Greece

An intoxicating ambrosia of Greek, Byzantine and Ottoman flavors, the Greek capital is a bustling metropolis echoing the beautiful rhythms of east meeting west. Adorned by ancient riches and gilded in Neoclassical elegance, Athens envelops the landscape in a vast honeycomb of Mediterranean life being vibrantly lived, as it has for millennia before. Enticing and enthralling, the city pulls you into its humming hive of color, taste and sound, uniquely familiar yet deliciously enigmatic.

A captivating island of unbridled beauty and ancient rhythms, where secluded beaches stretch toward lucent waters of aqua and teal, and bastioned fortresses stand watch over seaside ports awash in jewel tone shades of lapis, ruby, and topaz. Crete is an enduring poem of human history, from the Bronze Age legacy of its Minoan civilization to its intriguing ballad of empire, from Byzantine and Arab to Venetian and Ottoman. Ancient flavors infuse the fabled farm to plate cuisine of the Cretan diet, beautifully enriched by organic marvels from the land. Wild herbs perfume the island’s iconic honey and peppery Graviera cheese, as the age-old vines of Peza offer up floral Vilari and spicy Kotsifali, and fragrant Raki flows as a jubilant ode to family and friendship in daily Cretan life.

It is where island paradises sparkle against a sapphire sea and vestiges of great civilizations gleam from atop caldera cliffs. Where whitewashed labyrinths meander toward turquoise seas and sacred temples float amongst a dream of azure and white. The allure of the Greek Islands has captivated the most intrepid of wanderers, from Odysseus to the Argonauts, and cradled mythic gods from Artemis to Apollo. A spellbinding glimpse into the seafaring soul of Hellenic heritage and the serenity of bygone village life, from the Cyclades to the Ionian, the Greek Islands are a bewitching song of sea, sky and wind.

Waves of ancient olive groves roll toward cerulean waters, as ribbons of emerald and sun-kissed gold ripple through a Mediterranean mosaic of stone and myrtle. Medieval villages perched atop slopes of evergreen peer over fertile plains peppered with the remains of Doric treasures retelling the story of Western Civilization. The Peloponnese is a mythical land of milk and honey, where the sweet nectar of its garden bounty pleases the palate, from lustrous Extra Virgin Olive Oil and garnet red Agiorgitiko to piquant Sfela cheese and zesty Kalamata olives. A basket of plenty where the heritage of Greece can be savored, and the winds of ancient Laconia whisper the heroic saga of the region’s Spartan past and Byzantine kingdom.