STUDYING ancient history is usually a deskbound activity but for those with an interest in the subject and an itch to travel what is needed are first-hand experiences. If a degree of style – and, dare I say, luxury – can be added to such experiences then history earns a place on my curriculum. A trip to Naples, to see cities that were buried under volcanic ash for millennia, and then across the Ionian Sea for the two most celebrated oracles of the ancient world, makes this both comfortably achievable and richly pleasurable.
Naples is the real Italian deal – revving Vespas, birthplace of espresso, pizzas and pasta, addictive ice creams – and the tatterdemalion townscape is straight out of a classic Vittorio De Sica movie (no surprise, then, to learn he grew up here): narrow streets, laundry-decked balconies, graffiti. Being on the streets is an experience in itself but you need a retreat of quality to recharge your body’s batteries and the charmingly named Romeo Hotel fulfils such a need.
Views of Mt Vesuvius from Il Comandante in the Romeo Hotel
Romeo is a design-conscious hotel on the less-than-attractive waterfront but with views across to Mount Vesuvius and Capri. The hotel lobby is a treat, mixing the retro with the modern (you’ll be surprised when operating the elevators), and at night in Il Commandante restaurant on the 10th floor there are splendid views of the bay and fabulous food. Having first negotiated a water menu featuring over a dozen different bottles, including a rather pricey one from Fiji, it is time to have your bouche highly amused by six little dishes: a tiny pepper-flavoured doughnut and Canadian daikon with miso being two of the tastiest. One of the signature dishes – pancake divided into five sections by different spices sprinkled over them – reaches a new level of sophistication with the humble ingredients of egg and flour.
Another Michelin star restaurant in Naples, Palazzo Petrucci, is even closer to the sea – with waves lapping on the beach at Posillipo a few metres from the window tables. The décor is rigorously unadorned, with plain grey walls made from blocks of tufa stone, focusing attention on the purity of the food and the stupendous wine list with its generous listing of Campanian wines. Come here to enjoy a fine Falanghina, cultivated on the coast a little to the north, so popular with Neapolitans enjoying seafood.
Visiting Pompeii is not recommended in summer months – coach parties and groups colonize the ancient city with over 5,000 visitors a day – but in May or October it is a more civilized affair. City Wonders has an attractive, all-in-one package that collects you in Naples for a two-hour tour of Pompeii, lunch and wine tasting followed by a visit to Mt. Vesuvius and an ascent to the crater.
Herculaneum, a smaller city buried by the same eruption from Mt. Vesuvius in CE 79 and not found until the 16th century, offers a less commercialized trip into the ancient past. With GetYourGuide, a booking platform handling a range of tours in and around Naples, a two-hour private tour of Hercunaleum with an archaeologist proved authentic and memorable.
The courtyard of Palazzo Caracciolo Napoli – MGallery by Sofitel in Naples
Back in Naples, two other experiences await the cultural traveller. The elegant and centrally located Palazzo Caracciolo Napoli – MGallery by Sofitel is a converted palace and a thoroughly modern hotel when it needs to be – a 24-hour gym and above-average spa – blending plushness with period decor. The 15th-century courtyard is an atmospheric and urbane space for an aperitivo before stepping out through the huge wooden doors onto Via Carbonara, a typically frenzied street in this frantic city.
To experience a bona fide family restaurant, head for Umberto where Neapolitans enjoy their favourite pizzas in a cosy setting with funky art on the walls. Umberto first opened its doors in 1916 and delicious scarpariello dishes have been made here ever since.
Makedonia Palace views from the sea-facing bedroom
From Naples, a direct flight lands you in Thessaloniki in northern Greece in around 90 minutes for the start of a road trip into ancient Greek history. On Thessaloniki’s seafront stands the Makedonia Palace Hotel with spacious bedrooms, a pool and superb breakfasts; on the beach outside, tandem bicycles can be hired for fun rides along the seafront. Downtown, Daios Bar & Restaurant has pavement tables facing the sea and a Mediterranean menu while at the eastern end of town Avenue 48 at the Met Hotel is a smart place for eating indoors or out. The Met hotel is an arty place: check the Andreas Gursky print, the Dervish installation and – to set the mood for what is to follow – Ralph Baiker’s bizarre photograph of a Greek temple.
Mount Olympus
On a drive to the ancient Greek oracle at Dodona, a stopover on the slopes of Mount Olympus, home to Zeus and his fellow gods, makes an appealing prospect when you can stay at the charming Ktima Bellou. The twelve rooms, on the western slopes of Mount Olympus, are part of a 12-acre organic farm and what you eat in the restaurant is either home-grown or sourced locally. This, plus a small pool, rural quietness and helpful staff who can set you off on local walks help, all make Ktima Bellou a rather special place to know about.
Entering Ktima Bellou on the western slopes of Mt Olympus
Ioannina, where the glamorous Epirus Palace Hotel is a comfortable place to stay, is twenty minutes away from the oracle at Dodona. The ancient Greeks, revering the site as the oldest of their oracles, listened to prophecies from Zeus as interpreted by priestesses listening to the rustling of leaves on a sacred oak tree. Dodona was buried from sight for millennia but when excavated in the twentieth century an archaeologist planted a new oak tree. The setting, in a quiet valley with magnificent views of surrounding mountains, retains the air of mystery and spirituality that the Greeks invested in what for them was an extremely remote location. The theatre they built here is one of the best preserved from the ancient world.
The oracle at Delphi was even more important than Dodona in ancient Greece and the location –situated above a gorge with the towering crags of Mount Parnassos in the background – is unforgettably dramatic. As with Dodona, it was the task of priestesses to deliver the prophecies, though this time from the god Apollo, spoken in a trance-like state. There is much to see: the Sacred Way and its memorials, the Treasury of the Athenians, the remarkable undamaged, Polygonal Wall, the Temple to Apollo, a theatre and a stadium. Time must also be found for the museum where invaluable and exquisite sculptures and other finds from the site are exhibited.
Home-made breakfasts at Ganimede in Galaxidi
The modern town of Delphi might seem a convenient place to stay but it is very touristy and feels crowded. Far more appealing is the fishing village of Galaxidi, on the shoreline facing the Gulf of Corinth, and the boutique Ganimede Hotel. With less than a dozen rooms surrounding a shaded an flower-bedecked courtyard, the family-run Ganimede excels in the quality of its homemade breakfasts. Jams, cauliflower piccalilli, bugatsa, leek pies, yogurt and honey arrive at your table in random order and it’s all so delicious that everything has to be eaten.
Visiting Pompeii, Herculaneum, Mount Olympus, Dodona and Delphi provides a series of experiential encounters with antiquity. The bonus comes with the special places to stay near all these places, allowing a journey of education into the ancient world to be undertaken with style, comfort and the allure of fine food.
by Sean Sheehan
Stansted-Naples, Naples-Thessaloniki and Thessaloniki-Stansted flights are all available with Ryanair. The flight from Stansted is early in the morning but the Stansted Express gets you there in time and space in your luggage is worth finding for the 2018 editions of The Rough Guide to Naples and The Rough Guide to Greece.
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