🇬🇷 WHAT’S NEW IN GREECE

 🪂 Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis vaulted into 2nd—because gravity respects souvlaki-fueled legs.

🎶 Ancient stones, eternal voices in Kalamata 9th International music Festival—aka Greece’s version of Coachella.

More news from Greece

📱 The app that says “oxi” to chairs colonizing the sidewalk.

🤖 From Plato’s cave to server caves: Greece joins the AI gold rush.

💎 The mega-yacht parking lot is officially full—welcome to Greece, richies.

🏛️Culture is the new ouzo shot—Corinth, Patras, and Kos are serving it.

📈 Wall Street who? Greece is out here flexing with the best-performing market of 2025.

🌎️ WHAT’S NEW OUTSIDE OF GREECE

⚽️ Aussie-born Nectarios Triantis picks Greece over Australia—clearly prefers souvlaki to Vegemite.

🥇 From the diaspora to the spotlight—Greek-American Leader Dr. Demetrios Giannaros gets the ultimate clap emoji moment.

More news from outside of Greece

🇦🇺 Ellinikon: where Greece builds the future and Aussies bring the cash.

👩‍🏫 Prominent Hellenes mentor Greek-American youth - think “My Big Fat Greek Internship Program.”

🎸 Diaspora playlist update: West Africa x Greece collab is live.

💎 CULTURAL GEMS

🪬 Ancient Greek Curse Tablets

If you thought gossip was Greece’s oldest sport, let’s introduce you to defixiones—the original Greek curse tablets. These were thin sheets of lead where ancient Greeks would scratch out maledictions against rivals, lovers, or business competitors, and then toss them into wells, graves, or sanctuaries so the underworld gods could act as middle managers for their pettiness. Examples? One tablet from Athens literally begged the gods to tie up the tongues of courtroom opponents. Others asked to gain an edge in business rivalries or athletic competitions.

But here’s the part you won’t find in the tourist brochures: many of these curses were professionally written by hired scribes, because not everyone’s penmanship was intimidating enough for Hades. And they weren’t all about revenge—some were love spells, pleading with Persephone to “make him burn with desire until he comes to me.” (Greeks: dramatic since forever.) Today you can spot some of these tablets at the Kerameikos Archaeological Museum and the National Arch. Museum in Athens, at Yale’s rare Book and Manuscript Library (a description of its curse tablet here), at Princeton University’s Art Museum, or even at the British Museum.

📆 BEST OF GREEK CALENDAR

🎶 August 24 - September 6, 2025, International Music Days, Kalamata

🎶 August 18 - 31, 20205, 9th Rebetiko Festival, Syros

🎤 September 8, 2025, Yiannis Ploutarhos, Nikaia

🧳 TRAVEL NEWS

🏖️ Chios is where Mastiha, Medieval Villages and Pirate stories collide

Chios is the kind of island that doesn’t scream for attention. Tucked away in the North Aegean, it’s less about Mykonos-style excess and more about quiet beauty, ancient heritage, and one deeply addictive export: mastiha, the resin that perfumes everything from chewing gum to cocktails. Imagine an island scented like a botanical apothecary, sprinkled with medieval stone villages, and ringed by sapphire seas—basically the anti-package-tourist island flex.

Start with the mastic villages of Pyrgi, Mesta, and Olympi, whose black-and-white geometric facades look like some medieval architect accidentally discovered Cubism. Wander their alleys, sample mastiha liqueur (stronger than it looks), and don’t skip the Chios Byzantine Museum. And here’s the kicker: mastiha can’t be cultivated anywhere else in the world—it only “bleeds” from the trees of southern Chios, no matter how many times people have tried to grow it abroad - this gorgeous museum showcases the history of mastiha. If you’re into history with extra drama, explore the Nea Moni monastery, a UNESCO site with mosaics that have survived fires, earthquakes, and Ottoman sieges—basically the Beyoncé of monasteries.

Then make your way down to the beaches—Karfas for golden sand, Mavra Volia beach for volcanic black pebbles, and Vroulidia for that smug “nobody on Instagram knows this place” vibe. And Chios has a pirate past too: caves where locals once hid from raiders still dot the coast, turning every swim into a low-key history dive.

🔍 Hidden Local Gems

🌿 Elata Village — a micro-mastiha village where you can still watch resin farmers scoring the trees by hand.

🍇 Ariousios Wines — local vineyard reviving ancient Chian grape varieties (Homer himself praised Chios wine).

📜 Chios Library of Korais — one of Greece’s largest historic libraries, featuring rare manuscripts and, crucially, good air-conditioning.

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🆕 OBSESSIONS

🚶 A hiking trail linking 46 ancient Greek villages.

🫒 Greece’s Edible Atlas: A culinary map of the islands’ delights

🌊 8 hidden Greek museums just steps from the sea.

🧑‍🍳 RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Actually, ingredient of the week, since mastiha is basically the original Greek multitasker: cures ulcers, freshens your breath, and still shows up to make your Easter bread and cookies fabulous.

To use it, you need a mortar and pestle. Pound a few crystals with a little salt, if you’re making a savory dish; and with a little sugar if you’re preparing a sweet.

Do not, we repeat, do not pound mastiha in a spice grinder or food processor because its gummy, sticky nature will ruin the blades!

💡 INSPIRATION

😎 GREEK FYI

🇬🇷 Greece is the most seismically active country in Europe. Small earthquakes are common and have shaped much of the country’s dramatic landscape.

😂 MYTHIC MEMES

So that’s Greece this week: curses etched in lead, and an island where even the chewing gum is historical. Normally we’d end on a cheeky wink, but this week our thoughts linger on Chios—our travel spotlight and the homeland of mastiha—and so many places in Greece  where wildfires have scarred both the landscape and the lives of locals. When parts of Greece burn, the whole diaspora feels it. 🧿 Stay Greek. [email protected]

🛑 Disclaimer

This newsletter contains humor, satire, and commentary meant to entertain, inform, and occasionally make you spit out your Greek coffee. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily representative of all Greeks, Greeks of the diaspora, or that one relative who always has an opinion at family gatherings. We strive for accuracy, but you should verify anything important — especially if you're about to start a heated WhatsApp thread over it. Any memes, quotes, or third-party content belong to their respective owners and are used under fair use. Unsubscribe anytime (but we’ll miss you)