Cycladic, Minoan, Mycenaean & Classical Greece

Friday, October 21, 2022: DEPART HOME FOR ATHENS, GREECE

Saturday, October 22: ATHENS, Greece
Arrive in Athens and transfer to the Hotel Athens Capital, located in the center of the city, convenient to many attractions. Enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant. Meals: D

Sunday, October 23: ATHENS
One of the world’s most venerable cities, Athens is the capital of Greece and Europe’s oldest city. Its ancient monuments are testimonials to its glorious past that gave birth to democracy and many other ideas and institutions that form an integral part of the Western tradition. Explore this morning the Agora, the civic and commercial center of ancient Athens and the living heart of its democracy. See the remains of the civic buildings and visit the Agora Museum. Continue to the hill of Areopagus, where, in A.D. 51, St. Paul addressed the Athenians. After lunch at a local restaurant, tour the Acropolis and its celebrated monuments, including the sublime Parthenon. Built in the 5th century B.C., the Parthenon and other structures of the same period represent the highest achievement of architecture and art of the Classical period. Visit also the Acropolis Museum and view an outstanding collection of sculpture. Alternatively, you may take a full-day excursion out of Athens to visit the Sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron, and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. Both sites date from the 5th century B.C. Lunch will be served in a country taverna. Everyone returns to the Hotel Athens Capital, and dinner is on your own. Meals: B, L

Monday, October 24: ATHENS/FLY TO HERAKLION, Crete
This morning visit the National Archaeological Museum. Housed in a large building that was first erected in the second part of the 19th century, the museum contains the country’s finest collection of ancient art, representing Greece’s long history from the prehistoric period to the Roman era. After lunch, continue to the airport for our flight to Heraklion, Crete’s largest city and commercial center (flight duration: 45 minutes). Upon arrival, transfer to the port to board Callisto. Overnight aboard while docked in port. Meals: B, L, D

Tuesday, October 25: HERAKLION
The largest of the Greek islands, Crete was home to Europe’s earliest advanced civilization, the Minoan, which flourished during the Bronze Age, starting around 2000 B.C. This morning we drive to the south of the island to visit Phaestos, one of the main Minoan palaces that have been excavated. Situated on a plain overlooking Crete’s highest mountain, Mount Ida, the first palace was built around 1900 B.C. Continue on to nearby Gortyn which, occupied since the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, became the capital of the province of Crete and Cyrenaica (North Africa) during the Roman period. The substantial remains of the city include the 5th-century B.C. Law Code, the city laws inscribed in stone blocks. Return to Heraklion and enjoy lunch at the Peskesi restaurant, known for its excellent Cretan cuisine. In the afternoon, tour the partially-reconstructed Minoan palace of Knossos. Clustered around a spacious courtyard, the palace contains a maze of rooms, passages, and stairways that reveal the brilliance and refinement of the Minoan civilization. Visit also the superlative Heraklion Museum to admire the exquisite art of the Minoans. For those who have visited previously these ancient sites, the following alternative excursions will be offered. In the morning, drive to Archanes, the site of a Minoan palace, where we will visit the informative Archaeological Museum; the necropolis of Fourni, which was used from c. 2400 B.C. to 1000 B.C.; and the Minoan settlement at Vathypetro. After lunch at the Peskesi restaurant, visit the Minoan palace of Malia and the 13th-century church of Panaghia Kera, whose walls are covered with frescoes. Callisto will cruise in the evening. Meals: B, L, D

 Wednesday, October 26: SANTORINI
Be on deck this morning as the ship approaches Santorini to admire one of the most iconic sights of the Mediterranean: the white-washed town of Phira, the island’s main town, perched on the 1,000-foot-high palisade of the volcanic caldera. Known in classical antiquity as Thera, the island was a flourishing trading center inhabited by a sophisticated society during the Bronze Age. In the late 17th century B.C., a massive volcanic eruption collapsed half of the island and buried its town, now called Akrotiri, in a thick layer of ash and pumice, preserving its houses, squares, and streets as they existed 3,700 years ago. Visit Akrotiri and the Museum of Prehistoric Thera, which exhibits the artifacts excavated at Akrotiri. Enjoy lunch at a restaurant that offers spectacular views of the caldera and serves local specialties. Spend the afternoon at leisure for independent activities, or join an excursion that will explore the remains of Thera, the island’s historic city, which was founded in the 9th century B.C. Located on the ridge of a mountain, the site, which requires walking over uneven terrain to reach, includes an agora, theater, sanctuaries, and houses. Meals: B, L, D

