Prehistoric & Ancient
4500 BC – 480 BC
4500–3300 BC
Carnac Standing Stones
5,500+ megaliths erected by Neolithic people in Brittany, France. These stones are older than the Egyptian pyramids — already 1,400 years old when the first pyramid was built. We visit Jul 16.
Brittany, France
Normandy
3100 BC
Egyptian Pyramids Begin
Carnac stones were already 1,400 years old when the first pyramid was built. A reminder of just how ancient the things we'll see in Brittany truly are.
Egypt
776 BC
First Olympic Games
Athletic competition as religious festival at Olympia, Greece. Romans abolished them in 394 AD. The origin of the world's greatest sporting tradition.
Olympia, Greece
753 BC
Rome Founded
Romulus and Remus. The city that became the center of Western civilization begins as a village on seven hills. We walk these same hills Jul 2–5.
Rome, Italy
Italy
509 BC
Roman Republic Founded
Kings expelled, Senate established. The model for modern democracy. Lasted 500 years before giving way to Empire.
Rome, Italy
Italy
490 BC
Battle of Marathon
Athenians defeat the Persian invasion. A runner ran 26 miles to announce victory. Origin of the marathon.
Marathon, Greece
480 BC
Battle of Thermopylae
300 Spartans hold the pass against 100,000 Persians. King Leonidas. "Come and take them." One of history's greatest last stands.
Thermopylae, Greece
Ancient World
356 BC – 146 BC
356 BC
Alexander the Great Born
Son of Philip II of Macedon. Tutored by Aristotle. Would conquer the known world by age 30 and never lose a battle.
Macedon, Greece
334–323 BC
Alexander Conquers the World
Defeated the Persian Empire at Granicus (334 BC), Issus (333 BC), and Gaugamela (331 BC). Conquered Egypt, founded Alexandria, pushed into India. Died in Babylon at 32 having never lost a battle. Empire stretched from Greece to India.
Greece to India
264–146 BC
Punic Wars
Rome vs. Carthage. Hannibal crossed the Alps with war elephants and nearly destroyed Rome. Rome won and became the undisputed Mediterranean superpower.
Mediterranean
Italy
Classical Rome
100 BC – 476 AD
100–44 BC
Julius Caesar
Conquered Gaul (58–50 BC) — the land we travel through. Crossed the Rubicon. Assassinated on the Ides of March. Changed Rome forever.
Rome & Gaul
Italy
Bordeaux
58–50 BC
Caesar Conquers Gaul
The territory we drive through — Bordeaux, Sarlat, the Dordogne — was wild Celtic country Caesar conquered over 8 years. His Gallic Wars writings survive.
Gaul (France)
Bordeaux
31 BC
Battle of Actium
Octavian defeats Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Rome transitions from Republic to Empire. The end of the last great civil war.
Actium, Greece
27 BC
Roman Empire Begins
Augustus Caesar. Pax Romana begins — 200 years of peace. The Mediterranean becomes a Roman lake. The world we walk through in Rome was built during this era.
Rome, Italy
Italy
79 AD
Vesuvius Destroys Pompeii
City of 20,000 preserved in ash for 1,700 years. Discovered 1748. A snapshot of Roman daily life frozen in time.
Pompeii, Italy
Italy
80 AD
Colosseum Completed
Held 50,000–80,000 spectators. Gladiatorial combat for 400 years. The most famous building in the world. We visit Jul 2.
Rome, Italy
Italy
118–125 AD
Pantheon Built
Roman concrete dome, 142 feet wide, still the largest unreinforced concrete dome on Earth 1,900 years later. The oculus is the only light source. We visit Jul 2.
Rome, Italy
Italy
313 AD
Edict of Milan
Constantine legalizes Christianity. Transforms it from persecuted sect to state power. A decision that shaped the next 1,700 years of European civilization.
Milan, Italy
330 AD
Constantinople Founded
Capital moves east. The Byzantine Empire survives 1,000 more years after the West falls.
Constantinople (Istanbul)
410 AD
Sack of Rome by Visigoths
First time in 800 years. The empire was crumbling. The shock reverberated across the Mediterranean world.
Rome, Italy
476 AD
Fall of Western Roman Empire
Last emperor deposed. End of the ancient world. Start of the Middle Ages. A thousand years of Roman dominance comes to a close.
Rome, Italy
Medieval
570 AD – 1066 AD
570 AD
Muhammad Born
Prophet of Islam, born in Mecca. His teachings create a religion of 1.8 billion and drive the Crusades that reshape Europe.
Mecca, Arabia
711 AD
Moors Invade Iberia
Muslim armies cross from Africa into Spain. Southern France threatened. A new civilization establishes itself on Europe's doorstep.
Iberia (Spain)
732 AD
Battle of Tours / Poitiers
Charles Martel stops the Muslim advance into France. 60 miles south of the Loire. Possibly preserved Christian Europe. The battlefield is near our route.
Poitiers, France
Bordeaux
800 AD
Charlemagne Crowned Emperor
Pope crowns Frankish king in Rome on Christmas Day. Creates the concept of unified Christian Europe that persists to this day.
Rome, Italy
Italy
1066 AD
Battle of Hastings / Norman Conquest
William the Conqueror defeats King Harold. Normandy invades England and changes the English language forever. The Bayeux Tapestry depicts this — we see it on our trip.
