Big Olive

23/10/2025

In the making: We are in Rome for a day, exploring Testaccio, once the beating heart of working-class Rome and trade. From the ancient “Monte dei Cocci” to the 19th-century Mattatoio / Slaughterhouses (Gioacchino Ersoch, 1888–1891), this district chronicles the city’s transformation from papal seat to modern capital.

Today, the Mattatoio is a laboratory of reuse, home to La Pelanda, Città dell’Altra Economia, and Roma Tre Architecture.

Across the street, the Nuovo Mercato di Testaccio (Marco Rietti, 2012) continues the dialogue: a covered yet open market that reinterprets the traditional “mercato all’aperto”.

We’re here to study how this area -once defined by labor and logistics- became a model of cultural reinvention and a reference for architects and policymakers alike.

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20/10/2025

Big Olive takes its first step into the world of core music production. We were proud to co-produce The Prompters with the Greek National Opera - a poetic concert conceived and conducted by Alexandros Gkonis and staged by Konstantinos Pittas / KP Office.
More: https://www.bigolive.org/post/prompters-greek-national-opera-2025

Images: Ioanna Liarou, Giannis Antonoglou / GNO

14/10/2025

Οι Υποβολείς έρχονται το Σάββατο 18 και Κυριακή 19/10 στην Εναλλακτική Σκηνή ΕΛΣ / GNO Alternative Stage, σε συμπαραγωγή με την Big Olive. Κλείστε θέση!

🟠 Η πρωτότυπη συναυλία Οι Yποβολείς, σε σύλληψη, ενορχήστρωση και μουσική διεύθυνση του Αλέξανδρου Γκόνη, συνυφαίνει τη μουσική των Φρανσουά Κουπρέν και Κλάουντιο Μοντεβέρντι με την ποίηση του Εουτζένιο Μοντάλε και νέα μουσική του ίδιου του Αλέξανδρου Γκόνη. Ένα αφιέρωμα στη μουσικότητα του λόγου και στην προσωδία της μουσικής, η συναυλία «Οι υποβολείς» έρχεται στην Εναλλακτική Σκηνή της ΕΛΣ στο ΚΠΙΣΝ για δύο μοναδικές βραδιές στις 18 και 19 Οκτωβρίου 2025, σε συμπαραγωγή με την Big Olive.

«Με αυτή τη συναυλία τιμούμε τους ανθρώπους που, με το έργο τους, έχουν φροντίσει για μια αέναη συντροφιά. Τραγουδάμε τη μουσική όπως τη σφυρίζουμε κατεβαίνοντας τη σκάλα, αρθρώνουμε τον λόγο όπως τον μουρμουρίζουμε περπατώντας στον δρόμο και θέλουμε να είμαστε –σ’ αυτή την απαιτητική ανεμελιά– πιστοί», σημειώνει ο Αλέξανδρος Γκόνης.

Την εικαστική επιμέλεια σκηνής υπογράφει ο Κωνσταντίνος Πίττας.
Ερμηνεύουν οι υψίφωνοι Μαριέττα Σαρρή και Ειρήνη Μπιλίνη-Μωραΐτη και η ηθοποιός Κατερίνα Πατσιάνη.
Συμμετέχει κουαρτέτο εγχόρδων: Ρεζάρτα Κρούγια (βιολί Ι), Δημήτρης Κουζής (βιολί ΙΙ), Φαίδων Βρυνιώτης (βιόλα), Σοφία Ευκλείδου (βιολοντσέλο).

📆 18, 19 Οκτωβρίου 2025
⏰ Ώρα έναρξης: 20.30 (Κυριακή: 19.30)
📌 Εναλλακτική Σκηνή Εθνικής Λυρικής Σκηνής – ΚΠΙΣΝ
🎫 Εισιτήρια από 12 ευρώ προπωλούνται από τα Ταμεία της ΕΛΣ (2130885700, καθημερινά 9.00-21.00) και την ticketservices.gr.

👉 https://www.nationalopera.gr/enalaktiki-skini/enalaktiki-skini-synavlies/item/7458-oi-ypovoleis

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🟠 The original concert "Prompters", conceived, arranged, and conducted by Alexandros Gkonis, blends music by François Couperin and Claudio Monteverdi with Eugenio Montale’s poetry and a new score composed by Alexandros Gkonis himself, in a tribute to the musicality of speech and the prosody of music. A tribute to the musicality of speech and the prosody of music, the concert The Prompters is coming to the Greek National Opera Alternative Stage at the SNFCC for two unique performances on 18 and 19 October 2025, in co-production with Big Olive.

