Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is the stone theatre built into the Acropolis slope before you. Its story begins with a gift: in AD 161, Herodes Atticus had it constructed to honour his Roman wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla, and present it to the city. The original building rose as a steep auditorium, with 33 marble seating rows, a three-story stone frontage, and a cedar roof brought from Lebanon.

It held 5,000 people for musical performances, making it the largest venue of its time. The Heruli destroyed it in AD 267, leaving the structure in ruins. The seating and orchestra returned in the 1950s through restoration in Pentelic marble. Since then, this ancient Roman theatre has served as the principal home of the Athens Festival, where performances bring the monumental stage back to life.