The Mediterranean: in the Footsteps of Great Civilisations

Syracuse (Italy) was one of Sicily’s most prestigious cities and at the height of its splendour competed with Athens. Visiting Syracuse is like stepping back in time to plunge oneself into the fabulous history of Sicily. Since its role as a central city of ancient Greece, numerous civilisations have followed one another to these shores, each leaving their mark. Arabs, Romans, Normans, Byzantines and Spanish influences give Syracuse its extraordinarily rich culture, a mosaic of perfumes, colours and flavours.

Corfu, an island off Greece’s northwest coast in the Ionian Sea, is defined by rugged mountains and a resort-studded shoreline. Its cultural heritage reflects years spent under Venetian, French and British rule before it was united with Greece in 1864. Corfu Town, flanked by 2 imposing Venetian fortresses, features winding medieval lanes, a French-style arcade and the grand Palace of St. Michael and St. George.

A grandiose impressive work of art linking the Ionian and Aegean Seas, the Corinth Canal is the fruit of a dream dating back to ancient times. The Emperor Nero had at one time envisaged its creation. From Itea (Greece) we enter the immaculately preserved sacred site of the Delphi Valley. Clinging to the side of the mountain, the white ruins of Apollo’s famous sanctuary rise up out of the pines.

Volos is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about 330 kilometres north of Athens and 220 kilometres south of Thessaloniki. It is the sixth most populous city of Greece. It is the capital of the Magnesia regional unit of Thessaly Region.

Kusadasi (Turkey) is an ideal base to discover the Ephesus archaeological site which is famous for its sanctuaries, the best known being that of the Goddess Artemis.

An old town curled up in a miniscule bay lined with palm trees and pines. Behind its ramparts, the old districts contain superb traditional wooden houses dating back to the 18th Century while the oman walls imbue it with a wholly Mediterranean charm.