Peter Sommer Travels Blog
Welcome to our blog!
Since 2011, this is where we provide extra insight and information about our expert-led cultural tours and cruises. Our blog posts complement what is available on our main website and in our brochures – they offer examples of the fascinating stories and ideas, the lovely flavours and sights, the extraordinary experiences that we share with our guests on our tours.
Our posts cover a wide variety of topics and are in various styles: articles about archaeology and history brought to you by our tour experts, tour diaries, news from excavations and museums, recipes, reading suggestions, updates on our new itineraries and much more – it’s all here for you to discover and enjoy.
After browsing some of our posts, why not take a look at our range of expert-led archaeological tours or gulet cruises, or get in touch so we can help create a wonderful private tour just for you.
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First Impressions of Knossos: Memory, Myth, and the Making of a Minoan Landscape I first visited Knossos in the late 1990s, arriving to stay at the Villa Ariadne, which at that time still formed part of the British School at Athens estate. I ... Read More
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Parentium – Parenzo – Poreč: The Many Faces of an Istrian Town in Croatia Poreč (called Parentium in Latin and Parenzo in Italian) is a town on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula. The historic core itself occupies a small peninsula and stands ... Read More
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The Palace of Nestor in the Peloponnese, Greece On Tuesday April 4th of 1939, while ‘a dark and threatening weather’ was coming, Carl Blegen with his Greek and American colleagues broke ground on a hill in western ... Read More
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The Lycian Way in Turkey: Walking Through Antiquity The Lycian Way was Turkey's first long-distance footpath, established in 1999 by Kate Clow, a British amateur historian living in Turkey, and her collaborator Dean Livesley. The route was ... Read More
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The Traditions of Ston in Croatia: Salt, Oysters and a Special Cake Although less well known than larger towns on the Croatian coast, such as Dubrovnik or Split, the small town of Ston has a quiet charm that captivates visitors at first ... Read More
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Macedonia in Greece: Visiting Alexander the Great at Home The fascination of Alexander the Great and his life endures more than 2,000 years after his death. We have long been following the route of his campaigns through Asia Minor ... Read More
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Šibenik in Croatia: City Of Fortresses and a Hidden Jewel in the Channel Cruising towards Šibenik offers one of the most memorable approaches along the eastern Adriatic. From the outer islands, the gulet glides into the narrow St Anthony’s Channel, where the ... Read More
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Tiryns: A Mycenaean fortress in the Peloponnese, Greece Tiryns lies at the southern end of the plain of Argos, just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the beautiful town of Nafplio, one of the most popular destinations for ... Read More
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A Historical Walk Through Zadar: the Capital of Northern Dalmatia in Croatia Zadar is one of Croatia’s most captivating coastal cities and a bit of a show-off in the best possible way. It is the second-largest city in Dalmatia after Split, and ... Read More
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Gemiler Island in Turkey and the Origins of Saint Nicholas To glimpse the fabled bones of Saint Nicholas, that most Christmassy of patron saints who inspired so many legends, you could visit the archaeological museum in Antalya, or travel ... Read More
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Announcing our brand new tour of Istria in Croatia It’s always nice to announce a new tour after the hard work of putting it together. Some of you will already be delighted that we’re doing a new Croatia ... Read More
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Bodrum and the Legacy of Ancient Halicarnassus Bodrum is like no other town in Turkey. Not only because it is one of the best spots for a summer vacation with its tiny white houses, deep blue waters ... Read More
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The History of Croatia - a summary Peter Sommer Travels ran its first ever tour in Croatia: Cruising the Coast of Dalmatia, back in 2016. Like all our tours, it was the outcome of careful and painstaking ... Read More
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Kotor in Montenegro: A Fortress at the Crossroads of Empires Few places capture the spirit of the Adriatic as vividly as Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor. Towering mountains plunge into deep blue waters once navigated by Illyrian pirates, Venetian merchants, and ... Read More
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Aiani - A Revelation in Upper Macedonia, Greece Aiani is not a well-known site, even among ancient historians. It’s in a region anciently called Elimia or Elimiotis, part of what’s known as Upper Macedonia. The latter isn’t ... Read More
