Turkey
Part of the Roman Wine Odyssey
ASIA MINOR
8 stops
Ephesus to Pergamon
Anatolia may be wine's birthplace. Walk through Ephesus — one of Rome's greatest cities — and Pergamon's acropolis where Galen prescribed wine as medicine. Discover Turkey's boutique wine revolution on the Urla Peninsula and the wine island of Bozcaada, and end at Troy where Rome's ancestor Aeneas began his journey.
6 stops
Cappadocia Underground
Cappadocia's otherworldly landscape hides some of earth's oldest wine cellars. Early Christians carved cave churches with wine frescoes, and underground cities where 20,000 people could hide — complete with wine storage. Rise at dawn for a balloon flight over fairy chimneys, then descend into volcanic tuff caves where wine has aged for millennia.
4 stops
Antioch & the East
Antioch (modern Antakya) was Rome's third-largest city and gateway to the Silk Road. This frontier adventure explores stunning mosaics, early Christian sites, and Turkey's emerging southeastern wine scene. Travel conditions may be challenging.