Ancient Santorini & Crete

DAY 2 / INTRODUCTION TO THE AEGEAN CIVILIZATION I

Tutor: Papadatos (Dr)

We start our day with a short drive to the excavation site at Akrotiri where archaeologists painstakingly unearth to this day one of the best-preserved settlements dating as far back as 4,500 BCE. Comprised of multi-storey buildings preserved under volcanic ash, Akrotiri is Greece’s very own Pompeii, although its inhabitants were fortunate enough to safely evacuate before it got entirely submerged in volcanic ash.On our way back we will have the privilege to stroll around the narrows alleys of Emporio, Santorini's very own Medieval castle and one of the most beautiful and well-preserved of the Cycladic islands, all the while discussing life on the island under Venetian occupation.

Lunch will follow at yet another unique spot, one of the island’s best vineyards. Appropriate local mezzes shall accompany the wide variety of wines available to your sampling.

The hours between your afternoon wine-tasting experience and dinner overlooking Oia’s sunset, shall be spent in the company of our expert NKUA professor letting you in all the details about the Prehistoric maritime ways of life in the Aegean.

 

 Breakfast     Lunch     Dinner

---

DAY 3 / INTRODUCTION TO THE AEGEAN CIVILIZATION II

Tutor: Papadatos (Dr)

First visit of the day is at the Museum of Prehistoric Thera, where you will be guided through the culture and artwork of Prehistoric Akrotiri. The vast collection of artifacts, evident to the island’s early sea domination and subsequent natural disasters that tormented it through the ages. Your accompanying NKUA professor shall introduce you to the early settlement of Thira and the events that followed.

Lunch will be served by the sea, giving you plenty of time to enjoy a swim in the Aegean Sea, should you desire so. Santorini’s unique geology offers numerous colorful beaches, ranging from golden sandy beaches to volcanic red and black rocky beaches.

Dinner will be enjoyed in the island’s capital, Fira, with its many little shops and narrow streets. Instagramers shall appreciate its hidden spots overlooking the caldera for perhaps some of the most memorable pictures they will ever take!

 

 Breakfast     Lunch     Dinner

---

DAY 4 / THE VOLCANO

Tutor: Papadatos (Dr)

There are 7 seas in the world and 372 thousand miles of coastline. There is only one volcano, though, you can swim in! Today, we will take a private cruise to the volcano and a little inhospitable and uninhabited island in the caldera created by its eruption. Pictures are guaranteed to be out-of-this-world, much like the experience of swimming in the warm volcanic waters in the open sea on the way to another small island also created by the eruption.

After our hour-long stop off-shore, we will proceed to the picturesque Thirasia Island, where we will be riding donkeys up the hill to a local fish tavern waiting for us to take our lunch. Our accompanying professor shall be explaining the history of all three islands, their creation and importance through the ages.

We saved the best for last as you will have the chance to immerse yourself in the famous Santorini sunset aboard our private boat! Rest assured that nothing is more romantic than watching the sun set in the open Aegean Sea!

 

 Breakfast     Lunch     Dinner

---

DAY 5 / INTRODUCTION TO THE AEGEAN CIVILIZATION III

Tutor: Papadatos (Dr)

Our day starts with a drive to the magnificent archaeological site of Ancient Thera that offers a birds-eye view of the entire island and the bluest of blue seas, the Aegean. We will visit the theatre and the agora, as well as various sanctuaries, public buildings, private houses and tombs of a thriving community that settled the island from 900 BC until 300 AD. As the long history of this ancient settlement unfolds before our eyes through the great events and complex historical phenomena that took place on the island, we will acquire a deeper understanding of the reasons why Santorini spent centuries under the political control of ancient Athens, Sparta, Ptolemaic Egypt and eventually the Roman Empire.

Whether it is the fresh air or your accompanying professor’s explanation of Santorini’s gastronomy that has opened your appetite, it will be handsomely satisfied during your private culinary tour of the island’s unique Mediterranean tradition.

