Explore the real places in Athens that appear in The Odyssey by Gillian Cross. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Palace of Odysseus (Ithaca), Cave of the Nymphs / Marmarospilia, Troy, Land of the Cyclopes (Polyphemus' Cave), Aeolia, Island of Aeolus and 7 more.
Northern Ithaca, Ionian Islands — Penelope's besieged home
Penelope holds out in the palace while greedy suitors feast on Odysseus' food and tell her he is dead and she must choose a new husband. She stalls them by weaving a shroud and unpicking it by night. Her son Telemachus struggles to protect the household. Odysseus returns in disguise, strings his great bow and, with Telemachus, destroys the suitors.
Ithaca has long been identified with Homer's island kingdom. Archaeological sites in the north, such as the area near Stavros, have been proposed as the site of Odysseus' palace. Mycenaean-era remains have been found on the island, but no palace has been conclusively identified.
The Stavros area has a small archaeological museum and a bust of Odysseus. Visitors can explore the nearby hilltop ruins at Pilikata and the surrounding countryside.
Visit: Archaeological Museum of Stavros (museum)
Near Vathy, Ithaca — Where Odysseus hides the Phaeacian treasure
After the Phaeacians carry the sleeping Odysseus home, he wakes on Ithaca without recognising it. Athene disguises him as a beggar and helps him hide his gifts in a cave. They plan together how to deal with the suitors. This is the moment his ten-year journey home ends and his revenge begins.
Marmarospilia, near Vathy, is one of several caves traditionally linked with Homer's Cave of the Nymphs. Its identification is a matter of local tradition and scholarly debate.
The cave is a small natural site reached by a short walk from Vathy, the island's main town. It is an informal tourist stop.
Visit: Marmarospilia (Cave of the Nymphs) (landmark)
Hisarlik, Turkey — Where the ten-year war ended
The story starts as Odysseus, whose wooden horse trick had won the war, sets sail from Troy with his men. His victory leaves the gods angry, and Poseidon's fury is the force that drives the ten years of storms and wandering that follow. His men's first raid on the Ciconians shows how fragile their luck is.
The mound of Hisarlik was identified as Troy by Heinrich Schliemann in the 1870s. Excavations reveal nine main cities built on top of each other, with Troy VI or VIIa often linked to the legendary war. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Troy is an archaeological park near Çanakkale with ruins of walls, gateways and a modern wooden horse replica. A museum nearby displays finds.
Visit: Troy Archaeological Site (historic site)
Bay of Naples area, Italy — Traditional site of the Cyclops
Odysseus and twelve men enter a cave and are trapped by the one-eyed giant Polyphemus, who eats several of them. Odysseus gets him drunk and tells him his name is 'Nobody', then blinds him with a sharpened stake. The crew escape clinging beneath the sheep. When Odysseus boasts of his real name, Polyphemus prays to his father Poseidon, who then pursues Odysseus.
Ancient writers placed the Cyclopes near volcanic regions of Sicily and the Campi Flegrei near Naples. The area's volcanic activity probably inspired legends of giants.
The Campi Flegrei is a volcanic caldera with parks, craters and ancient ruins, including the Solfatara crater and the Archaeological Park of Cumae.
Visit: Campi Flegrei Archaeological Park (park)
Aeolian Islands, Italy — The bag of winds
King Aeolus, keeper of the winds, welcomes Odysseus and gives him a bag containing all the adverse winds. Within sight of Ithaca, the suspicious crew open the bag while Odysseus sleeps, thinking it holds treasure. The storm drives them back, and Aeolus refuses to help again.
The Aeolian Islands are a volcanic archipelago north of Sicily. Ancient Greeks associated them with Aeolus, and Lipari has been inhabited since the Neolithic era.
The islands are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular with hikers and sailors. Lipari has an archaeological museum.
