Exploration of Ancient Greek Civilization 7 days
DAY 1
Upon arrival in Athens, transfer to the hotel for check-in. Panoramic city tour en route. Overnight in Athens.
DAY 2
After breakfast we begin our tour to Peloponnese. Visit the archaeological site of Olympia, admiring the
splendors of this unique place where the ancient Greek ideas of unity,
peace and fair play flourished. See the impressive ruins of Hera and
Zeus’s Temples, the Leonidaion, the Workshop of the sculptor
Pheidias, and of course, the famous Stadium where the Olympic
Games were held. Also visit the Museum with its new display of
amazing pieces of sculpture and pottery, and the architectural remains
of the ancient edifices. Don’t miss the pride of this museum, the
“Hermes” of Praxiteles, one of the most wonderful ancient statues ever made. Afternoon at your leisure.
Overnight in Olympia.
DAY 3
Today we proceed towards Kalamata passing many of lovely Greek villages along the way, such Bassae
where we visit the famous Temple of Apollo Epikourios (Apollo the helper). We continue to Pylos. Pylos,
also known by its Italian name Navarino, is a town and a
former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local
government reform, it is part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is
the seat and a municipal unit. [1] It was the capital of the former Pylia
province. It is the main harbor on the Bay of Navarino. Mycenean Pylos is an
important archaeological site located on the western coast of
the Peloponnese in Greece.
After Pylos we will visit Methoni which has been identified as the city of
Pedasus, that Homer mentions under the name "ampeloessa" (of vine
leaves), as the last of the seven "evnaiomena ptoliethra"
that Agamemnon offers Achilles in order to subdue his rage. Pausanias knew
the city as Mothone, named after either the daughter of Oeneus or after the
rock Mothon, which protects the harbor. The Oinoussai complex of islands
protected the port of Methoni and at the same time stopped the large sea
turbulence. Along with the rest of Messenia, the town gained its
independence from the Spartans in 369 BC. During the 4th century BC, Methoni was elaborately fortified and
continued to remain autonomous well into the Imperial Roman era, when it enjoyed the favor of some
emperors. During the Byzantine years it continued to remain a remarkable harbor and one of the most
important cities of the Peloponnese, seat of a bishopric.
We then continue to a nearby town, Koroni. The town was founded in ancient times. The Greek
geographer Pausanias in his book "Messiniaka" reports the original location of Koroni at today's Petalidi, a
town a few kilometers north of Koroni. He also reports many temples of Greek gods and a copper statue of
Zeus. Because of re-orderings in the centuries that followed, the town of Koroni moved to its current location
where the ancient town of Asini had once stood. In the 6th and 7th centuries AD, the Byzantines built a
fortress there. In 1206 the Venetians occupied it, turning Koroni into an important stage on their sea routes
towards the Eastern Mediterranean. The fortress and town were captured by the Ottoman troops of
Sultan Bayezid II in 1500. Apart from a short period under Habsburg Empire rule in the Siege of Coron in
1532-1534, when the fortress was defended by a few noble families as Baffa Trasci, Stratigò and
Marchianò, [2] as well as a short return to Venetian rule (1686–1715) after the Morean War, they remained
under the control of the Ottoman Empire until becoming part of the modern Greek state in 1828 when it was
liberated by the French General Nicolas Joseph Maison. On to our final destination of the day, the village of
Kalamata, where the best and most well-known olives and olive oil of Greece come from. Overnight in
Kalamata.
DAY 4
This morning we visit the archaeological site of Ancient Messene. We then continue to Sparta and Mystra for
a visit to the medieval city. Overnight in Nauplion.
DAY 5
Today we continue by visiting the town of Nafplion and the Palamidi Fortress with the 913 steps and
impressive view of the Argolic Gulf. Afterwards we will visit the site of Mycenae
'Rich in Gold' (first sung by Homer in his epics), the
kingdom of mythical Agamemnon and the most
important and richest palatial center of the Late
Bronze Age in Greece. Its name was given to one of
the greatest civilizations of Greek prehistory, the
Mycenaean civilization. We see the remains of this
prehistoric acropolis, its Palace, the Grave Circles
and the famous beehive Tombs. This was the kingdom of Atreus and his son
Agamemnon, the leader of the Greeks in the campaign against Troy. On our way to Athens, we stop at the
famous Corinth Canal. Overnight in Athens.
DAY 6
After breakfast start your Athens Sightseeing tour and visit
the center of the city, Constitution Square, the House of
Parliament, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the National
University, the National
Library and the Academy. On
your way to the Acropolis you
will see the Hadrian’s Arch, visit the Temple of Olympian Zeus and you will
make a short stop at the Panathenaic Stadium where the first Olympic
Games of the modern era were held in 1896. On the Acropolis visit the
architectural masterpieces of the Golden Age of Athens: Propylaea, the
Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheum and finally the harmony between material and spirit, the monument
that puts order in the mind, the Parthenon. We also visit the New Acropolis Museum. Overnight in Athens.
DAY 7
Pick-up from your hotel and transfer to the airport for your departure flight.
