Most travelers who’ve been to Rome come home having seen what Rome wanted them to see. The Colosseum. The Forum. The story the empire told about itself from the center.
What they don’t see is how Rome actually worked — how it absorbed the cultures it encountered rather than erasing them, how it built cities in North Africa and western Turkey and northern Greece that were simultaneously Roman and something else entirely. That story is only visible from the edges.
This briefing covers five sites where that story is still legible. Dougga in Tunisia. Ephesus in Turkey. Carthage. Thessaloniki. Philippi. Each one shows the Roman Empire doing something the Colosseum cannot — negotiating with the world beyond Italy.
It also previews two expeditions we’re building for 2027: Algeria and Roman Provence. If either calls to you, this is the right time to say so.
The briefing is for intellectually curious travelers who’ve been to Rome and come home knowing something more was possible. If that’s you — it’s yours to request.
You’ll receive the briefing immediately, followed by a short series of notes from Mary over the next few weeks. No sales pressure. Unsubscribe anytime.
