Archaeological vacation in Italy

Archaeological vacation in Italy

Italy has a rich cultural heritage shaped over millennia by a host of incomers: Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Spaniards and Austrians have all left their mark on the cuisine, architecture and language. Visit these glorious destinations with stunning monuments that this shared history has given Italy.
Cultural tours of Greece

Cultural tours of Greece

Cruise in style on incredible journeys of discovery that have to be experienced to be believed. If you’re looking for a truly relaxing and invigorating holiday, discovering the ancient sites, bays, coves and harbours of Greece, then one of our many gulet cruises will be perfect for you.
Escorted Gulet tours in Turkey

Escorted Gulet tours in Turkey

Steeped in history, Turkey holds of some of the very earliest cities, like Çatalhöyük, stretching back 10,000 years.  Travel with us and be astonished by layers upon layers of history, peoples and cultures, from Hittite fortifications to Byzantine churches. Find out about our Turkey tours.
Latest entries
Herodotus

Herodotus

Have you ever read the Histories by Herodotus?  Here’s a text about why and how you should (and also about what I got for Christmas)… It’s off-season and  at Peter Sommer Travels we are busy with winter tasks: administration and planning, but also research for new tours or to update existing ones. Apart from the...
Pomegranates for Christmas

Pomegranates for Christmas

It’s Christmas-time once again and I see pomegranates everywhere. Since I don’t live in an orchard, that fact may appear a little surprising. But trust me, it is not. I live in Athens and indeed, the humble punica granatum is currently omnipresent here. There is a good and double reason for this. Firstly, the fruit...
Crete in December

Crete in December

Crete is very much a late-spring-to-summer destination. Hardly anyone travels there in winter. I just did. The largest of the Greek islands is one of Europe’s best-known holiday destinations. It draws massive crowds of young people each summer, usually heading for the big resorts and looking for sea, sun and many kinds of fun. They...
Travel brochure 2013

Travel brochure 2013

It’s that time of the year again – our new travel brochure (2013) has just been printed and is being posted all over the world as I am writing this. As every year, it is attractive, informative and full of enticing images. Likewise as every year, there has been a lot of work in it...
James Bond and beyond - Istanbul on the big screen

James Bond and beyond – Istanbul on the big screen

Over the coming months, millions of people will gaze at striking images of Istanbul in cinemas worldwide. Perhaps you will be (or have already been) among them? If so, you can skip the next paragraph – but if you have no idea what I am talking about, here it is: A week ago, Skyfall, the...
Amalfi Coast: cruise diary

Amalfi Coast: cruise diary

“Sitting on the deck of the gulet in June 2012, watching the steep and verdant terraced slopes of the Amalfi coast slip by, I can’t help but wonder how this cannot be the most perfect way to experience Italy’s famous Tyrrhenian coastline.” Earlier this year, Julie Brown, our Office Manager, went along on our Cruise along...
Discovering Cappadocia

Discovering Cappadocia

Over the years, many of the guests on our Turkish cruises have opted to extend their vacation by a few days to visit Cappadocia, that legendary landscape in the heart of Anatolia, well known for its geological wonders and its countless historical and archaeological sites. Noting their interest, we have decided to expand our Turkish...
Greek statues and their technicolor dreamcoats

Greek statues and their technicolor dreamcoats

Greek statues in colour: the fact that most, if not all, ancient (Greek and Roman) stone sculpture (both figural and architectural) was brightly painted may not be news to you, but now you have the opportunity to paint an ancient statue yourself, if only virtually. The pristine white, beige or grey appearance of most of...
The Chimaira and the Olympics

The Chimaira and the Olympics

Just a few weeks after we blogged about it, the Chimaira has made the news! Indirectly at least. Namely, in the context of the Olympic Flame that just went out over London after another glorious set of Olympic Games in the United Kingdom. According to the International Sports Press Association, a meeting took place in...
The Chimaira

The Chimaira

Earlier today, I visited the Chimaira as part of an extensive reconnaissance trip in Lycia. The site is one of the strangest on on any of our tours in Turkey – a natural wonder with mythological associations. The place would be memorable and impressive in any context: open flames rise out of blackened hollows amidst...
Antikythera Shipwreck Exhibition

Antikythera Shipwreck Exhibition

Have you noticed? Lately, the print and online press appeared to be dominated by a story to do with an anniversary and a ship that sank (yes, that really happened). So, here’s our own marine disaster related anniversary story (spoiler alert: it’s about a different ship). In addition to the points made in our recent...
Gulet shipyards

Gulet shipyards

If you have travelled on a Turkish gulet, perhaps even on one of our gulet cruises, you may well have wondered where these beautiful handcrafted wooden boats come from – where they are built and maintained. Last week, I was given a very hands-on approach to answering that question. Peter Sommer, Michael Metcalfe and I...