We Travel.
Italy and Greece are two of our favorite travel destinations. And “Livy’s History Notes” explains why. This is a journal of one of the best trips we have taken so far. It chronicles a good old-fashioned road trip around parts of Italy, mainland Greece and the Peloponnesus. We jammed a lot of history into this adventure and it was fabulous. Along the way we ate, we laughed, we freaked out, we shopped, we drove all over, we had fun, we learned a lot, and we met a lot of wonderful people. And, by the way, Livy was with us every step of the way!
Author’s introduction
by Kristin Fredrickson
My husband Andrew is an exceptional man and he is the love of my life. I knew that when we first met during a Management class at graduate school in Chicago. Just before the final exam we decided to get married. During that winter quarter romance, one of the things we discovered about each other was a mutual passion for traveling. So when we took our marriage vows we included something extra. We promised each other we would see the world together. That was in 1981. We have been on the go ever since.
Every trip has been an adventure and we jumped into each one with unbridled enthusiasm. When we were younger we were drawn to the exotic and out of the way destinations like Katmandu, Zanzibar, Antarctica and Ulan Bator which truly were awesome places to explore. And several of them gave us a little more adventure than we bargained for! But as we “matured’ we began to gravitate back to places we really liked. We shed the requirements for special visas, country guides and regimented itineraries cast in stone in favor of places where we would say to ourselves, “We love it here.” And those are the special places we keep returning to.
At home for us is near Atlanta — a little east of Rome, northwest of Athens and Sparta, and northeast of Macedonia, Georgia.
Photo Gallery
An Invitation
by Tom Henz
There’s no place like Rome. Founded in 753 B.C. according to legend by the city’s first king, Romulus, it was the world’s headquarters for over 1000 years during the Empire. The city contains layers upon layers of archeological treasures. A center of art and architecture, culture and cuisine, Rome is one of the most visited cities in the world.
I invite you on a three-month journey inside Rome and beyond through the journal of your tour guide, Kristin, her husband and your driver, Andrew, and their six-month old English Springer Spaniel, Titus Livius – Livy for short. Yes, you read that right, they are traveling with a six-month old puppy and that’s not half as funny as the tales you will read along the way.
This isn’t Kristin and Andrew’s first rodeo. In fact they have traveled together to over 100 countries so you will be in their good, capable hands. Kristin was a Classical Humanities major at THE Ohio State University and has carried a passion for history with her throughout their travels. She continues to be an avid student of history, as is evident in the bibliography that follows, and has a true gift for bringing history to life in an interesting and entertaining way. In addition to travel and history, Kristin and Andrew are avid foodies. Throughout your journey you will read some mouth-watering descriptions of feasts you can almost taste.
Speaking of food, your journey’s icing on the cake is a trip through Greece. Located at the geographic and historic crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, Greece is considered the cradle of Western civilization. The territory was annexed by Rome from 146 B.C. thus becoming an integral part of Rome’s vast empire.
This promises to be a wonderful journey with all the spectacular sights you will see, the interesting history you will learn and the engaging culture you will experience. Come join them for a fun, funny and fantastic trip through Rome, Greece and history. We’ll leave the driving to Andrew!
Book Chapters
Destination Rome
Hotel Villa San Pio
Villa d’Este
Two of Rome’s Major Museums
Advil, Crypto Balbi, and the Jewish Quarter
Palazzo Altemps and the Stadium of Domitian
Prima Porta and Chocolate Lava Cake
Albanian Flashback
The Vatican, Piazza Farnese, and Campo di Fiori
Prima Porta, Livia’s Villa, and Another Chocolate Lava Cake
The Capitoline Hill
Palazzo Venezia
Conad and the Milvian Bridge
Tiber River Walk and Hadrian’s Mausoleum
Fassi!
Hadrian’s Mausoleum Again and Bimba
ATM Practice
Travel Day
Travel Day from Hell
Recovery from Travel Day from Hell
Actium and Cleopatra’s Channel
Dodoni: The First Oracle of Zeus
The Entrance to the Underworld
Loafing Around Ioannina
Meteora: The Stunning Clifftop Monasteries
Patras and the Cathedral of Saint Andrew
Ioannina: A Byzantine City
Thessaloniki: Greece’s Second City
The Tomb of Philip II of Macedon
More of Cosmopolitan Thessaloniki
Amphipolis and Philippi
Mount Olympus, Dion, and Pydna
Chalkidiki and Mount Athos
Constantinopletoneshedoodlesac
Stagira: Aristotle’s Hometown
Volos and Haircuts
An Olympian Breakfast and Centaurs
The Upper Peninsula
Thermopylae
Demetrias and Larissa
Pharsalus: Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great, and Achilles
Travel Day: Uh-Oh
Unscheduled Travel Day and Marathon
Nafplio and the Peloponnesus
Thanksgiving at Cape Sounion
Black Friday in the Peloponnesus: “Land of the Gods and Heroes”
Sparti, Monemvasia, and a Dogfight
Agamemnon
Lerna and Nafplio
Athens
The Oracle at Delphi
Ferries to Salamis and Piraeus
Pylos and Nestor’s Palace
Plataea, Freshly Baked Ladyfingers, and the Corinth Canal
Gazing at the Face of Agamemnon
Corinth and Acrocorinth
Ferry to Spetses
Epidaurus and the Archaeological Museum in Nafplio
Pearl Harbor Day and Hydra
Olympia
Ferry to Aegina
Tolo and Nafplio
Athens Again
Bassae
Farewell Nafplio
Grimaldi Lines Again
Rome, Sweet Rome
The Propaganda Cafe
Theatre of Pompey
Amethysts Again
The Camparini Cafe
Winter Solstice
More Shopping
The Mithraeum Beneath Santa Prisca
Christmas Eve and Assisi
Christmas Day and a Glorious Celebration in St. Peter’s Square
Florence, Elegant Florence
Rain
Shopping Yet Again
Livy’s Travel Exam
Wrapping It Up in Rome
A Perfect Day in the Eternal City
New Year’s Day: A Big Travel Day
Milan and Caravaggio
The Outlet Mall and a Score at Loro Piana
Let’s Go Home
