This first time tour is led by Award winning Greek historian Irini Vallera-Rickerson and (“the real life Indiana Jones” as per London Times) Archaeologist Dr. Gary Stickel. Irini Vallera-Rickerson already gives private summer tours in Greece so this one, along with Dr. Gary Stickel will be their first of it’s kind.
This unique and intimate 10 day (non-profit) tour, guided by 2 passionate experts of Homer’s The Odyssey, is set for early June 2013 (dates TBA). This will encompassing key sites in Athens, and the Islands of Kefalonia, Ithaca, and Corfu as it relates to Homer’s home of the Odyssey. It is limited to only 14 people so that it is a more personal experience for each individual. The tour also supports joint research on Bronze Age archaeological research on the Island of Kefalonia.
Homer’s the Odyssey fictitious? The two earliest and most influential books of Western Civilization (aside from the Bible) are Homer’s the Iliad and the Odyssey. These two epics were considered fictitious and mythological until the unconventional archaeologist; Henrich Schliemann discovered the lost city of Troy, located in present day Turkey. His findings in the 1870’s not only constituted a great archaeological find, but also proved that Homer’s Iliad referred to an actual ancient city and therefore, Homer’s epic the Iliad, although embellished by the gods and supernatural events, nonetheless refers to actual places and human events such as the Trojan War.
The palace of Odysseus is Homer’s home of the Odyssey and it is the home of the most famous king who participated in the Trojan war. Archaeologists have been searching for this palace for 3000 years, but based on Dr. Gary Stickel’s intense knowledge of Homer’s writings and his expertise in archaeology, he like the British researcher Robert Bittlestone proposes two “hilltop locations” for the Palace.
The Tour: We begin the search for Homer’s home of the Odyssey in Athens where will visit the Acropolis and the New Acropolis Museum and the National Archeological Museum with its fabulous bronze age collections. In the evening we will enjoy a Greek dinner in a restaurant with a spectacular view of the illuminated Parthenon.
Our adventure continues with our air flight to the Island of Kefalonia which some scholars believe that this is the real legendary Ithaca Island where Homer places the Palace of Odysseus.
Kefalonia is one of the largest and most popular islands in Ionian Island, Greece. This island is known for its natural beauty of numerous astonishing turquoise beaches, charming villages, and was the shooting location of the film “Captain Corelliĺs Mandolin”.
In Kefalonia we will stay at the Villa Forestata with its spectacular 360 degrees view of the island. You will experience a truly Greek hospitality under the lively olive trees by the wonderful family who owns the property.
In Kefalonia we will view the various landmarks that Homer mentions in his Odyssey as claimed by a scholar. One of this is Phorcy’s Bay where Odysseus finally came home after 20 years at the Trojan War and on his Odyssey voyage home. The bay where there is a “cave of the nymphs,” and where, according to Greek mythology, Zeus mated with Arethusa and produced the giant one-eyed Cyclops monster that attacked Odysseus en route home.
You will go to the beautiful Saint George Castle and have a wonderful lunch with a commanding view of the gorgeous coastline, visit beautiful ancient Roman mosaics, sail in a magical cavern on an underground lake, and hear Homer’s haunting words sung in ancient Greek by our scholars’ colleague in an ancient Bronze Age tomb called a Tholos. We will also guide you in an exploration of Melissani Lake and the Drogarati Caves and how those locations relate to Home’s Odyssey.
As if that’s not enough, you will take a day trip to the modern Island of Ithaca where a Greek archaeologist thinks he may have found the palace. But has he? You will decide. After our 6 day stay on Kefalonia we will depart for our final adventure to the Island of Corfu which scholars believe that is the ancient Scheria Island of the Odyssey where King Alkinoos welcomed Odysseus and send him home on a ship that dropped him home at Phorcy’s Bay , the bay that we previously visited in Kefalonia.
The enchanting island of Corfu, where the famous British writer Lawrence Durrell thinks is the island that inspired Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest.”
On Corfu, we will visit the palace built by the Empress of Austria called “The Achilleion” named after the greatest hero of the Greeks in the Trojan War, Achilles. The empress loved Homer and his two epic poems, so her palace is adorned with beautiful murals, in the style of David of France, of dramatic scenes from the Iliad and the Odyssey.. Also she had constructed a portico of the Muses complete with life-sized marble statues of all nine muses.
So come with us to Greece and commune with the goddesses of creative inspiration on this fabulous tour to Homer’s Home of the Odyssey!
Homer
