History week 2023 | Hotel Votsala

History Week 2024, Theme: "Troy and Lesvos between myth and history"
12-19 September 2024 (in English) + 20-27 September (en Français)

Highlights:
• One to two hours of daily, mild walks in different areas of the island. Car lifts for the ones who don’t like walking (or walking doesn’t like them)
• For this year, two-day trip to the legendary Troy
• The Bronze Age settlement of Thermi
• Presentations of historical moments of Lesbos, conversations on small and big matters.
• The Archaic Sanctuary of Klopedi, with the only Aeolian temple in Greece
• The impressive Medieval Castle of Mytilene
• The unique Tériade - Modern Art Gallery
• Beautiful landscapes
• Greek cooking classes with Daphne
• Delicious meals in local tavernas
• family atmosphere!

Lesbos was a major centre in the Ancient Mediterranean world. Nowadays it is an island full of history and traditions forgotten by mass tourism.
The island provides a microcosm of Greek history, from the Neolithic Period to Modern Times.
Lesvos is the birthplace of the Arcaic poets Sappho, Alcaeus, Arion and Terpander, Pittacus, one of the Seven Sages of Greece, Theophrastus, the ‘father of Botany’. Lesvos was to Aristotle what the Galápagos were to Darwin.
In modern times, Lesvos is proud of Nobel-awarded poet Odysseas Elytis and Stratis Eleftheriadis (Tériade), one of the most influential art publishers leaving on the island a heritage by Picasso, Matisse, and Marc Chagall.
This week we will discover traditional villages, medieval castles and monasteries, ancient temples and theatres, Bronze Age settlements, a famous modern art gallery and a Petrified Forest part of an UNESCO global geopark.
Embark with us on a special journey through Lesvos History!

Programme is led by Christophe with some help from Iannis (architect and history lover). Local guides will be hired for the museums and sites. Christophe Caporilli is an historian, specialising in Naval and Military History. In the summer, Christophe helps in the hotel and works as a history guide. In the winter, he writes and produces historical podcasts and videos with his own company Odyssia 2.0.

Of French, Italian and Greek descent, Christophe also speaks English, Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish.

Additionally to that program, you can always join Lina's morning seaside stretching and Daphne's classes (if you think that Cooking is part of the history of a place).