Treasures of Antiquity ~ Athens to Rome

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From $3,695 per person, plus port charges, based on double occupancy.
Airfare included from select gateway cities.
Operated by Alumni Holidays International (AHI).

Overview
Witness the vestiges of ancient and powerful civilizations as you cruise from Athens to the Eternal City of Rome aboard the MV Aegean Odyssey. Built to sail in the coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea, this boutique ship visit ports that are not available on seafaring itineraries of larger vessels. Visit beautiful and historic sites in the Greek Isles, Sicily and Malta. Included excursions allow you to discover the ports of call with an expert guide. You’ll also have ample free time in several ports to pursue your own interests. While cruising, attend a series of lectures delivered by world-class scholars and experts. Each discussion provides valuable insight into the history and culture of the places you will visit. Best of all, this exciting adventure includes two nights at a first-class hotel in Athens, your gateway to the legendary Acropolis and other ancient treasures. This program, which also includes free air travel from select gateway cities and gratuities for the ship crew, is an exceptional value!

Itinerary:

Day 1: In Transit from North America

• Air/Sea Program travelers will depart their gateway city for Athens, Greece.
• Meals — Appropriate In-Flight Meal Service

Day 2: Athens

• Arrive at Athens Eleftherios Venizelos Airport. After passing through immigration and customs, Air/Sea Program passengers will be met by an AHI Travel representative in the arrivals hall. Independent Air Program passengers who are able to join the group transfer and Cruise Program passengers who have purchased an AHI transfer should proceed to the group flight arrivals hall to meet the AHI representative.
• Transfer to the Athens Plaza Hotel. The hotel sits on Syntagma Square, an ideal location for exploring Athens. After checking in, your luggage will be delivered directly to your room. Your AHI Travel Director will be with you throughout your journey to handle all program logistics and will be available daily to assist with sightseeing arrangements, dinner reservations, shopping suggestions and any other assistance you may require.
• Join your fellow travelers for a festive Welcome Reception at the hotel this evening.
• Accommodations — Athens Plaza Hotel
• Meals — Appropriate in-flight meal service

Day 3: Athens

• Excursion: Iconic Athens.
  Venture to the powerfully beautiful Acropolis, crowned by the Parthenon, and the Acropolis Museum, the sleek new home for many of the site’s priceless artifacts.
• Independent Exploration: Enjoy the afternoon at your leisure in Athens.
• Accommodations — Athens Plaza Hotel
• Meals — Breakfast

Day 4: Athens/Sounion

• Independent Exploration: The morning is yours to spend as you wish.
• Excursion: The Saronic Gulf.
  A relaxing, scenic drive takes you from Athens along the breathtaking Saronic Gulf to view its seaside resorts and natural bays on the way to Sounion, where you will visit the Temple of Poseidon perched high above the gulf.
• Journey to Piraeus later in the afternoon and embark Aegean Odyssey. Settle into your cabin and acquaint yourself with the ship.
• Accommodations — MV Aegean Odyssey
• Meals — Breakfast and dinner

Day 5: Nauplia

• Excursion: Powerful Mycenae.
  Take a morning tour of ancient Mycenae and see the vestiges of the most powerful kingdom in Greece for 400 years. See Agamemnon’s palace and the chamber where it is believed the king was murdered.
• Independent Exploration: The remainder of the afternoon is yours to spend as you wish in Nauplia, one of Greece’s prettiest towns.
• Optional Excursion: Dramatic Epidaurus.
  Travel to nearby Epidaurus, where your guide will show you the best-preserved ancient Greek theater still standing today.*
• Accommodations — MV Aegean Odyssey
• Meals — Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 6: Monemvasia

• Excursion: Gibraltar of Greece.
  Explore this medieval town perched on a massive rock rising from the sea. Walk the lower town, with its stone houses and the 13th-century Cathedral of Christ in Chains.
• Independent Exploration: Monemvasia’s rustic passages and churches are timeless places to explore or photograph during a relaxing afternoon on your own.
• Optional Excursion: Wonder of the Morea.
  Explore Mystras, the dramatic mountainside ruins of a Byzantine fortified town that overlooks modern Sparta.*
• Accommodations — MV Aegean Odyssey
• Meals — Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 7: Heraklion, Crete

• Excursion: A Palace Among Olive Groves.
  Surrounded by rolling hills thick with olive groves, enjoy a guided morning tour of Knossos, the capital of Minoan Crete. British archeologist Sir Arthur Evans uncovered the ruins in 1900 and spent 35 years excavating and reconstructing sections of the palace, to dramatic result.
• Independent Exploration: Spend the afternoon at your leisure, perhaps exploring the streets of Heraklion before returning to the ship.
• Accommodations — MV Aegean Odyssey
• Meals — Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 8: Rethymnon, Crete

