Secret Venice: The Council of Ten and Medieval Espionage The city-state of Venice emerged on a lagoon from the ruins of the Roman and Byzantine empires in the 9th century and grew to become the greatest …
A Short History of Tokyo Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, the busiest intersection in the Japanese metropolis The history of Tokyo is intimately intertwined with that of Japan’s. In this article, we’ll explore Tokyo’s history from …
Searching for Caravaggio’s Nativity The hunt for Caravaggio’s stolen painting of the nativity scene may just be the most high-profile art crime of the 20th century. One stormy night in October 1969, an altarpiece painted …
Oberammergau Passion Play 2020 | Small group tours Germany In 2020, Odyssey will offer three small group tours of Europe that will include the Oberammergau Passion Play: Contemporary Germany, The Habsburgs, and our Berlin tour. This article is …
From Cairo to the NAC: Egypt Builds a New Capital City On July 11, 2018 Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi laid the first stone of what was to become Egypt’s new capital. The city is …
Discovering Scandinavia Discovering Scandinavia. In this article, we will learn about Denmark with a focus on Viking history, and uncover highlights of Copenhagen. Click here to read our article focusing on Sweden. Small group tours …
How to choose your next small group adventure: When it comes to deciding on your next personal Odyssey, chances are you’ll have a destination (or two) in mind. But how should you go about choosing …
The Loire Valley in France The Loire Valley in France is renowned for its picturesque natural beauty, and the region also combines all the ingredients of what the French consider to be the good life. …
The Sicilians and their Kings While popular images of Sicily might focus on the active volcano, Mount Etna, or the poverty that led to the mass migration of Sicilians to America, forming today’s communities of …
Discovering Scandinavia Sweden’s history and culture. This is the second article in a three part series on Scandinavia. We learn about Sweden’s history, as well as its famous design principles. Stay tuned for part three …
Victorian Women’s Fashion The Young Queen Victoria by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1842). Photographic reproduction from Wikimedia Commons. Victoria ascended the throne at the age of 18. In British history, the Victorian era refers to the …
New Discoveries about Britain’s Stone Circles
- 8 mins read
Archaeology, Blog, British Isles, England, History, Scotland, Wales
New Discoveries about Britain’s Stone Circles We’ve written about Britain’s prehistoric stone circles before, but recent studies from 2017 to 2019 show there are likely more secrets to uncover about these Neolithic monuments. In this …
Victoria’s Britain (Part 1 of 2) This two-part article on Queen Victoria’s Britain was prepared by one of our Odyssey Program Leaders, Mal Bock. She will be leading this small group tour especially designed for …
Small Group Literary Tours of England England offers amazing attractions to lovers of literature and art. Many famous figures lived and worked here over the years, and because of the country’s beautifully preserved history, it …
Secrets of Florence: Ten Hidden Gems to Visit Florence, the capital of the Italian region of Tuscany, is considered to be the birthplace of the Renaissance. Today the small city leaves behind a powerful legacy …
Early History of Sicily: From the Phoenicians to the Arab Conquest (800 BC to the 10th Century) Sicily in Southern Italy is the largest island in the Mediterranean, separated from the mainland by the Strait …
Visiting Iran | Small group tours Iran Women visit a carpet store in Shiraz, Iran. Throughout history, Iran’s position in the centre of the famous Silk Road has seen it crisscrossed by travellers, traders and …
Who was Caravaggio? Caravaggio became the greatest painter of religious works of the early 17th century. His dramatic but naturalistic style of painting emphasised the common humanity of his subjects, the apostles and martyrs of …
Ten books to read about Berlin
- 9 mins read
Blog, Europe, Germany, Reading lists for Travellers, Travel tips
Ten books to read about Berlin | Small group tours Germany There are few cities in which history is as palpable as it is in Berlin. From its medieval origins, to grand Baroque capital of …
Who led Rome? From the 8th century BC, Ancient Rome grew from a tiny town on the Tiber River in modern-day Italy to a sprawling empire, that spanned across most of continental Europe, Britain, a …
Exploring Britain’s Prehistoric Past Scattered across the islands of Great Britain are countless stone circles and monoliths. As successive waves of different peoples settled and lived in Britain, many would erect stone monuments and carve …