E Não Só Pompeia

The temple of Poseidon at Sounion is one of Greece's most romantic ruins. Immortalised by Byron, who carved his name into one of its columns, it is among the country's greatest crowd-pullers, drawing more visitors than any other site in the Attica area surrounding Athens after the Acropolis. But the 5th-century BC treasure is also a picture of neglect, its sandstone fortifications, once the glory of ancient Greece, a jumble of stones reinforced by metallic supports. For three years, a study painstakingly outlining the walls' renovation has lain on the desk of Dimostheni Ziro, the architect in charge of the department overseeing restoration of ancient monuments. Yet it has done little more than collect dust.

[..] In the past six months alone, more than 100 such studies have crossed Ziro's desk, all detailing the renovation of sites in need of urgent attention. "Most require interventions worth between €500,000 (£424,700) to €1m," he says. "But if you multiply that by 100, the money is simply not enough. We need help from Europe. My hope is that the ancient walls at Sounion will be included in the programme of EU-funded projects."

Across Greece, temples, towers, castles and ancient theatres have fallen victim to the ravages of time and neglect with some so severely damaged by earthquakes that they face collapse. Cuts in government spending have seen more museums close, nationwide, than at any other time.

But private initiative is making a mark, with individuals stepping in. "More and more people in Greece understand that in the absence of [official support] they have to play a role if they wish to safeguard the future of monuments in their localities," said Costas Carras, who runs Elliniki Etairia, a conservation society that has been likened to Britain's National Trust. "We raised 65,000 euro for the 4th century BC tower on Kea which only a few years ago had been standing to its full height – the money has been vital in saving a monument that literally faced collapse."

Ler artigo completo no The Guardian.

imagem: o templo de Súnion; fotograma de Megalexandros (1980), de Theo Angelopoulos