Echoes from our exploration of Europe’s ancient epicentres of power – Greece & Italy

In our second round of continents around the globe, the next stop happened to be Europe. I have often come across this argument in movies and books that Europe should not even be considered a separate continent. In the current stage of earth’s continental shift, there’s nothing major dividing Europe and Asia. However, for a continent that’s not even worthy of its name, geologically speaking, it has monumentally shifted the lives of people on every other one. To get to the very beginning of the Western Civilization that has written on the history of our world with its indelible ink, we need to go to where it all began, and that surprisingly is a nation of islands – Greece.

First Glimpse of Greece:

And so, we journeyed to Greece, heading first to its ancient and living capital – Athens. It was springtime in Athens and a warm, sunny breeze greeted us on arrival. Liking to start things right away, we decided to walk with no-agenda along the streets near our hotel. Somehow, without following directions, without even knowing of its existence there, arrived at this quaint little village within the city called ‘Anafiotika’. Bright, white walls blazing in the sun with contrasting bright hued windows, streets pouncing up and down with no rhyme or reason, many hidden corners to investigate, cats lazing about, and pots smiling at you – A place that was a delight to explore. 

I initially thought that all of Athens is going to be like this, but only later learned that this place we were casually treading on was something special – a slice of life from the islands, situated in the mainland. To explain the significance, one has to understand that Greece is the name you would call a place after you take a piece of land and then pass about a fifth of it through a shredder, but then carefully collect every little piece and toss the same on the sea around the four-fifths mainland, like a farmer would throw his handful of seeds in a field. Those little pieces, right up to the tiniest bit, are said to form up to 6000 individual islands around the continental mainland of Greece, with around 200 being inhabited. The striking thing is that different groups of islands have evolved their own unique culture and customs, but today are all united under a single nation. And so, after having relished such a life from a far part of the country right at the centre of the capital city, we walked along the promenade near the most famous monument here – the Acropolis.

I seem to have an amazing sense of time when deciding to go to a place! Last year it was Egypt during the fasting month of Ramzan, and this year, it happened to be Easter at Greece. For Easter weekend, everything shuts down in Greece, and so, we couldn’t get inside the Acropolis right away and had to save it for later. But walked along the sun-lit promenade for a little trek to the Filopappou hill, which accorded some stunning views of the Acropolis, the ancient part of the city as well as the bustling buildings of modern Athens and the glistening Aegean Sea. The thing that struck me at the Hill of the Muses here was how so many statues had their heads cut off. As in many parts of the world with overlapping histories, this city too bears the scars of repeated assaults, sometimes by people, who called themselves Greeks. It could be Sparta, another Greek city, which was causing this damage as much as it was the Persians or the Romans. This destruction of monuments seems to me a narrow frame of reference for what should be cherished. Something that should inform us about how our own frames of seeing the world would be judged in the future. On a more positive note, the blue of the sky was a sight to behold! And when the gaze turned from above to below, blooming wildflowers all along this little hill swayed in the evening breeze. Felt grateful to be visiting this place at this time of the year, when nature seemed to be in an effervescent mood.

Ancient and Modern Visions of Athens:

The next day dawned bright and clear as the Easter Sunday and we were to be taken on a city tour by Manos, a native of Athens, in collaboration with the company ‘Withlocals’. Manos, with his cheerful manner and interested questions, took us on a tour of the monuments, talking all about the past of Greece, the mythological beliefs, history of city-states, arrival of Alexander from Macedonia and onward until the Roman conquest. Of the many different ideas discussed, what remains bright in my memory is the anecdotes he shared about Philosopher Diogenes, the Cynic, the one who used to shun all comforts of then, sleep in an amphora, and was said to be on the lookout for a true human, and giving up, felt it was better to learn about the dog. He was revered for his nonchalance and his refusal to bow to authority, even if that authority was the mighty Alexander himself. 

After dipping our toes in ancient history, it was time to see the modern side of Athens and what a colourful sight it was! The Street Art in Athens is spellbinding. Those images of children looking up at falling executives from the sky, murals in honour of Leonardo da Vinci, bringing alive the story of Greece’s troubled present within the canvas of the ancient artist’s creations remains unforgettable even now. And, let me not forget the striking mural of Loukanikos, the dog. Remember how Diogenes, the philosopher said it was better to investigate the nature of a dog than human. Perhaps, he was talking about this Loukanikos, who would be born centuries later.  This dog apparently accompanied people of the city in all their protests, fighting for their rights. Happy to have met this four-legged legend on the walls of Athens. 

