We are offering 22 tickets to the first Benaki Festival in the fabulous seaside village of Kardamyli in the Greek Peloponnese.

With only 60 attendees, this will be a relaxed and intimate chance to learn about all things Greek- its history, myth, music- in the glorious setting of Patrick and Joan Leigh Fermor’s House, recently restored by the Benaki Museum of Athens.

Your Hellenophile guides will entertain you for just the mornings, leaving the afternoons free to explore the dramatic countryside around, or simply sunbathe and swim. On the Saturday evening, we’ll all dine together at a local taverna where our speakers will compete for your vote for ‘Greatest Greek’- to the accompaniment of music from Epirus.

Your ticket will include all talks and the taverna dinner. Flights and accommodation are for you to organise, although we’ll be happy to recommend to excellent Notos Hotel, with its wonderful sea-views, at a special price for the week. Flights to Kalamata (one hour away) and Athens (three hours away) can be booked with British Airways, Easyjet or Aegean.

Guest speakers include: writer and actor Stephen Fry, international bestselling author Victoria Hislop, writer and satirist Ian Hislop, classicist and broadcaster Bethany Hughes, academic and author Paul Cartledge, Academic Director of the Benaki Museum in Athens George Manginis, and many more.