Macedonia

Aside from its picturesque charms, extraordinarily Kastoria boasts more than 70 Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches dating from the 9^th to the 16^th centuries scattered around the town. Many are sadly in poor state of repair but distinguished by the frescoes which decorate them. The quality of the artwork is astonishing, and we will visit a small selection at Agios Stephanos, Taxiarchis Oikonomou and Archangel Michael, each concealing something unique behind their intricate brickwork. Later we visit Aigos Orestiko Archaeological Museum which displays important finds from excavations in the region and we explore Dispilio, the site of a large neolithic settlement that once stood on stilts in the lake.

Today we travel to Edessa, a city defined by the water which flows into it from the Pindus Mountains to the west. The waterfalls of Edessa are a striking natural wonder noted from the Roman Empire to the travel writing of Edward Lear. We admire their thundering beauty before we follow the road over the Ottoman bridge that carried the Via Egnatia across the river and explore the remnants of the ancient city. Later we continue to Mezia and visit the Nymphaeum where Aristotle instructed the pupils of the Macedonian elite, Alexander the Great among them, in political discourse and philosophy.

This morning we explore Pella, Macedonia’s administrative capital and the birthplace of both Philip II and Alexander the Great. We see the monumental agora, and houses and the exceptional mosaics made from carefully selected natural pebbles, now on display in the museum. We continue to Verghina (ancient Aigai), the capital of the Macedonian kingdom before its move to Pella in the 4th century BCE. We see the remarkable painted tombs, displayed in the excellent site Museum of the Royal Tombs of Aigai under the recreated mound which originally covered the burials. Alongside this museum we visit the new Polycentric Museum of Aigai allowing more artefacts to be displayed from Aigai, perhaps best known for its tomb of Philip II, the pioneering father of Alexander the Great. After our site visit, we continue to Thessaloniki for our first night in this fascinating city.

Today is devoted to Thessaloniki, founded by King Cassander as a new capital city. In the morning we explore the city on foot taking in the Agora and Roman forum before heading to the Late Roman palace complex of Galerius to view the Rotunda and the Triumphal Arch of the emperor. We will take a short walk along the promenade to see the White Tower, before stopping for lunch nearby.  In the afternoon, we visit the Archaeological Museum with extraordinary finds from the city and its region, including the stunning Derveni bronze crater.

We travel south following the curve of the coastline to Dion at the foot of Mount Olympus, the religious capital of Macedonia. An evocative site with a magical setting, surrounded by trees in which nightingales sing and crisscrossed with a labyrinth of springs and streams. It is here that both Philip II and Alexander used to celebrate their victories at by holding Olympic Games and magnificent receptions and where Alexander conducted sacrifices before his campaign into Asia in 334 BCE. We will also visit the small Archaeological Museum nearby.

This morning we pay a visit to one of the city’s oldest churches, Aghios Dimitrios and Aghia Sophia, before we head to the Byzantine, UNESCO World Heritage listed, Walls of Thessaloniki, or Kastra as they are known to those that live in the city. Over half of these fortifications which once protected the city, are still standing today. Afterwards, a visit to the adjacent and equally superb Byzantine Museum which completes our survey of the archaeology of the region.

We transfer to the airport for our return flight back to the UK.