Athinaion is one of the very typical cinemas of Athens. Located on Vassilisis Sofias & Alexandras Av., it’s a landmark for the area and, in the good old days of going to the movies, a barometer for new movies and their box office success.

It’s not Athinaion’s long time presence in the city that I want to point out in this spot though. Athinaion is unique for Athens and, maybe in Europe, for another reason: it’s one of the few cinemas that still presents painted posters for every movie. Vassilis Dimitriou is the painter behind the hand-painted posters and has been doing this job without pause since the ’50s. I always enjoy checking out the posters in Athinaion as every time the poster succeeds to portray the atmosphere of the movie in a more creative way, unique for every film.

If you pass by Athinaion, take a minute to check the posters and you will feel a bit of the old movie times!