Reading and Movie List – Greece
Reading and Movies
We do carry a portable library on tour, but you may also be interested in the following books. Be
sure to check out the Reading Room of our website at
www.experienceplus.com/reading_room.html for additional suggestions and to read reviews.
Guidebooks
We recommend any of the standard, current guidebooks such as Fodor’s, Frommer’s, Lonely
Planet, and Rick Steves. The regional Michelin ―Green Guides‖ are personal favorites and
probably the best available sources for historical and geographical information. For
encyclopedic history and art, the "Blue Guide" series of guidebooks are recommended. These
guides are available in a number of editions by region or by city.
Literature on Greece
The King Must Die, The Bull from the Sea, and The Mask of Apollo by Mary Renault. A
variety of historical novels.
Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation by Nikos Kazantzakis. Others by Kazantzakis: At
The Palaces of Knossos, Alexander the Great: A Novel.
Guide to Greece and Volume 2: Southern Greece by Peter Levi Pausanias. This is one of
the first guidebooks ever written. It’s by a Greek geographer and historian writing in the
second century A.D. Volume two contains the Peloponnesus and includes descriptions and
reflections on the areas we cycle through. At the time the book was written the Olympic
Games hadn't been held in 500 years, so it really is an historic treatise.
Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese by Patrick L. Fermor. This describes life in the
once-remote middle peninsula of the southern Peloponnesus.
The Colossus of Maroussi by Henry Miller is a personal travel memoir.
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. Recounts his childhood explorations on
Corfu.
Dancing Girl by Thordis Simonsen provides a wonderful close-up view of life in a modern
Greek village in the 1980s. Thordis' book can be difficult to find. Check your local library for
a copy.
North of Ithaca by Eleni N. Gage. Nicholas Gage’s daughter Eleni tells the story of giving up
her life in New York to return to her father’s village to restore the old family house.
Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres. This story takes place on the island of Cephalonia
and follows the lives of its people from pre World War II through the Italian occupation and
on to present day Greece.
After The War Was Over: Reconstructing The Family, Nation, and State in Greece, 19431960; and Inside Hitler’s Greece: The Story of Occupation, 1941-1944 by Mark Mazower.
The House By The Sea: A Portrait of the Holocaust In Greece by Elia Aelion, Rebecca
Fromer.
A Concise History of Greece by Richard Clogg.
The Late Night News by Petros Markaris. This is a Detective story set in Athens. The plot
involves a series of murders in the Greek media and Albanian immigrants. Detective Haritos
is a very contemporary figure. We have amusing insights into his uncomfortable marriage
while he takes on the media tycoons.
Dinner with Persephone by Patricia Storace. Patricia Storace lived in Athens in the early
90s and these are her comments and acute observations of Greeks both historically and
socially. Informed by a background in Western history and literature the author magically
conjures up places where the unseen worlds of the past – Roman, Byzantine and the
Ottoman – still make their presence felt.
Literature on Cycling
The Cyclist's Training Bible by Joe Friel.
Miles from Nowhere by Barbara Savage. One of the best-written bicycle adventure stories
available. Bicycling Magazine regularly carries articles on training and technique. Visit your
local library on a Sunday afternoon and peruse their collection.
Effective Cycling by John Foresters. Tells you everything you could possibly need to know
and more, including safety, maintenance, technique and the physiology of cycling.
Movies About or Set in Greece That We Have Enjoyed
Shirley Valentine. Stars British actress Pauline Collins as a saucy, middle-aged, married
woman who travels to Greece and falls in love with not only the country but one of its men
as well.
Zorba the Greek. Anthony Quinn brings Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel to the screen with a
unique view of life in an isolated Greek village.
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz star in this 2001 film directed
by John Madden. Although filmed on the island of Cephallonia in the Ionian Sea (an area
we unfortunately won’t see on our tours), the spectacular beauty of this film will make you
look forward to your trip in the Cyclades!
My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Although not about or set in Greece, this light-hearted romantic
comedy directed by Joel Zwick is hilarious. Staring Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Michael
Constantine and Lainie Kazan, this film is based on the real-life experiences of Ms. Vardalos
and depicts the life of a 30 year old single Greek-American woman whose family is less than
thrilled when she chooses to do the unthinkable—marry a non-Greek.
A Touch of Spice. A film set in Istanbul and Athens. A young Greek boy learns a love of
Greek food and cooking, growing up in Istanbul. He later opens a restaurant in Athens.
Mama Mia! - A musical set on the Sporadic island of Skopelos. Features Meryl Streep and
Pierce Brosnan singing their hearts out. Harmless fun best enjoyed with a group of friends.
General Tourist Information Websites
Internet Guide to Greece: www.gogreece.com. An internet directory of shopping, museums,
entertainment, travel information, and more, in Greece.
Greece Travel Info: www.travelinfo.gr. Vacation, hotel, and other travel information for
Greece. Includes maps, exchange rates, embassy information, and other helpful contact
information.