Early in the evening, we will board the ferry for a 2.5-hour trip to Heraklion in Crete, home to another great civilization that superseded that of Santorini.

Dinner will be enjoyed in one of Heraklion’s prettiest spots, its Venetian harbor.

 

 Breakfast     Lunch     Dinner

---

DAY 6 / KING MINOS

Tutor: Vavouranakis (Dr)

We start our day by visiting the so-called “Palace of Minos” at Knossos where you shall be given the opportunity to admire its sophisticated architecture with multiple stories, colonnaded halls and elaborate frescos almost 4,000-years-old. Your accompanying NKUA professor shall explain all about the Prehistory of Minoan Crete, which comprises the first example of outstanding cultural and social sophistication on European grounds millennia before classical Greece while you explore the halls of the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion.

Your lunch shall include local delicacies and the Cretans favorite drink, the raki! Don’t overdo it though because our next stop will be the Historical Museum of Crete where you shall immerse yourself in the island’s rich history and the diverse cultures that shaped it over four millennia.

Our dinner tonight will be just as adventurous at a venue favored by locals.

 

 Breakfast     Lunch     Dinner

---

DAY 7 / LINEAR A & THE MINOTAUR

Tutor: Vavouranakis (Dr)

Our day starts with a short road trip to the second most important Minoan palace, Festos, where its famous undeciphered disc was excavated. Your accompanying NKUA professor shall let you in the secret details of the venue and the importance of the Festos disc.

Lunch will be taken in the vicinity of yet another important archaeological site, Gortyna. You may not know it, but Gortyna was the capital of Crete in Roman times. It features the oldest known inscription with an ancient Greek law code. You will have the opportunity to learn about the myth and reality of the relation between Gortyn and Minotaur’s infamous labyrinth where the world’s first aviators escaped from according to Greek mythology.

Feel free to share your thoughts with your accompanying professor and fellow travelers on your way back to Heraklion where dinner shall be served at a hidden gem favored by locals.

 

 Breakfast     Lunch     Dinner

---

DAY 8 / NORTHERN MINOAN SETTLEMENTS

Tutor: Vavouranakis (Dr)

First stop of the day is at the town of Malia on the northern coast of Crete, home to a most interesting Minoan palace, surrounded by well-preserved parts of the Prehistoric town, including craft working areas and public ritual installations of the 2^nd millennium BC. Malia is frequently related to the legendary Sarpedon, King Minos’ brother, son of Zeus and Europa.

Our next stop will be at Hersonissos, a popular tourist destination where you shall have lunch by the sea and hear all about the Minoan settlements of the area from your accompanying professor. You shall also be allowed plenty of time to dive in the blue waters, should you desire to.

Dinner shall be taken in Heraklion upon your return early in the evening.

 

 Breakfast     Lunch     Dinner

---

DAY 9 / EASTERN MINOAN SETTLEMENTS

Tutor: Vavouranakis (Dr)

Zakros is home not only to the infamous Death’s Gorge, but also to the fourth largest Minoan palace and the only one with its treasury not looted through the ages, thus offering several masterpieces for visitors to appreciate. You shall learn all about its history and importance during your day-long road-trip to the eastern end of the island where you shall also be treated to local delicacies at lunch.

Dinner shall be served at Heraklion upon your return in the evening a farewell surprise end to a most unforgettable Greek experience.

 

 Breakfast     Lunch     Dinner

---

DAY 10 / DEPARTURE

All good things must come to an end. After 9 days of cultural and perhaps personal exploration in two of Greece’s culturally and aesthetically richest destinations, it is time to part our ways until the next time we meet again!

Whether it was the sunset at Oia or Cretan mythology and hospitality that impressed you the most, your heart and mind will undoubtedly have been filled with new knowledge, stories, images, thoughts, sounds and flavors, and the abundant Greek kallos!

 

 Breakfast