From May 17 to June 6, 2026, the Canadian Institute in Greece welcomed 22 students from universities across Canada for its annual Anglophone Summer School. Combining lectures with visits to archaeological sites and museums, the program offered participants the opportunity to experience firsthand the monuments and landscapes they had previously encountered only in textbooks. The first and third weeks of the course combined lectures at the Canadian Institute with guided visits to major archaeological sites and museums of Athens and Attica. The second week was dedicated to a field trip across the Peloponnese, allowing students to explore key archaeological monuments firsthand. Throughout three weeks of travel across Attica and the Peloponnese, classroom discussions came to life as students explored the monuments, museums, and cultural heritage that have shaped the history of Greece.
The program started on May 17 with a welcome dinner, giving students the opportunity to meet one another before embarking on their journey through Greece. Lectures began the following morning at the Canadian Institute, introducing many of the themes that would accompany the group throughout the program. During the first week, morning lectures explored topics including Bronze Age Greece, the Acropolis, the topography of ancient Athens, and Greek pottery and sculpture. Each afternoon, students stepped beyond the classroom to experience these subjects in the places where history unfolded.
The first excursion took the group to the summit of Mount Lycabettus, where panoramic views provided an introduction to the topography of Athens. Over the following days, students visited the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum, admiring, among other monuments, the Parthenon and the Erechtheion, while considering their architectural, historical, and cultural significance. Visits to the Classical and Roman Agoras offered insight into the civic, political, and commercial heart of the ancient city, while the National Archaeological Museum provided the opportunity to examine masterpieces spanning thousands of years of Greek history. A day trip to the island of Aegina concluded the week, where students explored the Temple of Aphaia before enjoying free time by the sea, followed by a free day to discover Athens.
On May 25, the group departed for the Peloponnese, where the program shifted from lectures to an intensive week of visits across some of Greece’s most important archaeological sites. The journey started at the Sanctuary of Demeter at Eleusis before crossing the Corinth Canal to visit Acrocorinth and Ancient Corinth, whose Temple of Apollo remains one of the city’s most recognizable monuments.
The following day students immersed themselves in the world of the Mycenaeans through visits to the Late Bronze Age citadels at Mycenae and Tiryns. Entering the tomb of Atreus, walking through the Lion Gate, exploring the palatial remains, and standing beneath the Cyclopean fortifications brought Bronze Age Greece vividly to life. The day concluded with an exploration of Nafplio’s old town and a visit to the medieval Palamidi Fortress, adding another chapter to the region’s long and fascinating history.
The journey continued to Epidaurus, where students explored the Sanctuary of Asklepios, one of the most important healing centres of the ancient Greek world, and tested the remarkable acoustics of its theatre, which continues to host performances today. At ancient Nemea, they visited the sanctuary of Zeus and its museum before learning about the region’s long-standing wine-making tradition while enjoying a tasting of local wines at the Bairaktaris Winery.
Travelling south, the Summer School visited the Archaeological Museum of Sparta before exploring the medieval city of Mystras, with its many churches, Frankish castle, and the recently restored Palace of the Despots. The day concluded with a free afternoon in the city of Kalamata.
The following two days focused on Messenia, beginning with a visit to Ancient Messene, where students explored one of Greece’s best-preserved ancient cities including its Theatre, Stadium, Agora, and Asklepieion. The trip continued to the west coast of Messenia, where the group visited the Castle of Pylos and its museums, which display material from important archaeological sites in the region as well as underwater discoveries from across Greece. Students also learned about the Battle of Navarino, a decisive event in the Greek War of Independence. The visit to the archaeological site of the Palace of Nestor, the best-preserved Mycenaean palace, was followed by a stop at the impressive medieval fortress of Methoni, and well-deserved time at the beach in front of the fortress. The next day the group continued north to Ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games, where students explored the sanctuary of Zeus and practiced running at the ancient stadium.
The final week began with the journey across the Rio-Antirio bridge to visit the Panhellenic Sanctuary at Delphi, at the foot of Mount Parnassus, home to the famous Oracle of Delphi, whose pronouncements influenced political and religious decisions throughout the ancient Greek world. The spectacular mountain landscape provided a dramatic setting for one of the most important sanctuaries of the ancient Greek world. A stop at the fortress of Eleutherai brought the group back to Athens, and the next day students presented the results of their on-site projects and reflected on their experiences of sites visited along the trip. The final trip took students to the Sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron and the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.
The Summer School concluded with a farewell dinner in the picturesque neighbourhood of Anafiotika in Plaka. After three weeks of shared discoveries, lively discussions, long bus rides, and unforgettable archaeological sites, students said goodbye carrying not only a deeper understanding of Greece’s past, but also friendships and memories that will remain long after the journey home.
Reflecting on the Summer School, many students emphasized that the program offered far more than the opportunity to visit famous archaeological sites:
"The trip was absolutely amazing! It was surreal to see all the ancient sites I've been learning about in class for years and walk the same paths as the Ancient Greeks. The bus trips through the countryside were lovely, the food was delicious, and swimming in the Mediterranean was fantastic. I also made really great friendships with people I would never have met otherwise. I am so glad I went!"
Another student reflected on the diversity of experiences the Summer School offered:
"Overall, my experience on this trip has been amazing! I tried new foods, tasted local wines, met new people who I now consider friends, and saw places I never thought I would get to experience in person. One of my favourite stops was the island of Aegina, with its beautiful landscape and the impressive Temple of Aphaia and Sanctuary of Apollo."