Insights at Pelopponese:

Next day, along with Manos, we set out on an early drive to the Pelopponese, passing through such places where the wars that inspired the 300 movie and its sequels were fought for real. As we rolled along in the mountains, Manos spoke about the different people of the region and the history of invasions. Our first stop was the theatre of Epidaurus, so well-preserved that one can visualise plays being formed back in 500 BCE. This was the ancient equivalent of an entertainment centre attached to a hospital apparently. The ruins also included structures were patients lived, where operations were performed, and where sacrifices to ancient gods of healing were done. It was here, we saw the bright blooms of a tree that Manos referred to as the ‘Easter tree’, so cheerfully swaying against the backdrop of the stunning blue Greek sky. 

Onward it was a drive to the most popular town of the region – Nafplio, a strategic port town that has seen its control pass on to people from different regions, with the Venetian influence being the most pronounced. Here, we had a delicious seafood meal and walked around the streets, filled with bright orange trees. Manos said anyone could pluck the fruits, but he kept adding that these were bitter oranges, not edible, although it tasted sweet enough for me!

From there, another drive took us to the ancient site of Mycenae, the seat of a culture that preceded the mainstream Greek or Hellenic civilisation, as it was called. Filled with legends of larger-than-life heroes and huge animals building forts, that structure was stunning in its antiquity. The true splendour came alive when we visited the museum and all its artefacts that illustrated the richness of this culture. In one of the exhibits, I saw a reference of trading with Minoan culture, said to be even ancient than this one, and when I asked Manos if I would find any museums about them here, he replied in the negative, saying they were to be found in the island of Crete and surrounding regions. Santorini, our next stop would be a good place for that, he added. Made me look forward even more to visiting that famous island. If you have the habit of browsing popular destinations around the world, you must have surely seen it, with its image of white houses and blue domes, rising high on a cliff-face! 

Santorini’s highlights and hidden gems:

Travelling to Santorini gave a glimpse of the island geography I was talking about earlier. We would stop at different islands on the way, as the ship swayed and rolled. A sensation that does not agree with everyone! Once we reached, it was a combined sigh of relief and awe as well. Such was the striking visual beauty of this little island. We stayed at a part of the island called Fira and as we walked along the road to our hotel, every point was poetry in scenic beauty. There, before the eyes, a volcano island in the middle, sitting so serenely now, but once, the source of much trouble for these people, and straight ahead, the blue seas and sky. If a place on earth was made just to view a sunset, it must be Santorini. Such bliss to be had just gazing at the changing skies!

The morning of the next day was spent in exploration of the world-famous island of Oia, pronounced as ‘Eee-a’! Whether it was because of the crowds or the time of the day, somehow the joy we felt in exploring Anafiotika in Athens was missing here.

Decided to move towards the other end of the island, not so popular, for sure, but something after my own heart – the ruins at Akrotiri, promising stunning glimpses of the Minoan culture. It was suggested that it would be good idea to visit the Museum of Prehistoric Thera at Fira before heading there. Here, at the museum, relished images of blue monkeys, the pots and instruments used by this culture dating back to 1500 BCE, their ovens, their rooms with murals about fish sellers, travellers exploring different lands back in that age – Each of these artefacts deserve an essay of its own! And then, when we moved further south to the actual site of Akrotiri, we learnt that these ruins were buried by the outburst of that very volcano that looks so picturesque today and like the famous Pompeii in Italy, this village too was buried in volcanic ash and so well persevered. This was an outpost of the Minoans with their main base in Crete, which is the biggest of the islands in Greece, situated to the south of Santorini. Its position was strategic and the people who lived here, seemed to have enjoyed a high quality of life, as witnessed by the imaginative video of what buildings and life of the people then would have looked like! 

