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Salsa Sundays in Finikas · every Sunday, 6–7 pm →

About us

Travel as an act of art

Travel in Art was born in Syros from a simple idea: to turn travel into a living experience of knowledge, creativity and encounter.

Our story

From a seaside taverna to an open-air laboratory

A seaside village on Syros, in the Cyclades

The place

A house above the bay of Finikas

It all began with a house overlooking the bay of Finikas and, next to it, a seaside taverna deeply tied to the village’s memory.

The place

A house above the bay of Finikas

It all began with a house overlooking the bay of Finikas and, next to it, a seaside taverna deeply tied to the village’s memory.

The memory

Foradenes, where Finikas gathered

For generations the historic Foradenes (Φοράδενες) was a place of gathering, conviviality and everyday life. Many people in Finikas, now adults, still remember going there for lunch or dinner as children, with their parents or grandparents.

The memory

Foradenes, where Finikas gathered

The record

Part of the village’s history

The name Φοράδενες appears in the memories collected by Istorima, the Greek oral history archive, and the taverna is documented in guides to Syros. The Municipality of Syros-Ermoupoli still uses the expression «πρώην κατάστημα Φοράδενες», “former Foradenes shop”, as a landmark on the Finikas seafront.

The record

Part of the village’s history

The stories

Stories handed down

Villagers remember that one of the first telephones available to the community was here. It is even said that Maria Callas and Aristotle Onassis once stopped by. These are oral memories, not facts we can document historically today, which is exactly why they belong to the intangible heritage of the place.

The stories

Stories handed down

The encounter

When we came across this space, we felt that its memory had to live on, by transforming.

The encounter

When we came across this space, we felt that its memory had to live on, by transforming.

A dry-stone wall in a field, with the sea beyond

The transformation

Same place. New stories.

Restoring it meant giving new life to a place without erasing its identity. Where people once met to eat, talk and be together, today people, languages, cultures and generations meet again.

The transformation

Same place. New stories.

Restoring it meant giving new life to a place without erasing its identity. Where people once met to eat, talk and be together, today people, languages, cultures and generations meet again.

The idea

From idea to project

Together with the house beside it, the space became a place of hospitality, training and exchange, open to people from different countries, languages and cultures. Travel in Art wanted to go beyond the traditional idea of a trip or a study holiday: travelling to know and to learn, travelling to create and to live art.

The idea

From idea to project

Collage of Syros landmarks: the neoclassical buildings of Ermoupoli, the blue dome of Saint Nicholas and Ano Syros on the hill

The laboratory

Syros, our first laboratory

Syros has become our first open-air learning laboratory: a place to observe, experiment, build relationships and bring different cultures, languages and generations into dialogue. The land is not just the setting of the experience but one of its protagonists.

The laboratory

Syros, our first laboratory

Read the full story

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Travel goes beyond the place we are heading to. It is what happens when people, languages, cultures and places meet.

Mission

Reconciling people

To create conditions and activities that reconcile people with themselves, awaken our collective consciousness and reduce distances. Travelling through art, in open dialogue with science and culture, is the way to a truly inclusive society.

Vision

A destination for everyone

A quality cultural and experiential destination for travellers and artists from all over the world; a hub of educational activities that are inclusive and accessible to all; a concrete contribution to the sustainable development of Syros, all year round.

What we believe in

We believe art is one of humanity’s oldest and most universal languages. Long before words existed, people communicated through music, movement, rhythm, images and stories, and these forms of expression still connect people of different cultures, generations and life experiences. Every project we design is inspired by the principles of Universal Design Thinking: experiences that are open, from the start, to the widest possible range of people, perspectives and ways of taking part.

Art

Art as a language that unites and transforms.

Art

Art as a language that unites and transforms.

Inclusion

Activities accessible to all, without barriers.

Inclusion

Activities accessible to all, without barriers.

Sustainability

Respect for places, people and the environment.

Sustainability

Respect for places, people and the environment.

Community

Genuine bonds between travellers and locals.

Community

Genuine bonds between travellers and locals.

Travel in Art today

Today Travel in Art keeps evolving through collaborations with educational institutions, universities, European organisations, professionals and local communities, building experiences where education, culture, creativity and international cooperation meet.

Over the years our activities have shaped an increasingly rich project: from Erasmus+ mobility to Adult Education programmes, from training and job shadowing to experiences for students and young professionals, from language and intercultural mediation to cultural heritage, from Mediterranean biodiversity to gastronomy, from the arts to experiences designed on the principles of Universal Design Thinking.

But the principle is still the one where it all began: travel goes beyond the place we are heading to. It is what happens when people, languages, cultures and places meet.

And it is in that space of encounter that Travel in Art keeps designing its experiences, so that those who set out can know, learn, create, share and give back, returning home not only with a memory but, as we have always said, as better versions of ourselves.