Hollywood actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks was pictured this week waiting in line to board a ship during his holiday to Greece.
The Hollywood actor was spotted in Punta. He was observed traveling to Antiparos, dressed in casual summer attire.
Hanks is among several celebrities who choose to vacation in Greece each summer. The actor’s wife, Rita Wilson, is of Greek descent and both are naturalized Greek citizens.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s connection with Greece
The recent spotting of the actor in Greece is unsurprising as he is a frequent visitor to the country. Owing to Rita Wilson’s family background and Tom Hanks’ conversion to Greek Orthodoxy and keen embrace of the culture, the couple has a strong connection with Greece.
Wilson’s mother, Dorothea Tzigkou, was Greek, born in Albania near the Greek border, and her father was a Bulgarian Muslim born in Oraio, Greece. Her parents met in the US and her father, Hassan Halilov Ibrahimoff, converted to Orthodoxy. The family adopted the name Wilson to adapt to American culture more easily.
In 2019, the Greek government granted Hanks and Wilson citizenship, citing their “exceptional services to Greece”. A year before, the pair brought massive media attention and resources to help with the devastating wildfires of July 2018.
The pair picked up their new Greek passports in 2020 during a trip to the country and were pictured celebrating their citizenships with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his wife Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis.
The couple has been known to frequent their villa on the Greek island of Antiparos in the Cyclades. The property consists of a 450-square-meter stone villa located on a six-acre property between the villages of Glypha and Chora.
According to locals, that’s the only place where Hanks and Wilson are “left alone to relax, catch up with friends, throw dinner parties and unwind, away from Hollywood’s demands and flashing lights.”
Celebrities who choose Greece for vacations
Greece is a favorite holiday destination for many of the world’s rich and famous. Every summer, a myriad of celebrities are drawn to the country by beautiful sandy beaches, the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean, and the vibrant local culture and history.
Recently, the famous singer Dua Lipa came to Greece for the second time this summer and shared photos of her vacation on Instagram. The superstar posted several photos of her trip through the Peloponnese with her partner, French-Greek director Romain Gavras.
The former Prime Minister of the UK, Boris Johnson, was also seen enjoying a Greek sea-and-sun vacation with his wife Carrie Symonds and their three children this August.
Source: Greek Reporter