“With this concert, we honour the people who, through their work, have ensured we have an everlasting companion. We sing the music in the same way we whistle it while going down the stairs; we articulate speech in the same way we hum it while walking in the street; and we want to remain faithful to this demanding carefreeness,” notes Alexandros Gkonis.

The set has been visually curated by Konstantinos Pittas.
Performing are the sopranos Marietta Sarri and Irini Bilini-Moraiti, along with actress Katrina Patsiani.
Featuring a string quartet: Rrezarta Krujia (violin Ι), Dimitris Kouzis (violin ΙΙ), Faidon Vryniotis (viola), Sofia Efkleidou (violoncello).

📆 18, 19 October 2025
⏰ Starts at: 20.30 (Sunday: 19.30)
📌 GNO Alternative Stage - SNFCC
🎫 Tickets from €12 are available in advance at the Greek National Opera box office (tel. 2130885700, daily 9:00–21:00) and at ticketservices.gr/en

👉 https://www.nationalopera.gr/en/alternative-stage/es-concerts/item/7494-oi-ypovoleis

Μεγάλος Χορηγός Εθνικής Λυρικής Σκηνής Major Sponsor of the Greek National Opera: ΔΕΗ Α.Ε.

Ιδρυτικός Δωρητής Εναλλακτικής Σκηνής / Founding donor of the Alternative Stage: Stavros Niarchos Foundation (ΙΣΝ)[www.SNF.org]

#επικ #ΕναλλακτικήΣκηνήΕΛΣ

  Ιδρυτικός Δωρητής Εναλλακτικής Σκηνής     Μεγάλος Χορηγός Εθνικής Λυρικής Σκηνής   Σε συμπαραγωγή   Υπό την αιγίδα του Ιταλικού Μορφωτικού Ινστιτο....

11/10/2025

Good ol’ Big Olive: Wine and cheese in the lush courtyard of the Centre for Asia Minor Studies, following an Athens itinerary inspired by 19th-century travelers.
With

17/06/2025

AtMokka kafeneio by the central market -where the coffee is strong and opinions stronger - introduced .book Athens to the students of Saint Victoire International School of Provence. What began as a book talk quickly turned into an open exchange on Athens’s cultural rhythms, contradictions, identities and political undercurrents. Moderated with precision by , the conversation was anything but textbook :)

05/02/2025

Exciting news! ✨ Our Monday to Sunday Athens book now available at Hyper Hypo, the one-of-a-kind bookstore where Trigono meets Psirri that’s all about art, design, architecture and contemporary urban culture. If you haven’t been, think carefully curated books, rare finds, and a space that feels more like a gallery than a shop.

Swing by, browse, and get lost in great design and city stories.

21/01/2025

A Silent Shift
“Disappearing Seasons 2025,” the sleek and innovative calendar gifted to us by our partner design firm .gr , captures the unsettling reality of climate change. It reflects a world where the familiar rhythm of four seasons fades into just two, replaced by extreme and unpredictable weather. With a design journey that begins in harmony and ends in the absence of seasons, this calendar serves as a daily nudge: it’s time for humanity to take action.

10/01/2025

At Big Olive, hotel site visits are more than just routine checks—they’re an adventure in discovering spaces that set the tone for our upcoming events. From evaluating the little technical details to soaking in the atmosphere and meeting the people behind the hospitality, it’s all about finding the perfect fit. Here’s a glimpse of some standout spots for corporate / MICE trips we talked to earlier today.
Featuring:
Radisson Blu Park
Wyndham Grand
Fresh Hotel
Skylark Aluma
The Stanley

10/11/2024

| SURICON2024 |
Saturday night pop-up event at Malasaña’s urban market >>
Mercado de San Ildefonso is a modern take on the city’s historic street markets. Opened in 2014, it brings back the spirit of the original market that once thrived here until the ‘70s. Exposed brick and steel create an open, urban space with multiple floors and shared seating areas. Its terraces overlook Malasaña, where market life meets the street vibes. Architecture was led by Julio Touza.