An Athenian wearing fustanella

The rustling of the fustanella and the sound of tsarouchia in the cobbled alleys of Plaka became rarer as the Athenians replaced the traditional costumes with Frankish attires. However, admiration for those wearing the fustanella was widespread: “The palikaria resemble our knights. Naturally, they lack horses, but they are so fast on their feet that they can outrun any rider. They seem the descendants…of Homeric heroes, and they love freedom.”