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Two photos, which the mayor of the Athens suburb of Maroussi, George Patoulis, published during the Christmas holidays with the following comment, "Unique moments of family atmosphere", provoked a real flood of comments on the Greek social networks. The vast majority of users were amazed at the lavishly furnished family home, which they defined as extremely kitschy. It consisted of a heavy crystal chandelier above a dining room made of solid wood, painted in golden, gilded picture frames and equally heavily decorated furniture, a marble fireplace and curtains of thick and obviously expensive fabric.

The photos circulated the Greek social networks for several days and caused comments such as "Silence reigns in Patoulis’ house. Why? Because silence is golden", "Patoulis’ house, my friend. If he invited you for a visit, you should wear a welding mask so as not to become blind" and "Village aesthete and nouveau riche Patoulis is obviously jealous of Donald Trump’s kitschy living room and has decorated his own in the same style". Some users even brought in the occupation of the mayor, "Obviously Patoulis operated with a golden scalpel."

The critical and sarcastic comments provoked the reaction of Maroussi's mayor who responded with a long post on Facebook. In it George Patoulis said, "My income and property status as a whole are not secrets since I am obliged by law to declare them publicly in my property declaration. And because I have nothing to hide, I considered it a fully human act to publish a family photo from my house, which is neither a palace nor gold, as some want to present it for obvious reasons. Some may disagree with the aesthetics of the rooms and the way we have chosen to decorate them, but no one can forbid us to arrange the place where we live as a family according to our personal criteria."

The photos of George Patoulis’ house inevitably recalled last year's photo session of former Minister of Finance Yanis Varoufakis and his wife in their house under the Acropolis, where they lived at the time, for the French magazine Paris Match. The comparison provoked another round on social networks, where the majority of users commented that while the idea of ​​Maroussi's mayor was to tell his voters, "I am like you or like what you want to be. I am one of you", Varoufakis’ message was, "I am what you will never be able to be, because you are not super cool like me."

The following assessments came in response to this post, "After all, he who does not want to ring the bell does not go to the belfry. If Mr. Varoufakis or Mr. Patoulis cannot stand the criticism for their taste, they should not thrust it under our noses at every opportunity."

And while the violent discussions on social media continue, the mayor's wife, Marina Stavraki-Patoulis, not only is not trying to dampen the ardour but she has also opened wide the doors of her home for the photographic lens of the Greek lifestyle magazine ''Down Town''. The title of the interview is, "All that glitters in Mrs. Patoulis’ house is gold."

Showing no complexes, wearing her favourite impressive and colourful dresses, she is posing in different places in the flat with gilded ornaments that, as she admits, sometimes irritate her husband. According to her, George Patoulis often jokes that he is feeling like French king Louis XIV, called the "Sun King".

In the interview, the mayor's wife is saying the two have been together for 30 years and met during a summer holiday on the island of Paros. "I had just sat for entrance examinations and had arrived at the seaside with a friend. It was a summer love at first sight. George was an orthopaedic surgeon at that time. He took care of his patients and was very good at his job."

She admits that her husband disapproves of many of the things she likes, adding, "It does not bother me, I am a category myself. On the other hand, he has never oppressed me, including with regard to how I dress." The mayor's wife still indicates that there are things that her husband definitely would not like, "I know he will not like if have photos taken of myself naked."

Commenting on an old statement that her husband looks like Hollywood star George Clooney, Marina Stavraki-Patoulis states, "I said it as a joke because I got angry at the journalist who said that Varoufakis was the most handsome man. I told her: "What is the fuss about Varoufakis, I have Patoulis."