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Alithea Travel Alithea creates immersive travel experiences with thoughtful attention to the particular beauty of person and place.

We provide small group trips for the thoughtful traveler seeking to enjoy the wonders of history, nature, and culture.

29/02/2024

It’s approximately the year 1550, BC, the ground shakes violently, buildings threaten to collapse, the sky grows dark and fills with smoke and ash, huge waves knock the boats against the shore in tumultuous sea. A frightened neighbor appears at the doorway and hurriedly explains that everyone is leaving, and says to pack your most precious belongings because the gods are about to destroy your home.

It’s easy to imagine a panicked scene such as this occurring three thousand six hundred years ago on the island we all know as among the most beautiful in Greece, Santorini. Famous for the now gorgeous caldera, or the ancient volcanic crater, it is less well known as the site of a bronze aged civilization burried under the volcanic ash, something like a Greek version of Pompeii, in the middle of the Aegean sea.

There is always guess work in unraveling the events that happened thousands of years ago but one of the remarkable characteristics of Akrotiri is the fact that no bodies were found and beds were found outside of homes, seeming to indicate that the residents had both enough time to flee and to return to claim precious items before their town was ultimately buried.

There are many remarkable characteristics of this Cycladic civilization, including the indoor plumbing, toilets, and the remarkably beautiful frescoes of swallows, spring flowers, young women, and a fresco of the town itself.

These seem to have been island traders and fishermen, and as both the appreciation of and leisure for art suggests, keen admirers of nature, beauty, and the enjoyment of life.

27/02/2024

The south western side of Samos is sparsely populated and little traveled. It’s always been hard to get here and that’s actually helped to preserve the local tradition and culture of the place.

Agio Isidorou is one such nearly forgotten village. Located at the end of a seven-kilometer dirt road, this little town was once reachable only by boat or by foot. Surrounded by steep hills and protected by a natural harbor, it once boasted a thriving boat building industry.

Now, one of the island’s, (and Greece’s) last remaining traditional boat makers continues to work here. He learned from his uncle, who learned from his father, and so on, probably dating back to the earliest traditions of boat making in Greece, more or less back until the time of Homer.

Places like this are increasingly rare, along with the disappearance of culture and languages, it just takes a break in one generation for the continuity of thousands of years to vanish.

By the same token, it takes just one boat maker to keep thousands of years of knowledge alive.

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24/02/2024

Held up by 336 marble columns, this majestic underground chamber was designed to supply water to Roman and later Ottoman palaces. Can you imagine a modern waterworks designed with such beauty?

The mainly Ionic and Corinthian order columns were recycled from other structures and used as supports in the cistern. With a capacity for 2,800,000 cu ft of water, its beauty and grandeur are matched only by its functionality.

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21/02/2024

There are many things to see in Paris. In the Louvre alone, evidently, if you looked at each object for just one minute and spend every open hour and day in the museum, it would take over year to see it all.

But the point of travel is never to see it all. It is just to see those things that may have captured our hearts and imaginations as children, those places and monuments that will wake us to a door, hidden within us, the key to which is the thing we travel to behold.

Nike, or ‘Winged Victory’ as she is called, is one such piece. She stands at the top of the stairs at the end of a long gallery of sculpture and as one walks towards her, she seems ready to take flight. The surrounding noise seems to quiet, the folds of her dress are pressed against her body by the wind, accentuating her femininity and divinity.

She is standing at the prow of a stone ship, one can almost feel the cresting waves pushing her higher, with wings outstretched. She is remarkable not only as a work of sculpture but as the image of an idea.

In a society such as our own, where the nobility of ideas, the dignity of the divine and human, can sometimes be overlooked, the Winged Victory reminds us what it is to let ideas take flight.

19/02/2024

As these first two photos suggest, walking through the old town of Naxos is like walking through a door into the past. On one side of the door is a beautiful, white-washed town overlooking the Aegean sea, with fabulous restaurants, and on the other side are the stories of pirates, raiders, Venetians, and ancient Greek gods and heroes.

There are lifetimes of stories between these walls. It was here, according to myth, that Theseus left Ariadne after defeating the minotaur. According to some, the god Dionysius was born here. From the gate of Apollo to the medieval fortress, it is a place where the past is interwoven with daily life.