After soaking in the richness of the past, we headed on a somewhat adventurous little trek down to the Red Beach, formed by the surrender of red volcanic rocks to the embrace of blue waves. The sand was gritty and walking on the dry portions of the beach was something of a challenge to delicate urban feet. Speaking of feet, this was a day when the number of steps walked shot to 17,000, a number signifying a rich and fascinating feast for both the mind and the eyes. On that high, the Santorini visit ended, and we headed back to Athens.

A Taste of Greek Theatre:

Wanting to witness a play at the place of its birth, we decided to visit a Greek theatre. Only a Greek play was on, with no English surtitles that too. But considering it was a story we knew well, decided to watch this version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. What a unique interpretation – graphic and modern! Without understanding a single word, watched the entire play and smiled to think how plays have transformed since their origin in ancient Greece, the very fountainhead, from where Western philosophy was distilled!

Next day was an opportunity to catch the Acropolis. There was too much of a crowd on that day both at the museum as well as at the site, for us to be relaxed enough to truly take in the story and majesty of the place. Hoped that our next place would be somewhat different.

Delightful Delphi:

This was going to be at Delphi, and to reach this town in central Greece, we took a bus and let our eyes drink in the changing sights of cities turning to towns and then into villages with rolling hills. The scenery kept improving and reached its peak at Delphi. No wonder that the ancient Greeks felt they could talk to the Gods here!

After reading up about how this was the site of the ancient temple of Apollo, and around 600 BCE, how people from every part of Greece came to hear about their fortunes in this place, we decided to experience it on our own. To give the crowds a miss, we began as early as we could, following the trail of ancient pilgrims. There was the temple to Athena Pronaia, which was the first stop, kind of like in Hindu temples in India, where the female deity is first worshipped before the male. And then, similar again to Hindu temples of today, people then would purify themselves in the copious waters of the Castalian spring, a mere trickle now, and then they would enter the premises of the temple, where first there would be a market, to buy offerings if one didn’t bring the same from their hometown. Onward, there were structures called treasuries built by different regions to show their might. It was said the place was filled with so many artefacts back then that it would seem like an open-air museum to worshippers. There was the phallus-like stone called ‘omphalos’ or ‘the navel of the earth’ and it was near such stones, the priestesses called ‘Pythia’ would go into a trance-like state and spell out about the future of the person standing before them, speaking in riddles, which would then be interpreted by the priests. Many voices in the middle, relating and translating the voice of Apollo apparently! Then, there was the main structure, the huge temple of Apollo, of which only some columns remain. Since Apollo was not only the God of fortune-telling, but also of the arts and sports, here was another theatre as well as a huge stadium, next only to the ancient stadium at Olympia, and here the Pythian Games were held in honour of this God.

Walking the path, we then decided to visit the museum, which always etches a place better in the mind. For, if the site gives us an overall idea, it is the museum that fills in the specifics. My suggestion would be always to leave the museum for the second half, because even if the crowds throb around you, no one is going to make you move from an exhibit you want to spend time on, but the spirit of an ancient site, you can relish only in relative quiet! 

The huge statues of Gods and men, the athletes of Pythia, the philosopher and the charioteer shine so fresh in the mind. Beyond all these magnificent works of art, there was an image that seemed to tell me a deep truth. Before that, I must tell you about a repeated motif I saw wherein Greek Gods and goddesses would step on uncivilised, naked men, pushing them to the ground and thus supposedly bringing order to the land. This, no doubt marks the subduing of earlier tribes of this region, some of whom might have worshipped a Mother Goddess deity, with priestesses practicing that prehistoric cult for generations. Towards, the end of these exhibits, I saw an image of a Roman general stepping on a Greek king, in the same fashion of those Greek Gods on the savage men. It made me think what goes comes around. One may momentarily rejoice in the subduing of another, but history always has other plans! 

Despite such morbid lessons from ancient Greece, our experience of Greece today was something else entirely. Sensed the warmth of their hospitality encoded in their philosophy called as ‘Filoxenia’ or ‘Friendship to Strangers’. It made me think of a line from an ancient Tamil verse that goes ‘Yaathum Oore Yaavarum Kelir’ meaning ‘Every town is our own and every person therein is our kin’. In that, felt the kinship between Greeks and Tamils across the millennia. 

