Program 809: Women of Pompeii; Lesser-Known Greek Isles; Weird Ireland

Learn about the societal roles and everyday lives of the women of Pompeii. Then get recommendations from a Greek tour guide for some islands that should be on your radar for your next visit. And take a walk on the Emerald Isle's weird side with a local collector of all things offbeat, outlandish, and delightfully Irish.

• Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, author of "The Buried City" (University of Chicago Press)
• Athens-based tour guide Apostolos Douras
• Brinsley McNamara, videographer and author of "Weird Ireland" (Hachette Books Ireland)

• Gabriel Zuchtriegel has been director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park since 2021, and highlights what recent excavations at Pompeii reveal in his just-released book, "The Buried City: Unearthing the Real Pompeii." They are hosting a special exhibit on "Being a Woman in Ancient Pompeii" through January 2026.
• Rick has assembled a walking tour for Pompeii, with a map of the site, including a 39-minute narration that you can download to your smartphone or other devices.
• Tour guide Apostolos Douras includes photos and information on the places in Greece where he guides on his Wonders of Knowledge website. He shared more of his Greek isle favorites on Travel with Rick Steves program #762 in August 2024.
• The smaller Greek islands Apostolos recommends visiting in the Aegean include Syros, just west of Mikonos, and the four inhabited islands of the Lesser Cyclades, or "Small Cyclades" that lie offshore from Naxos. They are Ano Koufonisi, Irakleia, Schoinoussa, and Donousa.
• In the northern Aegean, Apostolos recommends Skopelos as the greenest of the Greek isles, and Samothrace (Samothraki).
• For hikers he suggests volcanic Nisyros in the Dodacanese islands, not far from Bodrum, Turkey, and further east, Kastellorizo, which lies just offshore from Kas, Turkey.
• Brinsley McNamara is the host of the "Weird Ireland" podcast and videos, and author of the book "Weird Ireland," from his home in the heart of Ireland in County Westmeath. His YouTube video series is also found on Instagram and TikTok.

Pgm 809 Autumn haiku

First blush of autumn
Reminds summer's verdancy
It is time for rest
—Wil, Kent, Washington

Fall arrived today
While sitting at the Cafe
On the Roman road.
—Janet Jobe, Chattanooga

In Oktober Fest
instead of drinking I stroll
the English Garden
—Royal Rhodes, Gambier, Ohio