The history of Naxos pre-dates that of Athens. It’s impossible to walk along the shore of Grotta beach without walking over countless ceramics pieces made smooth by centuries of pounding surf.

15/02/2024

For a thousand years Delos was the most sacred island in Greece. It is the legendary birthplace of Apollo, the god of the sun, knowledge, and inspirer of the arts.

That his birthplace was among the most sacred sites in ancient Greece indicates the Greek reverence for knowledge and love of the arts.

In the fifth and sixth centuries BC, Delos held such an important role in the commerce of Greece that all dead bodies were removed, both purifying the island and promoting the island’s neutrality by removing the claim that any family or Greek city state might have inheritance through lineage on the island. Likewise, from this time forward, no woman was allowed to give birth.

A visit here today reveals a complex city of cisterns, temples, a theater, agora, and what was once the center of trade in the Aegean.

08/02/2024

“Traveling light is not just about how much luggage you carry, but a certain approach to travel, to leaving expectations and the business of life at home, in order to be present and experience the gifts of a place.

To enjoy the Greek Islands, all one really needs is a love of swimming, sun, wind, and sea. That said, I love shopping in little local markets like this one in Naxos. I always bring an extra duffle bag that I fill up with local treats to share with family and friends when I come home. This year, after shopping at this market store in Naxos where everything is locally produced, I returned home with ten liters of olive oil and at least ten kilos of olives, feta, arseniko cheese, honey, jams, teas, and sweets.

I love bringing home this type of souvenir and I make an exception to my traveling light philosophy, especially for foods that can only be found in certain places. I recently shared some Naxian honey with friends and they commented that it was ‘the best honey they had ever had, in their entire lives.’ “

I still think it’s a good idea to pack light. And among the many advantages is returning home with a heart full of memories and, just perhaps, a suitcase full of local foods.”

—

07/02/2024

Marcus Aurelius is famous as the last wise emporer. He was a kind of ‘philosopher king’. He spent most of his reign containing wars at the confines of the empire while writing his own meditations on the stoic meaning of life.

The next time you visit Italy, consider picking up a copy of his ‘Meditations’ in preparation for your journey.

06/02/2024

A remote barbecue by the sea shared with friends as the sun goes down… paradise to some, to others, another beautiful day in Greece.

05/02/2024

After a morning hike where we gathered wild herbs and learnt about their therapeutic properties, we set off from Chalki, one of Naxos’ inland towns to cook our lunch with a local goat shepherd living in the hills.
In typical Greek fashion, after making our way up the steepest and slightly too-narrow-for-comfort driveway, we were greeted and welcomed into his home where his mother (who had taken up the roll of head chef since his wife was nine months pregnant) seated us around their dining room table and offered of spoon sweets. These are one of the treats of Greek hospitality, candied oranges, lemons, and local citrus; they are one of the many Greek expressions of ‘philoxenia’, a word we don’t have in English but one that means ‘love of strangers.’ A practice that dates back to the most ancient of times when travelers passing over land and sea depended on the kindness and gifts of strangers.
After resting from our hike, the goat shepherd’s mother called us back to our feet and instructed us in Greek, with a young woman in attendance to translate for us, on how to make Γεμιστά ‘yemista’ which just means ‘filled with’ or Greek stuffed tomatoes. Beginning with hollowing out our tomatoes, saving all the juices, and finely dicing to rice sized pieces all our summer vegetables we spent the next half hour following this family’s unique recipe and snacking on the mulberries hanging overhead before cooking our Γεμιστά in the wood fired stone oven.
While our food cooked I reflected that this little farmer, aside from inviting us into the stone home that his grandfather had built, was not just giving us a lesson on how to fill our bellies but a way of life. He showed his cheeses drying in a little room just a few feet from the stone oven, and not long later we were sitting under the trees as it almost started to rain, enjoying wine, food, good company, and philoxenia.

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01/02/2024

The next time you visit Venice consider an afternoon trip to Murano and a workshop with a master glass blower at the glass cathedral. It’s one thing to see beautiful art, and it’s another thing to observe the poetry and process of seeing it made. Photo: .j.schmidt_crafts .zampiron

06/12/2023

The Etruscan necropolis at Cerveteri provides a glimpse into a civilization’s understanding of death, and life. These tombs were not only places of burial, but of life. Friends and family would venture underground to share food and wine with loved ones, to share stories, sorrows and joys, and to celebrate a feast between the living and the dead.

