May 20th: Departure from PHL to ATH
May 21st: Arrival at ATH – checking in at hotel in the historical district of Athens (Plaka, Monastiraki) – visiting the Acropolis in the early evening and studying the diachronic use of the naturally defensible site from the Neolithic until the Ottoman period – dinner in the Thiseion district
May 22nd: Driving to the Peloponnese in the morning – visiting the sites of Mycenae and Tiryns and discussing Bronze Age fortifications as an expression of dominance and territorial control in the Argolid region – lunch and dinner at Nafplio – visiting the archaeological museum is optional – staying overnight in the same town.
May 23rd: Visiting the Ottoman fort of Palamidi in the morning, discussing improvements and modifications in defensive architecture during the 17th and 18th centuries due to the use of gunpowder – driving to the Byzantine fortified town of Mystras in the afternoon, the last Byzantine stronghold in southern Greece, complete with palaces, urban neighborhoods, workshops, churches, and monasteries – staying in the fortified island of medieval Monemvasia for the night.
May 24th: Exploring the lower and upper town of Monemvasia, the only castle still inhabited in Greece which was largely renovated in the 1990’s and 2000’s – driving to Pylos in the evening
May 25th: Exploring the medieval forts of Koroni and Methoni, Venetian sites controlling a complex network of coastal trading posts in the eastern Mediterranean during the 15th and 16th centuries – staying in Pylos overnight
May 26th: Driving to Kyllini – visiting the Frankish fort of Chlemoutsi (Castel Tornese), the only fortification in Greece that retains its original Frankish architecture with minor later modifications – staying in Kyllini for the night
May 27th: Visiting the fortified rocky knoll of Acrocorinth, the acropolis of the city state of Corinth. The site was occupied by the ancient Greeks, and later by the Byzantines, Franks, Venetians and Ottomans who recognized the strategic location of the fort as the “gate” into the Peloponnese peninsula – returning to Athens for the last night
May 28th: Departure from ATH to PHL