DAY    3            ATHENS (BIRTHPLACE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION)
Our morning commences with a visit to the Acropolis, which has dominated the skyline of Athens for over 2,000 years. A citadel was built on the rock in Mycenaean times, and was the first of a series of temples that honored Athena, the city’s divine patroness.  In 480 BC the Persians captured the Acropolis, and the Athenian leader Pericles rebuilt the site according to his plan of unsurpassed beauty and grandeur.  During our tour of the Acropolis, we will view: the Propylaia, the monumental entrance to the complex; the Temple of Athena Nike; the Parthenon, the temple to Athena which crowns the Acropolis; the Erectheion, dedicated to Poseidon and Athena; and the Theater of Herodes Atticus, originally built in AD 161.  Our time on the Acropolis concludes with a visit to the Acropolis Museum, featuring a superb collection of treasures excavated from the area.

DAY    4            DAY TRIP TO MYCENAE & CORINTH
We will make an early start, as we travel to Mycenae, a fortified Palace Complex uncovered by archaeologist Heinrich Schielmann in 1874.  The complex is one of the earliest examples of sophisticated citadel architecture, and only the ruling class would have inhabited the hilltop palace.  Highlights of our visit will include:  the 13 century BC Lion Gate; Grave Circle A, with six royal family shaft graves; the Royal Palace situated at the acropolis summit; and the Secret Stairway, a flight of 99 steps dropping to a cistern deep beneath the citadel.   We continue outside the palace complex, where will visit the Treasury of Atreus, the most outstanding of the tholos tombs.  Dating from the 14^th century BC, it is one of only two double-chambered tombs in Greece.  We continue to Corinth, one of the largest and most prosperous cities in ancient Greece and the site of an important Roman colony.  The ruins of the ancient city rare spread out for miles, but we will focus on the site known as the Acrocorinth, beyond the main city.   We will explore the remains of the huge rock fortress, which could withstand lengthy sieges due to the presence of the upper Peirene spring on the southeast side of the ramparts. In addition to the fascinating remains of the Acrocorinth, we will also be afforded one of the most sweeping views in all of Greece.  Our panoramic views stretch over 35 miles in all directions, from the Geraneia range in the northeast to the peaks of the Ziria in the southwest.

OR

DAY    4            DAY TRIP TO MYCENAE & CORINTH

Today we make an early start and travel north to explore Ancient Delphi, which to the Greeks was one of the most sacred spots in their world.  Its setting is dramatic, a natural amphitheater that faces the sea and lies under the shadow of Mt. Parnassus.  At the center of Delphi stands the Sanctuary of Apollo, for many centuries antiquity’s largest center of pilgrimage. Our exploration of ancient Delphi will include: a walk up the Sacred Way, which winds up the hill to the Temple; the treasury buildings of the various ancient city-states; and the spectacular ruins of the Doric Temple of Apollo, the home of the Pythia, the oracle who would deliver the prophecies of the gods.  After exploring the sacred site, we will visit the Delphi Museum, with a collection of sculptures and architectural remains of an importance second only to those of the Athenian Acropolis.  This afternoon we return to Athens.

DAY    5            ATHENS (TREASURES OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS)
Our morning commences with a visit to the Ancient Agora, or marketplace, which formed the political heart of Athens from 600 BC.  Socrates was indicted and executed here in 399 BC.  The theater, schools and stoas filled with shops also made this the center of social and commercial life.  We will explore the vast remains of the ancient complex, which have been excavated since the 1930s, including Hephaisteion, the best-preserved Temple, and the Stoa of Attalos, a reconstructed, colonnaded building, which houses a small museum with the finds from the Agora. .  Our afternoon concludes with a visit to the nearby Museum of Greek Popular Musical Instruments, which houses an impressive collection of over 1,200 musical instruments.  Instruments from all over Greece are displayed, and the museum traces the history and development of different styles of Greek and island music, all the way to the arrival of rempetika (Greek Blues).

DAY    6            HALF DAY TRIP TO ELEUSIS - FLIGHT TO ROME (4 NIGHTS)
This morning we will travel out of Athens for a visit to Ancient Eleusis, which was a center for religious devotion that culminated in the Annual Eleusian Mysteries.  Existing from the Mycenaean period, thousands of people from around the world would come to be initiated.  Our visit to the ancient sight will be highlighted by: the remains of the Greater Propylaia, built by the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius; the Ploutonion, the sanctuary of Hades; the Lesser Propylaia; the Telesterion, a 5th century temple; and the Anaktoron, the holiest portion of the sight. Our visit will also include a visit to the small Museum with artifacts from the ancient sight.  This afternoon we will take a flight from Athens to Rome, “The Eternal City.”.

DAY    7            ROME (THE CITY OF THE CAESARS)
Today we will explore Rome’s most spectacular remains from the powerful Roman Empire, commencing with a specialist guided tour of the Colosseum, considered the symbol of Rome's eternity.  Completed under Titus in 80 AD, over 55,000 spectators could watch the gladiatorial games.  We continue with a walk through the ruins and excavations of the Roman Forum, featuring the remains of magnificent temples, basilicas and triumphal arches, which once formed the heart of the Empire.  Our tour concludes with a brief visit to the Mamertine Prison, once reserved for those that posed a threat to the security of Rome, before viewing Trajan’s Column and Markets and the grandiose Vittorio Emmanuelle Monument.  Our afternoon commences in the Piazza Navona, built on the foundations of Domitian's Circus.  This magnificent square, designed in the 17th century by Bernini, is full of life and is highlighted by one of Rome’s most spectacular fountains, the fountain of the Four Rivers.  Our afternoon concludes with a visit to the Pantheon, one of the grandest and the best-preserved Roman monuments, which today houses the tombs of Raphael, Vittorio Emmanuelle II, and Queen Margherita.

DAY    8            DAY TRIP TO POMPEII
We will make an early start as we journey south to Campania, where we will visit one of the most spectacular sights in the world, the remains and excavations of Pompeii.  This once thriving Roman city was completely buried during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD, and today provides archaeologists and visitors with a fascinating look at life in a Roman merchant city.  We will have a local specialist guide take us through the excavations within the city walls, including the Basilica, Forum, Baths, Theater and Amphitheater.  We return to Rome for the evening.

DAY    9            ROME (THE CITY OF THE POPES)
Today we will explore the Vatican, the world’s smallest independent nation, and the center of the Catholic world.  Our day begins with a specialist-guided tour of the Vatican Museums, which house one of the most impressive collections of art in the world.  Our tour will include the map rooms, the tapestry rooms, and the magnificent Raphael Rooms, as well as the spectacular Sistine Chapel, highlighted by Michelangelo’s ceiling and his Last Judgment.  We continue with a visit to St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the western world and the most important point of pilgrimage for many Catholics.  Highlights of our visit will include: The Pieta by Michelangelo, the tomb of St. Peter and Bernini’s magnificent Baldacchino.  After time to explore St. Peter’s Square, we will have the remainder of the afternoon free to explore Rome at our leisure.  On our final evening in Rome, we will walk to the Spanish Steps, the stairway of the Church of Trinita dei Monti, and “The Sitting Room” of the city.  Our evening concludes at the spectacular Trevi Fountain, where it is traditional to toss a coin into the fountain to ensure a return to the Eternal City.

DAY    10            DEPARTURE FROM ROME
Our enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as our tour manager/guide accompanies us to the airport for the return flight home