I sometimes often wonder how we will be remembered? What traces of beauty will show those we have loved?

Listen to the cicadas and bells friends, one day they shall sing for you too…

23/11/2023

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

A reflection thanksgiving while traveling…

https://www.alitheatravel.com/blogs/a-travelers-thanksgiving

15/07/2023

Is there a better way to celebrate summertime than boating around the Amalfi coast and discovering the island of Capri?

Italians have been luxuriating here by the sea since ancient times. The Emperor Tiberius had FIVE palaces on the island almost two thousand years ago.

29/05/2023

The quiet village of Burano is like the more modest, younger sibling of Venice. An easy Vaporetto ride from the Queen of the Adriatic, this colorful fishing village is said to have painted its houses brightly so that fishermen could see them on their way home.

Today, a visit here is a lovely way of spending the afternoon away from the cruise-ship visitors that can dominate La Serenissima, the most serene.

Tell us your favorite Italian city in the comments!

22/05/2023

Climbing the dome of Brunelleschi is a wonderful experience. Though the staircase follows the space between the inside and outside walls and it's not for those who suffer from claustrophobia. The effect, when emerging from within the walls and glancing up a the scene of the Last Judgement by Vasari is dazzling.

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The Etruscan necropolis at Cerveteri provides a glimpse into a civilization’s understanding of death, and life. These tombs were not only places of burial, but of life. Friends and family would venture underground to share food and wine with loved ones, to share stories, sorrows and joys, and to celebrate a feast between the living and the dead. I sometimes often wonder how we will be remembered? What traces of beauty will show those we have loved? Listen to the cicadas and bells friends, one day they shall sing for you too…

Is there a better way to celebrate summertime than boating around the Amalfi coast and discovering the island of Capri? Italians have been luxuriating here by the sea since ancient times. The Emperor Tiberius had FIVE palaces on the island almost two thousand years ago. #Ladolcevita #alitheatravel #travelblogger #italytravel

Top 5 places yo visit in ISTANBUL 1. Hagia Sophia 2. Galata Tower 3. Balat 4. Grand Bazaar 5. Basilica Cistern. #travelblogger #turkeyistanbul #istanbul

Turkey 2023 🇹🇷

Join us on our Trip of a Lifetime with Hope Blooms leaders as we travel through Italy and Paris over the next two weeks.

The Parthenon of Athens: an image of humanity

Travel is always a lens to discover ourselves and a mirror to reveal the aspirations we strive towards.

Sapienza, Wisdom and the University of Rome

One of the marvelous things about Rome is that there is always more to discover. It’s like a five-dimensional city where one can travel through both space and time, discovering the ancient and the new at virtually every step. Rome is not a museum either. It’s a truly living city, bustling with life. But it's also impossible to walk downtown without being invited into conversations by the great artists of the past. Sometimes all that’s needed is to turn the corner and look up. This is exactly the experience the great architect Borromini intended for the cupola of the church dedicated to Sapienza, or Wisdom, at the palace of the University of Rome. The effect of his dome is meant to greet us almost by surprise. We look up, in much the same way wisdom meets us, quietly beautiful and gently leading us to the dignity of higher perspectives.

A Live Tour of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul with Mert Taner

Curious about early Christianity and Constantinople? Have you always wanted to visit the Hagia Sophia, the church of Holy Wisdom? Join us on a journey of the imagination as Mert Taner leads us through a virtual tour in the historic heart of Istanbul.

I visited the Gardens of Ninfa almost exactly a year ago today, just as Italy was emerging from their first lockdown. I was reminded of the countless plagues and difficulties Europe has endured, and yet how that past can become something truly magical. Ninfa is an incredible example of this, where the ruins of a Medieval town have been transformed into what is perhaps Italy's most beautiful garden. Some of the difficulties of the past year offer us exactly this opportunity as they invite us to rediscover ourselves through new places of beauty. #wherewillyougo #nofilter #explore #italia #bellaitalia #dolcevita #travel #wanderlust #rediscover #ninfa #livinghistory

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