thessaloniki’s Upper City
For someone visiting Thessaloniki for the first time, I believe a walk through the Upper City is one of the most beautiful experiences the city has to offer.
As I walk through its narrow alleys, I often see visitors trying to find their way. Today, they look at maps on their phones. In the past, they held paper maps in their hands.
Sometimes, they stop to ask how to reach the Latomou Monastery, home to the small Church of Hosios David.
Many visitors come to see its remarkable early Christian mosaic, which depicts the Vision of Ezekiel. At its center is a young, beardless Christ, surrounded by a peaceful scene of life and nature. The mosaic is one of the most important surviving examples of early Christian art in Thessaloniki.
But there is much more to discover as you continue walking through the narrow streets of the Upper City.
Whether you are heading to a church, the castle or one of the many other places worth visiting, you will find small cafés and tavernas along the way.
They are perfect places to take a break, enjoy a coffee or a refreshing drink, or try a glass of tsipouro with some meze.
You can sit back and enjoy the wonderful views of the Thermaic Gulf and the city below, with the old castle walls rising above you.
A Different Pace of Life
Walking through the Upper City, you sometimes feel as if you have left the modern city behind.
The narrow streets, the old houses and the small cafés make it feel more like a village or a traditional island settlement than a neighborhood in a large city.
Life seems to move at a different pace here. It feels slower, more relaxed and more human — something that is becoming harder to find in the modern world.
Thessaloniki Private Guide
For more information about availability and rates, please call Dimitris at +30 694 294 9459 or email us at info@thessalonikiprivateguide.com.
Until our next story from Thessaloniki.