Hi, I am Dionysis
Naturally Curious
I was born and raised in Athens. From a very early age I developed a vivid interest in history and archaeology. After I finished high school I moved to the UK(University of Wales, Lampeter) to study archaeology. During my studies in Wales, I gained valuable experience in archaeological digs and insights into archaeological research. I became particularly interested in archaeological theory , the ways that the past is addressed in the present, and the perception of the past by the wider public regardless of one's academic background and/or personal interests. Coming back to Greece, I decided to follow a course in tourism in order to become a licensed guide in Greece. Since 2006, I have guided people from all around the world mainly in Greece, Europe and the general Mediterranean area. Always thirsty for knowledge, I continued my studies in a post graduate level and in 2021 I completed my PhD on Greek souvenirs and their relation to museum artefacts.
I created this blog in order to keep contact with the wonderful people I met in my tours. The idea of this blog is to initiate discussions, exchange ideas and share our passion for travelling and learning.
Academic background
I studied archaeology at the University of Wales, in Lampeter. A rich experience that changed my life! I participated in excavations in Fetternear in Scotland, took an educational field trip in Crete. I conducted ethnoarchaeological research on the Vlach populations of Albania for my dissertation. The Vlachs are a semi-nomadic group of shepherds dispersed between different countries in the Balkan peninsula. They have preserved their own language and unique customs for centuries. I was lucky to spend a month in Albania where I met and interviewed many Vlachs and studied their practices and settlements in the area of Butrint in South Albania.
I then continued my studies to become a guide in Greece. The course was nearly 3 years long and very intensive. Apart from the studies, the course included many field trips around Greece. I literally 'rediscovered' my country through this course and developed valuable friendships with colleagues.
Always eager to learn, I continued my studies at a postgraduate level. I completed my Master's in Cultural Management at the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences. I specialised in Cultural heritage management and Museum studies. I then continued man studies on a PhD level and I was awarded my doctorate in 2021. My PhD research studied Greek souvenirs. An interdisciplinary approach combining the latest advances in the field of archaeology, anthropology, museum studies and material culture studies. I study souvenirs not only for their role as travel mementoes and for their memory-triggering abilities. I argue that souvenirs are constitutive of the travel experience and through our engagements with them, our identities are shaped. Many of the Greek souvenirs replicate museum artefacts; thus, our engagements with this type of souvenirs reveal our relationship with heritage objects and the remote past.
Explore Greece with me
Guided Tours
Since I started my professional career as a licensed tourist guide in Greece in 2006, I have travelled extensively around the country and introduced many travellers to the Greek culture. Visits to archaeological sites, museums, walking tours in historic towns. I have also led food tours during which travellers had the opportunity to sample the Greek cuisine. Or the exquisite Greek wines in visits to wineries around the country.
During my career as a tourist guide, I had the chance to meet people from all over the world, as I guide in three languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese. With all your questions and our engaging discussions, my tours feel like open seminars, where we all learn and discover aspects of the Greek culture. Thank you all for your contribution!
​