Thursday, October 27: AMORGOS
Known for its dramatic scenery, lovely Amorgos has been settled since the 5th millennium B.C. Call at the island’s main port, which hugs a curving cove, and explore its ancient remains, including the settlement at Markiani, which dates from the Early Cycladic period (2800 B.C. – 2000 B.C.); Minoa and Aegiale, both founded in the 10th century B.C.; and the monastery of Chozoviotissa. Built in the 11th century under a charter from the Byzantine emperor, the monastery is precipitously situated high above the sea. Also visit the Archaeological Museum, which is a housed in a 17th-century mansion and exhibits finds from excavations carried out on the island. The museum is in Chora, Amorgos’ enchanting main town, which sits on a plateau and is crowned by a 13th-century citadel. Time will be provided to explore Chora. Meals: B, L, D

Friday, October 28: DESPOTIKO & PAROS
Arrive in the morning at the uninhabited and seldom-visited islet of Despotiko. The small island was active during the Bronze Age, but later, starting in the Archaic era (early 7th century B.C. – early 5th century B.C.), it became one of the most important sanctuaries of Apollo in the Aegean Sea. Recent excavations under archaeologist Yannos Kourayos have brought to light many artifacts and revealed the remains of several buildings, including the large Temple of Apollo, which was partially restored last year. After exploring the remarkable excavations of Despotiko, sail to the nearby island of Paros, one of the quintessential Cycladic islands. Home of Archilochus, the great 7th-century B.C. lyric poet who was considered by the ancients as great as Homer, Paros was also the source of some of the world’s finest marble that was preferred by master sculptors from antiquity to more recent times. Call at Parikia, the island’s main town that features the white-washed architecture of the central Greek islands, and from there explore the island, including the remains of the 6th-century B.C. sanctuary of Athena, the Hellenistic houses and ancient cemeteries, and the ancient marble quarries. In Parikia, we will also visit the impressive church of Ekatontapyliani (Our Lady of a Hundred Doors), whose foundation dates from the 4th century, and the Archaeological Museum, which exhibits fine sculptures of Parian marble and artifacts excavated on Despotiko. Meals: B, L, D

Saturday, October 29: SIFNOS
This small island was famed in antiquity for its wealth that was produced by its gold and silver mines. Archaeological evidence suggests that the gold and silver deposits were exploited as early as the Bronze Age. Unaffected by tourist development and having preserved its character, Sifnos is one of the most delightful of Greece’s islands. Scattered around the island are several stone towers that were built starting in the late 6th century B.C. to protect the mines. One of the most impressive to have survived is the Aspros Pyrgos (White Tower), which we will explore. On the summit of the hill of Aghios Andreas, we will explore the fortified citadel that dates from the Mycenaean period. The complex construction of the defense walls is considered to be unique in the Aegean. The museum on the site exhibits artifacts dating from the early Bronze Age to later periods. Crowning a promontory above the sea is Kastro, the medieval citadel, which occupies the site of ancient Sifnos. Still visible are sections of the city’s impressive walls that were constructed late in the 6th century B.C. The island’s Archaeological Museum is also found here and it exhibits Cycladic marble objects and other artifacts. In addition to exploring the island’s ancient sites, we will also spend time in the very attractive towns of Apollonia and Artemonas. Meals: B, L, D

Sunday, October 30: NAFPLION, EPIDAURUS & MYCENAE
Set on a spacious bay and crowned by two citadels, Nafplion is one of Greece’s most attractive old towns. Drive to Epidaurus, the sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius, the god of healing. Epidaurus was in antiquity a religious shrine, health center, and popular spa. Its incredible 4th-century B.C. theater is famed for its perfect acoustics and harmonious proportions. Continue to Mycenae, the most important center of the Mycenaean civilization that flourished in the 2nd millennium B.C. Called by Homer “rich in gold” and “well-built,” Mycenae was the home of Agamemnon, who led the Greeks in the war against Troy. The nearby fertile area of Nemea has been producing fine wine from antiquity to the present time. We will enjoy lunch at the Skouras Winery, accompanied by its wines. Alternatively, spend the day touring Mycenaean Tiryns; Argos, one of the most storied cities of ancient Greece; and prehistoric Lerna, which dates back to 6500 B.C.  Meals: B, L, D

Monday, October 31: PIRAEUS/FLY HOME
Disembark in the morning in Zea Marina, a yacht harbor near Piraeus, the port of Athens, and transfer to Athens airport for return flights home. Meals: B