5. Visit a theme park
Another location that doesn’t feature in Nolan’s film, the lush green Ionian island of Kefalonia, with its dramatic mountain landscapes and idyllic turquoise water-trimmed bays, and impressive Bronze Age tombs, certainly merits cinematic glory. Often touted as an alternative location for our hero’s homeland because it was once a major Mycenaean centre, the island’s unique Odysseus Theme Park offers a fun way for all the family to approach this legendary tale in a modern setting. Experience the myth of Homer’s epic first-hand as you stroll through sun-dazzled forests to meet the Cyclops, stop up your ears from the Sirens or discover the palace where Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, drove out his wife’s suitors.
How to do it?
The Odysseus Theme Park sprawls across 30 sylvan acres near the coastal village of Sami, on the island’s dramatically picturesque eastern coast. After your epic encounters, explore Melissani Cave’s mysterious underground lake by boat and then soak up more of the island’s magical atmosphere at adults-only Odyssey Boutique Hotel in the tranquil fishing village of Agia Efimia.
6. Learn to weave like Penelope
Penelope’s patience as she worked at her loom in the Odyssey mirrors the weaving tradition of the Messenia region, which dates back to ancient times. During the 19th century, the Messenian capital of Kalamata, with its castle-topped old town and café-strewn seafront, was an important centre for silk production, which was used to weave the finest brocade and damask goods, often on the same kind of vertical warp-weighted loom used by Odysseus’s cunning wife.
How to do it?
During Costa Navarino’s “Penelope’s Heritage”weaving workshop, you’ll discuss Homeric themes of loyalty and resilience whilst learning traditional local weaving techniques.
7. Cast away in Corfu, Greece
Towards the end of Homer’s epic, our shipwrecked hero washes up on the island of Scheria, land of the seafaring Phaeacians, where he’s discovered by the princess Nausicaa. Nolan might not have filmed in Corfu, but this lush island is generally considered to be the location of the mythical Scheria, described by Homer as ‘a seafaring city with excellent harbors, public spaces, temples, and fortifications’. Drink in that Homeric ambience as you explore the rugged coastline and pristine bays of Paleokastritsa, where legend has it Odysseus was washed ashore, or stroll through the island’s scenic old town, which has long been a strategic maritime hub.
How to do it?
Feed on Homeric-style treats – grilled meats, fresh octopus, sheep’s cheese – at century-old family-run taverna Tripa in the traditional hillside village of Kinopiastes. Sleep like a god at Akrotiri Beach Resort & Spa overlooking Paleokastritsa’s serenely scenic bays.