Petralona park gets overhaul

Residents enjoy a sunny day in Voutie Park in the hip central Athens district of Ano Petralona, on Thursday, after it was treated to a facelift. The City of Athens planted more trees and shrubs in the roughly 5,000 sq.m. park, installed new benches and improved the paths and lighting, as part of a bigger scheme to spruce up the capital’s parks, many of which have fallen into neglect. “Anyone who knows Petralona, knows of the area’s strong comeback on the Athenian scene. The municipal authority is bolstering local enhancement efforts by providing… a little more oxygen,” Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis said in a social media post about the park, which is named after the French naval officer Olivier Voutier, who discovered the Venus de Milo statue in 1820. [City of Athens/AMNA]