Ancient Shores: Italy, Greece & Turkey

Welcome to Rome. You have 2 nights to explore the city.

Travel to Rome and revel in the magnificent monuments, from the ancient Roman Forum and Coliseum to the splendor of St. Peter’s Basilica with Michelangelo’s Pietà and his breathtaking frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Or enjoy a drive through the lush farmlands of the Roman countryside to lovely medieval Castelgandolfo.

Salerno is a port city southeast of Naples, in Italy. Atop Monte Bonadies, the centuries-old Arechi Castle has sea views, plus Museo Medievale del Castello, exhibiting medieval ceramics and coins. In town, built on the ruins of a Roman temple, is Salerno Cathedral. It has Byzantine bronze doors, a baroque crypt and a marble altar. The terraced Minerva’s Garden has been growing medicinal plants since the 14th century.

Visit beautiful Taormina and marvel at its famous Greek theater and the stunning view of Mount Etna. Explore lovely medieval Messina with its historic churches and the cathedral where it is rumored Richard the Lionheart worshipped in 1190. Or discover ancient Tyndaris, founded in 396 B.C., with its fine mosaics, Roman baths and impressive theater overlooking the sea.

The greatest Greek city and most beautiful of them all,” is how Cicero described Syracuse, once the largest city in the ancient world. Travel back in time on the island of Ortygia, where Syracuse was founded by the Greeks in 734 BC. Nearly 3,000 years later, this UNESCO site is one of Sicily’s greatest archaeological treasures. In between spectacular ancient relics, treat your palate to cheese, olives and cured meats from street vendors or delicious gelato from a gelateria. Looming in the distance is Sicily’s most famous attraction, Mount Etna, which nourishes the rich soils that produce some of the best wines, fruits and nuts in the world.

Visit ancient Olympia where the Olympic Games began in 776 B.C. and stroll around this deserted sanctuary, admiring the temples, altars and treasuries, and stand on the ground where ancient athletes practiced before competing. Or enjoy a pleasant drive through the countryside past quaint villages to a local vineyard and sample the wines, local cheeses and other foods.

The pastel-colored houses inch their way up the foothills of Mount Koumaros in this quaint town that offers a unique and authentic experience of small town life in Greece. Nearby, the medieval city of Mystras, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was founded in 1248 and abandoned in 1832, leaving impressive medieval ruins amid a breathtaking landscape. Discovered in 1958, the magnificent caves at Diros were used by prehistoric man between 4000 and 3000 BC.

Enjoy wandering through the narrow, winding streets of this delightful seaside village with its whitewashed houses, flowers and brightly painted shutters and doors. Stand beneath the windmills on the hill. Visit the archaeological museum and an old bakery still using a 15th century wood-burning stove.

Surrounded by the azure waters of the Aegean, the small island of Skiathos sits off the eastern coast of Greece. Explore the island’s inlets, capes and peninsulas by boat, or relax on the legendary beaches. Meander through the old port with its pedestrian streets and distinctive whitewashed buildings and red rooftops. Visit the 18th century Monastery of Evangelistrias, built into the hillside during the Byzantine era.

Canakkale sits on the narrowest point of the Dardanelles, the strait that has shaped the course of history more than almost any other waterway on earth. It was here that Xerxes built his bridge of boats to invade Greece in 480 BC, here that the Gallipoli campaign was fought in 1915, and here — a short drive south at Hisarlik — that the ruins of ancient Troy have been excavated from nine successive layers of civilisation dating back 5,000 years. The site is smaller than most visitors expect but more moving: the great walls, the ramps, the layers of city upon city, and the knowledge that a real place underpinned one of humanity’s oldest stories. The Archaeological Museum of Troy in the nearby village of Tevfikiye houses the finest collection of artefacts from the excavations, and the full-scale replica Trojan Horse at the entrance to the site has become an unlikely pilgrimage point for travellers who grew up with the legend. Canakkale town itself is a relaxed university city with a lively waterfront, good seafood and a clock tower that has stood since 1897.

Indulge your eyes and senses in this magnificent city astride two continents. Visit beautiful Topkapi Palace, the awesome Hagia Sophia and the impressive Blue Mosque. Cruise the Bosphorus to see the city and its surroundings from another perspective. Visit one of the many museums or stroll through the spice market and the famous Grand Bazaar.