• Excursion: Seaside Beauty.
  Spend the morning exploring the beautifully preserved Venetian and Ottoman architecture in Rethymnon.
• Independent Exploration:Enjoy a free afternoon, with plenty of time to relax at a harbor cafe or visit a lovely Byzantine church.
• Optional Excursion: Chaniá.
  Travel by motorcoach to the charming town of Chaniá, one of Crete’s Venetian strongholds. Rejoin the ship to sail in the evening.*
• Accommodations — MV Aegean Odyssey
• Meals — Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 9: At Sea

• A chance to relax, perhaps dip into the pool or the ship’s 1,000-volume library full of books and maps on the ancient world.
• Accommodations — MV Aegean Odyssey
• Meals — Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 10: Syracuse, Sicily

• Excursion: Greatness and Tragedy.
  A formidable competitor of Athens, Rome and Carthage, ancient Syracuse was ruled for a time by the tyrant Dionysius I. Visit its theater, which was one of the great centers for Greek drama, while the Tomb of Archimedes, stands in tribute to the famous mathematician/physicist killed by a Roman soldier. The ultra-modern Archeological Museum houses one of the best collections of Greek, Roman and early Christian artifacts in southern Italy.
• Excursion: Built on Ancient Ruins.
  Visit the island of Ortygia, filled with ancient ruins, including the Temple of Apollo. Its Duomo rises from the site of the Temple of Minerva and incorporates 26 of its Doric columns.
• Accommodations — MV Aegean Odyssey
• Meals — Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 11: Valletta, Malta

• Excursion: Cosmopolitan and Historic.
  Cosmopolitan in feeling and history, Valletta is the de facto capital of the three-island Republic of Malta. Admire the city’s bastions, ravelins, and Baroque architecture and gardens, which prompted the ruling houses of 16th century Europe to nickname the city Superbissima – the “Most Proud.” Explore St. John’s Co-Cathedral, which contains Caravaggio’s masterpiece painting, The Beheading of St. John the Baptist before venturing to the Magisterial Palace of the Grandmaster. This current home of Malta’s House of Representatives and the president’s office is built around two courtyards.Continue to the aristocratic walled city of Mdina, which served as the republic’s political center for more than 3,000 years, before returning to the ship for an evening sail to western Sicily.
• Independent Exploration: Enjoy the afternoon at leisure in Valletta.
• Accommodations — MV Aegean Odyssey
• Meals — Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 12: Trapani/Segesta/Selinunte, Sicily

• Excursion: Magnificent Vestiges.
  Spend the afternoon discovering Segesta, home to a striking fifth-century B.C. Doric temple set starkly by itself in an open field. Nearby is a 3rd century B.C. Greek theater, carved from a mountain, and the marvelously jumbled ruins of Selinunte, hinting at the Greeks’ dedication to Apollo and Hera.
• Rejoin Aegean Odyssey in the afternoon.
• Accommodations — MV Aegean Odyssey
• Meals — Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 13: Palermo, Sicily

• Excursion: Classic Palermo.
  Arrive for a guided morning tour of Palermo’s old center, which includes the Piazza della Vittoria with the sumptuous Norman Royal Palace and the Palatine Chapel, containing some of the finest Byzantine mosaics outside of Istanbul. Visit the San Giovanni degli Eremiti, a romantic church with five red domes, and the Palermo Cathedral, famous for its mix of Greek, Roman, Norman, Arabic and Islamic influences.
• Independent Exploration: Enjoy a free afternoon before returning to Aegean Odyssey.
• Accommodations — MV Aegean Odyssey
• Meals — Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 14: Palermo

• Excursion: Monreale’s Magnificence.
  Delight in the beauty and grace of Monreale Cathedral, with its glorious 12th-century mosaics covering over 1 1/2 acres of wall space and its cloister, one of the most impressive in the world. Return to port for a lunchtime departure for Rome.
• This evening, join fellow travelers for a Farewell Reception.
• Accommodations — MV Aegean Odyssey
• Meals — Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 15: Rome, Italy/In Transit to North America

• The ship arrives in Rome’s port, Civitavecchia. Air/Sea Program passengers will depart for the airport and their return flights to North America.
• Meal—Breakfast and appropriate in-flight meal service

NOTE: Itinerary sequence and/or scheduled events may change. Some included sightseeing itineraries can be strenuous, therefore a reasonable level of fitness is recommended. Some passengers may decide to take a break on certain days and explore the environs around the port.

*Optional Excursions are offered at an additional cost.