With that philosophical equivalent of the taste of Greek Yoghurt topped with honey, our visit to this country ended and the journey to the next one began.

Onward to Italy:

On a Sunday night, we arrived at Rome, the enigmatic capital of Italy, which like its Greek predecessor Athens has been inhabited for centuries together and determined the fate of half of the world at one point. 

First Glimpse of Rome:

The first day was spent visiting some of the striking sights of Rome with a local, Francesca, whom we found through the same company ‘Withlocals’. The first stop was the fountain of four rivers, and I was intrigued to know what they represent. One of the four masculine men was meant to denote the river Nile of Africa, another river Ganges of Asia, yet another river Amazon of the Americas and finally, the river Danube. The one of River Danube, representing Europe, was the only image staring boldly into the eyes of the onlookers, which was us just then. All the other three men had their eyes averted. This was supposed to symbolise the confidence of the Western, Christian civilisation, and the belief then that they were the supreme race, brought here on earth, to bring the entire world into the fold of their religion. The sculptures were spectacular, the meanings not so much! This theme of four continents appeared yet again on the ceiling of the church of Loyola nearby. After our meanderings on streets of Rome, pointing out to ruins that seem to pop up every time they dig down to build a metro in Rome, Francesca discussed with us about the not-to-be-missed Museum Capitoline amidst the other more popular and hence more crowded sights of Rome, along with recommendations of where to eat the famous rectangular ‘slice pizza’ of Rome.

After lunch, that’s where we headed, taking a walk, glancing at the ruins on Palantine hill, towards the Museum Capitoline. So much art from Renaissance times portraying the mythology of Rome and its Christianisation as well. One image stands out in my mind and that’s the one with the theme called the ‘The Rape of Sabine women’ and I was stunned by how so many artists had chosen to depict this theme repeatedly and what seemed to me as a rationalisation of a revolting thing. Later understood the word ‘Rape’ meant ‘Abduction’ and this was supposed to signify the myth or history of the beginnings of Rome, when women were few in the region, possibly because it was founded by a group of belligerent males arriving from a different part of the world, and then those rulers of the land decide to abduct women from neighbouring cities to strengthen their populace. That was one disturbing image but stands testimony to the fate of women in this land and every other conquered region of the world. 

Vatican City: Small country but huge crowds

The next day was a visit to the most visited and smallest country of the world, Vatican City – the power centre of the entire Catholic world. And the entire world, whether Catholic or not, come even now to look up in wonder at the Sistine Chapel, where the entire Bible was painted in the past for the benefit of an illiterate society. The art is sublime indeed, if one can overlook its intention of being a propaganda machine to spread a particular religion and its philosophy, as was the case with all thriving religions of the past. Again, with crowds of people gawking at hordes of treasures, that visit is now a blur in my mind!

Immersion in Renaissance at Florence:

Decided it was time to step out of Rome and see another city and Florence was our first choice. Trains in Italy are simply superb and starting from Rome’s Termini station, we were there in Florence in 1.5 hours, taking in the picturesque Tuscany countryside along the way. Getting inside places of interest is a tricky thing in Italy and the only way to do it seemed to be with a guided tour. We were lucky in the guide we found in Anna, and in a couple of hours, she brought alive all the stories and history of the Medici collection in the Uffizi gallery, pointing us to subtle things like the numerous different flowers of the ‘Prima vera’ to the grandness of the shifting perspective in Michelangelo’s ‘Annunciation’.

After sending two delightful hours with her, we started another round of self-exploration and even full four hours after that was not enough to do justice to this place. It was in the last few minutes, I was introduced to the work of this stunning and solitary female artist of the Renaissance times, Artemisia, and came away in awe of her vivid and strong portrayal of women in a man’s world – an echo of her own life!

Pompeii’s Past Glory:

Returned that night to Rome and the next day, started yet another trip, now in the southern direction, to the famous Naples, known as Napoli to the Italians. First, we visited the famous site of Pompeii dating back to around 79 ACE, buried in volcanic ash of Mount Vesuvius, preserving the Roman way of life, in such detail. Saw their houses and welcome signs, their markets and spas, avenues of relaxation and a huge amphitheatre. Pompeii is being excavated even as we speak and continues to reveal its never-ending dimensions. The life of the people here revolves around the volcano for terror though it is, it renders richness to this land, in its soil and the food that blooms.

