Highlights included meeting the donor who generously sponsors this annual trip: Mr Nick Comninos in memory of his mother, the beloved Matti Egon. Other scholarly contributions came from the University of Patras and Dimos Kouvidis who, after an expert ‘street and food culture’ walking tour (co-led by Kostas Drakoulis), invited the group to relax on his private balcony (picture), to eat refreshments and admire the Acropolis visible in the distance, in the afternoon sunlight. Multiple visits to the Plaka area and even a trip to the beach (by some intrepid swimmers) rounded off a very rich programme. We departed on 26 February and made it back tired but safely.
Professor Gonda Van Steen Koraes Chair of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature. Director, Centre for Hellenic Studies
05 March 2026
Students visit Athens' key historical and cultural sites on annual Matti Egon field trip
The 2026 sponsored trip took Eighteen Classics students to Greece to enhance their studies.
Professor Gonda Van Steen, Koraes Chair of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature led the 2026 Matti Egon field trip to Athens as part of the Classics module ‘Engaging Greece’ on 21 February.
The students saw the Acropolis, visited the Acropolis and Benaki Museums, the Ancient Greek Technology Museum, the National Historical Museum, the ancient Agora and its archives, the Theatre of Dionysus, and the Lyceum where Aristotle taught. Walking tours further captured the Panathenaic Stadium, the Ilissus River (and discussions on urban planning and gentrification), the Kapnikarea Church and other Byzantine churches, Monastiraki Square, and Schliemann’s Megaro and garden. Guest lecturers were Drs Giorgos Magginis and Sylvie Dumont.
Thank you so much again for the wonderful experience you gave us.
Student, SL
Thank you so much again for the trip, I had such an amazing time and really loved it.
Student, AS
I'd like to thank you again for the trip - it was so fun and educational, I'll definitely be going back again in the future! If you have any recommendations for my future visits, I would love to hear them. Thanks again, your planning and efforts were what made it all possible, and I'm very glad I had the opportunity to go. I'd also like you to extend my thanks to the donor, I sincerely appreciate his donation, and it was incredibly generous for him to sponsor this trip. I am so grateful that he and his family were so kind, and I hope students on future trips get the chance to meet him, as it was really lovely getting to know him at dinner!
Student, KX
I arrived very quickly and safely, thank you again for the most incredible trip, it was one of the best weeks of my life!
Student, SW
In this story
Koraes Chair of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature. Director, Centre for Hellenic Studies
Lecturer in Greek Art
Professor of Ancient Greek History and Culture