Ancient World Odyssey
9:1 Student to Staff Ratio
$1,000 Scholarships Available
Why Take this Program?
From the heart of the Roman republic to the soul of Greek democracy, this program offers you an unforgettable odyssey. Homer, Virgil, Cicero and Plato will be our guides as we explore the ruins and examine great literature. By reading from Homer’s the Iliad and Odyssey, re-enacting Greek plays, and participating in symposium discussions, you discover hidden insights that transcend time. As Winston Churchill proclaimed, “The farther back, you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.”
What People Are Saying
Alexandra Ignjatic
(Pictured on the left)
Student, Ancient World Odyssey, 2019
Program Itinerary
Explore this program’s detailed itinerary for a sense of the journey ahead!
Program Preparation
Foundation Work
Our Foundation Work is designed to connect students with their teachers and classmates and to help prepare them for their session on site. Course preparation will consist of 10-15 hours (not including novel reading time) per course that will have students focus on course novels and research projects. Students have access to the course website where reading lists are posted in March. Assignments are released in May and due a week before departure.
Departure
Days 1–2: All of our programs begin at our study-abroad departure hub, Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. Five hours before departure, a short meeting is held at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel, Terminal 3, to distribute course packs, T-shirts and MEI Journals, and to clarify travel procedures. All students are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to the Sheraton Gateway Hotel. Students making alternate arrangements must contact MEI before March 31.
Rome
Days 2–10: We begin our odyssey in the Eternal City where the ghosts of Romulus, Caesar, and Augustus echo through the streets as we investigate what is perhaps the world’s finest open-air museum. Whether writing morning notes on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica, performing Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in the Roman Forum or sampling the world’s best gelato at the Trevi Fountain, in Rome, we journey through time as we investigate the city’s rise and fall.
Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri
Days 10–13: After a stop in Pompeii—one of Italy’s most significant archaeological sites and a tragically buried city—students make their way above the Amalfi Coast to Sorrento. Believed to be the place where Homer’s mythological sirens enticed Odysseus and his crew with their songs, Sorrento is now a stunning clifftop town famous for its views and for inspiring such literary giants as Byron, Goethe, and Dickens. Students study the classic story of Homer’s Odyssey, while a day trip to nearby Capri reveals why this has been a favourite holiday destination for society’s elite.
Olympia and the Peloponnese
Days 13-19: Voyaging across the Ionian Sea, we arrive on the west coast of Greece and spend a night in Olympia, home to the monumental temple of mighty Zeus and birthplace of the original Olympic games. Here students have the unique opportunity to lace up and run the original Olympic stadium’s track.
We continue our exploration of Greece with a trip through the Peloponnese where we explore the pre-historic mountaintop citadel of Mycenae—from which Agamemnon launched his fateful assault on Troy—before heading on to the seaside town of Tolo. Crystal-clear waters, the freshest calamari, and genuine small-town Greek hospitality make this a favourite stop on our journey across the Mediterranean world. Leaving the coast behind, we then visit Epidaurus. Once the most important centre for healing in the ancient world, it is still home to the acoustically perfect theatre that hosts Greek plays during the summer months.
Athens
Days 19-27: Our study of the ancient world continues as we reside in Athena’s favourite city—Athens. Home to the birthplace of Western democracy, philosophy, art, architecture, literature and history, our academics focus on the rise of Athens after the defeat of the Persians and the Golden Age of Pericles. We spend our days exploring the Theater of Dionysus, the ruins of the Temple of Zeus, and the Acropolis, while our evenings are spent exploring the Plaka and enjoying rooftop dinners in this ancient city.
Santorini
Days 28-35: Our adventure continues on the picture-perfect island of Santorini. Here, students enjoy the warmth of black volcanic beaches and retrace the legends of the lost Minoan civilization of Atlantis. Greek myth provides us with a vast source of literature to explore ancient Greek history, art and poetry. After our final assignments and exams, we conclude with an epic hike along the caldera from the town of Oia and take in some of the most stunning vistas in the world. Ending with a sunset dinner in our cliff-side home in the island’s capital, Fira, we say goodbye to our island paradise.
Departure from Athens Airport (Day 35)
Rome
Pompeii
Sorrento
Capri
The Peloponnese
Athens
Santorini
What’s Included
Fee Breakdown
Program Costs
- Ministry-approved credit(s) upon successful completion of the course(s)
- Custom course pack
- Student Login
- MEI journal
- MEI T-Shirt
- Digital yearbook
Travel Costs
- Hotels and accommodations
- Breakfast and dinner daily
- Entrance fees to all course-specific sites
- Return airfare from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport
- Approximate airline departure taxes, surcharges and fees
- Airfare between countries
- Transportation between hotel locations via private coach
- Transportation for all listed program excursions
Program Fee Does Not Include
- Lunches
- Insurances
- Gratuities
- Course texts
- Medical Insurance and Cancellation Protection†
- Non-refundable $95 Registration Fee
†All students travelling with MEI Academy are required to purchase Medical Insurance.
*Based on air fares, land tariffs and currency exchange rates as of January, 2019.
Please note the possibility of increases in airfares and land costs prior to departure. Any increase must be borne by the individual participant.
**Program cost does not include non-refundable $95 registration fee.
Ready to take the next step?