What I can see

Patission Street is a major Athenian street, approximately 4.5km long. Driving from Patissia to the direction of the centre, one gets a bee-line view of the Acropolis from Amerikis Square onwards. Patission Street is famous for its shops. Although in recent years, it has been affected by the economic crisis, there is still a wide variety of shops with friendly prices, interspersed with a few expensive shops. Fast food restaurants, beauty parlors, cosmetic, clothing and shoe stores and even mobile phone stores – Patission Street has it all. In addition to being a commercial hotspot, Patission is lined with important buildings such as the Athens University of Economics and Business, the National Archaeological Museum, the National Technical University (Polytechnic) and other buildings of increasing architectural value.

What I can't see

The official name of the street is 28^th October Street, to commemorate those who fought against and defeated the Italians during the fascist offensive of 1940. However, Athenians continue to commonly call the street “Patission Street” after the village of Patissia, which this street connects the city center with. Patissia probably derives from the adverb “vatisi”, which comes from “Vatis,” one of the ancient boroughs of Athens. Another possibility is that the name Patissia came from “Patissiach” (=great King), a title that was given to the Sultan, when he conquered the city. Some of the names of the shops on this street are variations of famous international brands. The shops however, sell authentic products and not copies of the brand products that inspired their names.

 

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