Visit: Aeolian Archaeological Museum, Lipari (museum)
Monte Circeo, Italy — The enchantress who turns men to swine
Circe turns half of Odysseus' crew into pigs. Odysseus, protected by the herb moly given by Hermes, forces her to restore them. They stay a year feasting before she advises him to visit the Underworld and tells him how to pass the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis.
Monte Circeo, a promontory on the Lazio coast, has been identified since antiquity as Circe's island. It was once surrounded by marshland and looked like an island.
Monte Circeo is part of Circeo National Park, with hiking trails, caves and the coastal town of San Felice Circeo.
Visit: Circeo National Park (park)
Li Galli islands, Amalfi Coast, Italy — Deadly song
Following Circe's advice, Odysseus has his men plug their ears with wax while he is tied to the mast to hear the Sirens' alluring song. He begs to be released but the crew rows on, rope tightening. The ship passes safely.
Li Galli, near Positano, are traditionally associated with the Sirens. The islands were later owned by dancer Rudolf Nureyev.
The islands are privately owned but a popular boat-trip sight from Positano and Amalfi coast towns.
Between Sicily and Calabria — Six men lost
Odysseus steers between the six-headed monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis. Scylla snatches six of his men as the ship passes. Later, after his crew slaughter the Sun god's cattle on Thrinacia, Zeus destroys the ship, and Odysseus alone survives by clinging to wreckage that drifts back through Charybdis.
The narrow strait has strong currents and whirlpools, which the ancients linked with Charybdis. The Italian town of Scilla preserves the name of the monster.
The strait is a busy shipping channel between Messina and Reggio Calabria. Scilla has a castle, beach and a viewpoint over the strait.
Visit: Castello Ruffo di Scilla (landmark)
Possibly Gozo, Malta — Seven years of captivity
Shipwrecked and alone, Odysseus is held by the nymph Calypso for seven years, who wants him as her husband. He sits on the shore weeping for Ithaca and Penelope. Finally Zeus sends Hermes to order his release, and he builds a raft to leave, only to be wrecked by Poseidon.
Gozo is one of the classical candidates for Ogygia. Calypso's Cave above Ramla Bay is named after the tradition.
Ramla Bay is a beach with reddish sand and views of the cave. The Ġgantija temples on Gozo are a UNESCO site.
Visit: Calypso's Cave viewpoint, Ramla Bay (landmark)
Corfu, Greece — Where Odysseus is rescued
Naked and exhausted, Odysseus washes ashore and is found by Princess Nausicaa. King Alcinous and Queen Arete welcome him. At their feast he tells the story of his wanderings, and the Phaeacians carry him home in a magical ship.
Corfu has been identified with Scheria since antiquity. Local tradition says Nausicaa met Odysseus at Ermones or Paleokastritsa.
Corfu's Old Town is a UNESCO site, and Paleokastritsa is a popular beach and monastery area.
Visit: Paleokastritsa (landmark)
Messenia, Peloponnese — Telemachus seeks news
Athene sends Telemachus to ask old King Nestor if he has news of his father. Nestor recounts the war's aftermath but knows nothing of Odysseus' fate. He sends Telemachus on to Sparta.
The Palace of Nestor is a Mycenaean site dating to the 13th century BC, excavated by Carl Blegen in 1939. Linear B tablets were found here.
The site has a protective roof and walkways, with an archaeological museum in nearby Chora.
Visit: Palace of Nestor (historic site)
Laconia, Peloponnese — Helen and Menelaus
Telemachus is received by Menelaus and Helen, now reconciled after Troy. Menelaus tells how Proteus revealed that Odysseus was trapped on Calypso's island. Telemachus learns his father is alive and hurries home, unaware the suitors plan an ambush.
Ancient Sparta was a powerful city-state in Laconia. The Mycenaean-era Menelaion on a hill southeast of the city was a shrine to Menelaus and Helen.
The modern town of Sparti has an archaeological museum and the ruins of the ancient acropolis. The Menelaion can be visited outside town.
Visit: Archaeological Museum of Sparta (museum)
More by Gillian Cross: All Gillian Cross books
Other nearby maps: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller locations map