Napoli’s Current Splendour:

Speaking of food, the second part of the day was dedicated to a much-awaited food tour. Naples being the food capital of Italy, with their inventions of ‘pizza’ and ‘espresso’, there could be no better place for an exploration of a city through its food. We were so glad that we made the choice of Gennaro, a local with ‘Withlocals’ at Naples, who was so dedicated in designing the tour, suiting both the local situation and our plans. He made us sense the history of the place through its food. He kept saying the land was a mix, for first came the Greeks, and then, the Romans, followed by the Spaniards and so on. Going back, Napoli is derived from Napolis, a Greek word meaning ‘New City’. So, it was the Greeks, who sailed all the way from their homeland and built their city here. Then, the Romans came and conquered, bringing this very Greek city under their domain, while retaining the Greek’s well-thought-out layout of over 3000 years ago. The day we went was filled with streamers of white and blue, celebrating the city’s Football team’s win after 33 years. It was the jubilant mood of a win in modern times that was tangible in the air. Even so, Gennaro helped us glimpse the ancientness of the place in the nooks and corners of ‘Split Street’, so perfectly laid out until the sea, by the Greeks. The Basalt stone of the streets spoke of the volcano we mentioned earlier and its impact on the people in more ways than one.

To tell you a little more about the food, Gennaro first made us taste his favourite snack – ‘Zeppola e panzarotto’, a salty fried dough dish that reminded me so much of the South-Indian street food of ‘bonda’. Naples, being a coastal city, you can bet you will find fish on the menu, and walking us through a market, Gennnaro selected an assortment of seafood and offered us a ‘cuoppo of fried fish’, delicious in every bite. After all these snacks, it was time for the ‘coffee drinkers delight’ and Gennaro concocted a delicious cold expresso mixture of his own invention. Then, there were balls of buffalo mozzarella- the creamiest, tastiest of cheese with a texture that felt so unique.

Following a walk through the bustling streets, filled with mansions and shops, it was time for us to meet the superstar of the city – the Neapolitan pizza. Gennaro took us into the shop to witness the pizza being made. The chef made it look as if it was something so simple. A pull here, a pull there and the base stretched into a neat shape in ten seconds, and then, it was put inside their oven, waiting at the right temperature, and out came, a perfect pizza in 60 seconds. Taking the pizza in a box, Gennaro declared that he was going to make us eat the pizza, the Neapolitan way, on a scooter in a by-lane. All the while, he explained when lesser the cheese, fewer the toppings and thinner the crust, that is more likely to be authentic pizza from Naples! We also had a taste of ‘Ragu napoletano’ – a delicious ground-meat pasta. The tasting ended with a dessert of ‘Baba al rhum’ and the drink of that region -‘limoncello’. An extraordinary sensory experience, which made us taste the flavours of Naples and sense the heart of this down-to-earth Italian city of the South!

Last halt at Colosseum:

From that scene of celebrating the modern sport of football, with a few playing and few thousand watching, the next day took us to the possible origins of this human activity! For it was time to visit the most famous monument of Rome, the Colosseum, and being so famous, the only way to get in was to book Arena access with a guide. The amphitheatre was to the Romans what the theatre was to Greeks. There, plays and philosophy were expressed. Here, a gorier form of entertainment was unleashed with gladiators flighting and the audience cheering. This edifice was a symbol of showing the supremacy of power. But even the greatest displays of power must bow low before the might of time. And so, the cycle goes on, with the conqueror being conquered and the Romans being no exception.

At the end of the trip, all these glimpses made me think of what a transient, illusory thing life is! One day, a monument is celebrated as the pinnacle of power, another day, another ruler defaces it, and still onward, it’s left in ruins, and then suddenly discovered and cherished with the whole world visiting it to see its glory. The people who lived at each of those past points would have believed that they were doing the right thing, the best possible thing for the world around them. That’s something in common between us and them in that we too believe that we are in that perfect, all-knowing moment of history. However, at the end of these explorations and reflections, it seems to me that the only statement we can say with conviction would be the words of the greatest of philosophers from Greece – Socrates: ‘I know that I know nothing’!