Ancient Rome
This in-depth tour divides our touring into historical segments, visiting the monuments of each period as a unit, including Republican Rome, Rome of the Caesars, Early Empire and High Empire Rome, Christian Rome, ending with the Imperial Palaces of the Later Empire. We will spend a full day at Ostia Antica, the port of ancient Rome and another day at Tivoli visiting Hadrian’s Villa, the largest villa ever built in the Roman Empire.

Provence
Our new tour provides an understanding of Roman Imperial architecture as well as a delightful journey through the color-drenched countryside of Provence. Its great cities hold many of the best-preserved Roman monuments to be found in the world. Visits to archaeological sites and museums will provide further context for understanding life in Roman Gaul. Our tour also includes an opportunity to walk in the footsteps of van Gogh, Cézanne and Monet. Fields of spring flowers, tile-roofed villages, fascinating markets as well as gourmet meals will enhance this wonderful experience.

Anatolia (Crossroads of Europe and Asia)
Beginning in Ankara, this tour features the Hittite capital of Hattusa, Çatal Höyük, the oldest Neolithic site excavated in Anatolia, the rock-hewn churches in Cappadocia, the Hellenistic cities on Turkey’s southern and western coasts, Pamukkale, the ongoing excavations at Aphrodisias, Sardis, Ephesus, Pergamon, legendary Troy and Ottoman Bursa. Our adventure ends with a three-day visit to Istanbul’s fabulous mosques and museums.

Great Museums: Moscow & St. Petersburg
This new tour will focus on the three cities that have fought for Russia’s soul for hundreds of years. Moscow is the heart, cultural and spiritual capital of Russia’s identity as the capital of Eastern Christendom. St. Petersburg, built in 1703 as Russia’s window on the West, is its bridge to Europe’s intellectual and aesthetic experiments, while Novgorad is old Russia, steeped in tradition. We shall study the diverse and dynamic museums of these three cities in a stunning journey into one of the great civilizations of the world.

Treasures of the Balkans: Serbia, Croatia & Montenegro
As we wend our way from Belgrade through the gorgeous mountains of central Serbia to Priština and Cetinje, this unique new tour will explore the Balkans’ rich artistic and cultural heritage as found in the lavishly decorated churches and monasteries: Dacani, Sopocani, Pec, and Studenica. As we continue our journey south along the Dalmation coast to Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar and into the Istrian Peninsula, we discover the Roman emperor Diocletian’s extraordinary residential and urban complexes, charming medieval cities, and the fabulous Roman amphitheater at Pula. The tour ends in vibrant Zagreb. Throughout we will be stunned by the artifacts in the museums and charmed by our hosts.

Caves & Castles Northern Spain & France
An exploration of the outstanding Paleolithic art found in the caves of northern Spain and southwestern France. The tour begins in Burgos visiting Atapuerca, an extremely important paleontological site. From Santillana del Mar we visit caves known as Tito Bustillo, El Castillo, Las Monedas and Altamira II, as well as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, before crossing the Pyrénées into France. Tour highlights in France include the caves of Gargas, Bédeilhac, Le Mas d’Azil, Lascaux II, Pech Merle and the major caves around Les Eyzies-de-Tayac. We will also explore medieval villages, castles and fortresses of the Dordogne Valley. The tour ends at the extraordinary Prehistory Museum in St-Germain-en-Laye.

Sicily & Southern Italy
Touring includes the Byzantine and Norman monuments of Palermo, a Roman villa unique for its 37 rooms floored with exquisite mosaics, Phoenician Motya and the classical sites of Segesta, Selinunte, Agrigento and Siracusa. We will take a break in luxurious Taormina and, on the mainland, visit the fascinating ancient cities Paestum and Pompeii, plus the incredible “Bronzes of Riace.”

Great Museums: Berlin & Vienna
This tour will focus on the great museum collections of Egyptian, Classical and Near Eastern art in Berlin and Vienna. For all who have visited Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Syria or Iraq, or will visit these places, this tour is an absolute treasure trove of art from their ancient cities. We will also visit major collections of Christian art as well as museums known for their outstanding paintings.

Italy: Byzantine to Baroque
As we travel from Assisi to Venice, this spectacular tour will offer a unique opportunity to trace the development of art and history out of antiquity toward modernity in both the eastern and western Christian worlds. The tour begins with four days in Assisi, including a day trip to medieval Cortona. It then continues to Arezzo, Padua and Ravenna, where we will see churches adorned with some of the richest mosaics in Europe. Our tour ends with three glorious days in Venice. Throughout we will experience the sources of visual inspiration for a thousand years of art while sampling the food and drink that have enhanced the Italian world since it was the center of the Roman Republic and Empire.

Classical Greece
This popular tour encompasses the major Mycenaean, Classical and Byzantine sites of mainland Greece beginning at the Acropolis in Athen, the tour includes Tiryns, Mycenae, Epidauros, Olympia, and Byzantine Mistra on the Peloponnese. Traveling north, our program includes mystical Delphi, Meteora, the outstanding museum and churches in Thessaloniki, the mosaics of Pella and the many monuments associated with Philip and Alexander. Sunny skies, warm weather and delicious Mediterranean cuisine will enhance our discovery of these splendid civilizations.

Cyprus, Crete & Santorini

This very popular tour examines the maritime civilizations linking pre- and ancient Greek and Roman cultures with the East. After an eight-day tour of Cypriote sites (south and north), spanning some 9,000 years of history, we fly to Crete for an extensive five-day exploration of Minoan archaeology. Our voyage ends with two days on splendid Santorini, to tour well preserved Hellenistic Thera, and the remarkable town of Akrotiri, the "Minoan Pompeii" (ca. 1525 BCE), now emerging from the volcanic ashes that buried the site.   A tour highlight will be a reception and lecture at the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute. Throughout, there will be time to enjoy the lovely beaches and countryside.