OTIUM Travel
Naples: a drop reflecting the world
The main goal of the workshop is to explore the history of European civilization through a deep dive into the cultural heritage of Naples, following a unique conceptual itinerary instead of standard excursions.
Dates: October 9-11, 2026
Location: Naples and surrounding area
Lecturer: Asya Stein
Number of participants: 20
Naples and its surroundings are one of those places where the entire history of European civilization is condensed, like a drop of water, from the first Etruscan settlements and Greek colonies to the turbulent events of modern European history. If you want to feel a connection with the times and experience the beauty and unity of European civilization, you definitely need to visit Naples. What makes our trip different from traditional excursions? This isn't just a collection of "sights" from glossy tourist postcards, but a carefully crafted itinerary united by a single concept.
At each stage of the trip, participants will experience exciting quests, research and creative tasks, and even role-playing games. At one stage, you'll even have to make a short film! All this will help you become active participants in the captivating, almost detective-like, exploration of the ancient city, rather than passive, bored listeners.
"Neapolitan Layer Cake" - descending from the Cathedral of St. Lawrence onto the Roman shopping street with its shops, taverns, and bakeries, strolling through the early Christian catacombs and the labyrinth of the ancient city's aqueduct, we literally physically feel the connection between times in the ancient city.
Pictures and conversations: unfortunately, you won't be able to talk to the inhabitants of ancient cities, but it's quite possible to see how they saw themselves and the world around them. After all, an entire Tretyakov Gallery was preserved under a layer of Vesuvian ash in Pompeii and Herculaneum! And in the courtyard of the Santa Chiara monastery, we'll also see pictures, and not at all on religious themes! Here are real comics from medieval Naples!
Circuses, domes, and aqueducts—the arch as the key to Roman civilization. The Romans were the first to learn how to build arched structures. And in doing so, they completely transformed the ancient world. How did the arch influence ancient civilization? We'll discuss this during a tour of the galleries and dungeons of the ancient Roman Circus in Pozzuola. But it's not just there. Arches will be all around us!
"To be Roman is to be Christian" - mosaics in the 5th-century baptistery and mysterious frescoes in the early Christian catacombs allow us to see a completely different Christianity than the one we are accustomed to.
Lecturer: Asya Shtein
Philologist, specialist in classical literature, mythology, and semiotics. Graduated from the Classics Department of the Philology Faculty of Moscow State University.
Co-founder of the educational project "Vagants."
Regular lecturer and teacher at the international children's camp "Marabou."
Course author on the educational portal Arzamas. Hosts podcasts, gives lectures on literature and art, and writes extensively on education and child rearing.
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