8 days round trip with own bus over Italy
Program:
Day 1 Arrival in Ancona
Travel from your location to Ancona and embark around 4:30 p.m. Enjoy your little cruise towards Igumenitsa. Dinner and overnight on board.
Day 2 Igoumenitsa – Dodona – Ioannina Kalampaka
Breakfast on board, and around 09:00 arrival in Igoumenitsa and continue hard to Dodona. Dodona was a sanctuary that dates back to the Bronze Age. Originally it was dedicated to a mother goddess, then the cult passed from Zeus Naios, who was worshiped here in unity with the goddess Diona. Continuation to Ioannina there lunch (optional) Afterwards we visit the oriental old town with the city wall, the picturesque narrow streets and the fortress complex Lithartsia from the time of Ali Pasha. The journey leads via Metsovo to Kalampaka. Room layout and dinner in hotel.
Day 3 Kalampaka- Meteora – Galaxidi
After breakfast, drive to the Meteora Monastery and visit the famous Meteora Monasteries built on high sandstone cliffs. The monasteries floating between heaven and earth originated in the 14th century. Visit to 2 monasteries and explanations of the importance of Byzantine Orthodox monasticism in Greece and Eastern Europe. Afterwards lunch (optional) in one of the many traditional taverns in Kalampaka. Then continue to Galaxidi. Room layout and dinner in hotel.
Day 4 Galaxidi – Delphi – Athens
After breakfast continue to Delphi. Visit to Delphi. The place owes its fame to the oracle. We visit the Temple of Apollo, the Athenian Treasury, the theater, the stadium and the museum with the famous bronze charioteer. Then continue to Athens. Room layout and dinner in hotel.
Day 5 Athens City – Acropolis – Museum – Plaka – Nafplion
After breakfast city tour in Athens. We drive over Omonia and Syntagma Square, past the Panathenaic stadium (photo break), the royal castle, Zeus temple, to the Acropolis. Visit to the Propylaea, the Erechtheion, the Temple of Nikes and the Parthenon. Free time in Plaka the old town of Athens.
Then drive over the Panepistimiou street, the academy and the university. In the evening continue on the Corinth Canal to Nafplion to our hotel. Before that we visit an olive mill, with a guided tour and tasting. Room layout, dinner and overnight in hotel.
Day 6 Naplion – Epidaurus – Mycenae – Olympia
After breakfast, drive to Epidaurus, Asclepius’ cult and healing center. Visit to the open air theater and museum, famous for its acoustics.
Then we visit a local beekeeping and learn a lot about the Greek honey, which we will of course try.
Continue to the castle hill of Mycenae, which was excavated by Heinrich Schliemann at the end of the 19th century. The lion gate, the royal tombs, the palace, the newly created museum and the treasure house of Atreus are visited. Continuation to Olympia. Dinner and overnight in Olympia.
Day 7 Olympia – Patras – Ancona
After breakfast, visit the excavation site of Olympia with the remains of the once massive Zeus temple, the older Hera temple, the workshop of the famous sculptor Phidias and the sports facilities (Olympic stadium). After that continue to Patras. In the evening around 5:30 p.m. embarkation. The journey continues by ferry to Ancona. Dinner and overnight on board.
Day 8 on the ship
Breakfast on board and give 4:30 pm arrival in Ancona.