The ancient city of Mycenae is 23.4 kilometers- and a twenty-three-minute drive from Nafplion. Mycenae culture was dominant from the 15th to the 12th centuries BC and played a leading role in the development of the culture of classical Greece. In Homer’s rendering of the…
Corinth is an hour's drive from Athens. Once one reaches the outskirts of Athens' city center, the road to Corinth is smooth sailing. Our first stop was the Corinth Canal. Work began on the four-mile-long narrow canal (only seventy feet wide) in 1882 and was…
Many years ago, Albufeira, on the Algarve coast, had become a trendy destination that retained all the charm of a traditional Portuguese fishing village. Today, it’s overrun by a tsunami of tourists and foreigners, who make it their permanent or second home for the summer…
Evora, the capital of the Alentejo region of Portugal, sits on relatively flat ground surrounded by medieval walls that have survived virtually untouched throughout the ages. On a sunny spring Sunday, its blinding-white buildings sparkled in the sunshine. Their pristine whiteness accentuates a contrast with…
Estremoz, also known as The White City, is renowned for its magnificent marble in shades of pink, oatmeal, grey, black, and pure white. Sidewalks, steps, fountains, churches, and public buildings are adorned with marble from nearby quarries. In all of Europe, Estremoz marble is second…
Like most Medieval towns, Monsanto sits on a hilltop, presiding over a landscape of cultivated fields and valleys carpeted in wildflowers, vineyards, and villages. What makes Monsanto unique is that the village is built into massive granite boulders. Blending nature with man-made structures, the boulders…
