Tour of Greece

I arrived in the Peloponnese by ferry from Brindisi to Patras and continued to Olympia, the ancient city of the Games, to visit the excavations featuring the remains of the stadium, the gymnasium, the workshop of the sculptor Phidias, the temples and much more. Just off the archaeological area, inside a park, is the tomb of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the French nobleman who founded the modern Olympic Games in the late 19th century. Then a short stop at nearby Krestena, the village surrounded by olive groves where I had lunch. A few kilometres south, on a hill, I visited the Temple of Bassae, one of the best preserved, which to keep it that way has been protected with a circus-style tent structure. In the evening I stayed overnight in Kalamata, overlooking the Mediterranean.

The next morning, Mystras, a sacred Byzantine site near Sparta, abandoned for years and rediscovered by tourists who can wander among what remains of ancient Orthodox churches. The journey continues north; after a very brief stop to admire from outside the gathered ruins of Tiryns, I arrive in mythical Mycenae and visit the excavations with the obligatory photo at the Lion Gate opening in the Cyclopean walls (I had already been to Mycenae on a previous trip, see ATHENS AND SURROUNDINGS). Crossing the bridge over the Corinth Canal and bypassing Athens, passing important seaside resorts of Attica, I reach Cape Sounio where I slept in a nice hotel. I woke to the splendid view of the Temple facing the sea, then continued to Athens along the coastal road.

In the capital, which I had already visited on a previous trip (see ATHENS AND SURROUNDINGS), after watching the changing of the guard in Syntagma Square in front of Parliament, I visited the Olympieion, the Stadium of the first modern Olympics, the Zappeion, then headed to the Acropolis, the true navel of Hellenistic culture that sums up all its facets. How could one not be enchanted by the Temple, the porch of the Caryatids, the Propylaea, the amphitheatres and the spectacular panorama enjoyed from there, from the Theseion to Lycabettus Hill. In the evening I went to the port of Piraeus (I had already been there on a previous trip, see ATHENS AND SURROUNDINGS) where, having parked the car, my usual Fiat Tipo, I boarded for the Cyclades. I arrive in Mykonos at night and stay overnight in a guesthouse.

The next morning, in a small boat to the little island of Delos with its important archaeological excavations recalling the Delian League (the foundations of houses, the mosaics, the statues of lions and the inevitable agora). Back to Mykonos, a tour of the island with my first contact with the characteristic Cycladic architecture: cube-shaped houses whitewashed in spotless white and windmills. It's interesting to wander through the narrow streets of the island's main town of the same name, with typical little tourist shops and restaurants at the port where excellent fish is served. The following day I leave by fast hydrofoil for Santorini, perhaps the most beautiful island in the Mediterranean, whose dazzling white houses are set sheer on the semicircle of an extinct volcano.

That's why here most of the ground, sand included, is lava, and the whiteness of the buildings contrasts greatly with the dark surface. The capital Thira is very touristy, and from there a flight of steps that can also be climbed on a mule leads down to the little port. Having rented a scooter I wandered around the island, from dazzling white Oia, whose streets are cut into the flat roofs of the houses, to the black beach of Kamari. The next day, from the new port of Athinios we took to the sea again on a large ship that brought us to Heraklion on the island of Crete. After an overnight stay in a hotel I rented a scooter and did a tour, the first stop the famous Knossos to visit the imposing excavations questionably reinterpreted by Evans. Then I headed south over mountains near the Gortyn excavations, visible from the road, and reached Phaistos to visit the archaeological site.

Then on the shores of the Mediterranean at Matala where a small beach, a sheer cliff with cave dwellings and a few little restaurants offering excellent fish at low prices are on display. Back along the same road to Heraklion and departure by ship for Rhodes. The crossing was long and boring and after stops at Fri (Kassos), Karpathos and Halki I reached Rhodes only on the evening of the following day. In Rhodes I visited the capital of the same name, full of memories of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre who resided here before being forced to move to Malta. The city is perfectly walled, with medieval palaces, Ottoman buildings, Christian churches, Turkish baths, buildings erected during the Fascist-Italian occupation and, at the mouth of the port, the spot where by tradition the mythical Colossus stood.

From here, having rented a scooter, I reached Lindos, a place of dazzling white houses, narrow streets climbing up a hill, enchanting beaches and Hellenic remains including a Temple. Back to Rhodes town and in the evening departure by ship for Piraeus. Back on the mainland I picked up the car at the car park of the port of Piraeus and, passing through Athens, reached the Orthodox monastery of Hosios Loukas and Delphi, the ancient city of the oracle with important remains at the foot of Mount Parnassus. The next day, in the surroundings of Kalambaka to see some of the most interesting Orthodox monasteries of Meteora perched on mountain spurs once inaccessible. From here, crossing mountains and passing through Ioannina I reached the port of Igoumenitsa from where I boarded for Brindisi.

Absolutely not to be missed: Olympia-excavations; Temple of Bassae; Mycenae-excavations; Cape Sounio-Temple; Athens-Syntagma Square with Parliament, Stadium of the first modern Olympics, Acropolis with Temple, porch of the Caryatids, Propylaea and amphitheatres; Mykonos; Delos-excavations; Santorini: Thira, Oia; Crete: Knossos-excavations; Rhodes; Lindos with Temple; Delphi; Meteora. For more information on Greece see ATHENS AND SURROUNDINGS and NORTHERN GREECE AND MOUNT ATHOS.