Hastings, England
Normandy
The Crusades
1095 AD – 1377 AD
1095 AD
Pope Urban II Calls First Crusade
Speech given in Clermont, France — 200 miles from our Bordeaux hub. "God wills it." Sparked two centuries of holy war in the Middle East.
Clermont, France
Bordeaux
1099 AD
First Crusade Captures Jerusalem
After 3 years of marching and fighting. Massacre of Muslims and Jews upon entry. Crusader Kingdoms established, lasting nearly 200 years.
Jerusalem
1163 AD
Notre Dame Construction Begins
Gothic masterpiece in Paris. Took 200 years to build. Burned 2019, reopened 2024. We visit the newly restored cathedral Jul 11.
Paris, France
Paris
1187 AD
Saladin Recaptures Jerusalem
Chivalrous Muslim leader retakes the Holy City. Triggers the Third Crusade. Known for his honor even among his enemies.
Jerusalem
1190–1192 AD
Third Crusade
Richard I "the Lionheart" and Saladin. Richard won battles but never retook Jerusalem. Two epic adversaries who respected each other.
Holy Land
1202–1204 AD
Fourth Crusade Sacks Constantinople
Crusaders meant for Egypt sack the greatest Christian city in the world. One of history's great betrayals. Weakens Byzantium fatally.
Constantinople
1209–1229 AD
Albigensian Crusade
A crusade against Christian heretics (Cathars) in the Languedoc, southern France. "Kill them all, God will know his own." Near our travel region.
Languedoc, France
Bordeaux
1215 AD
Magna Carta
English barons force King John to sign. First limit on royal power. Foundation of constitutional government that echoes through Western law.
Runnymede, England
1271–1295 AD
Marco Polo Travels to China
Opens Europe's eyes to the Far East. European hunger for Asian goods drives the Age of Exploration that reshapes the world.
Venice to China
1309–1377 AD
Avignon Papacy
The Pope moves from Rome to Avignon, France — 150 miles from our Bordeaux hub. Seven popes ruled from France instead of Rome.
Avignon, France
Bordeaux
Late Medieval
1337 AD – 1453 AD
1337–1453 AD
Hundred Years War
France and England fight for the French throne for 116 years. Joan of Arc turns the tide. The conflict that forges French national identity.
France & England
1347–1351 AD
Black Death
Plague kills 30–60% of Europe's population. Up to 25 million dead. Reshapes European society — the survivors gain new power and mobility.
All of Europe
1429 AD
Joan of Arc Raises Siege of Orleans
17-year-old peasant girl leads French army to victory. Burned at the stake at 19. Canonized as a saint 500 years later.
Orleans, France
1453 AD
Fall of Constantinople
Ottoman Turks end the Byzantine Empire after 1,000 years. Greek scholars flee to Italy, bringing ancient texts. Triggers the Renaissance.
Constantinople
Renaissance
1440 AD – 1543 AD
1440 AD
Gutenberg Printing Press
Moveable type. The information revolution. Within 50 years, 20 million books in Europe. Knowledge breaks free from monasteries.
Mainz, Germany
1492 AD
Columbus Reaches the Americas
Two worlds collide. Within a century, 90% of native populations dead from disease. The beginning of the modern global order.
The Americas
1494 AD
Medici Bank Fails
The family that funded the entire Renaissance collapses in Florence. Their patronage of art and architecture created the city we visit Jun 30.
Florence, Italy
Italy
1498 AD
Leonardo Completes The Last Supper
Already deteriorating by the time Leonardo died. A masterpiece fighting against time from the moment it was finished.
Milan, Italy
Italy
1501–1504 AD
Michelangelo Carves David
17 feet of marble. He was 26. Carved from a block two others had abandoned. We see it at the Accademia Jun 30.
Florence, Italy
Italy
1508–1512 AD
Sistine Chapel Ceiling
Michelangelo lying on scaffolding for 4 years. 300 figures. The Creation of Adam. We visit Jul 3.
Vatican City
Italy
1513 AD
Machiavelli Writes The Prince
Tortured and exiled from Florence. "It is better to be feared than loved." The first modern political philosophy.
Florence, Italy
Italy
1517 AD
Luther's 95 Theses
Protestant Reformation begins. Christianity splits. Decades of devastating religious war follow across Europe.
Wittenberg, Germany
1543 AD
Copernicus Publishes Heliocentric Theory
The Earth goes around the Sun. Galileo later proves it and is put under house arrest by the Church. The birth of modern science.
Poland
Early Modern
1580 AD – 1789 AD
1580 AD
Montaigne Publishes Essays
The first modern essayist, living 30 miles from our hub in Bordeaux. Invented the essay as a literary form. "What do I know?"
Bordeaux, France
Bordeaux
1618–1648 AD
Thirty Years War
8 million dead. Modern concepts of national sovereignty emerge from the Treaty of Westphalia. Europe's most destructive war until the 20th century.
Central Europe
1661–1710 AD
Palace of Versailles Built
Louis XIV the "Sun King." 20,000 people living at Versailles. So extravagant it helped cause the Revolution. We visit Jul 15.
Versailles, France
Paris
1687 AD
Newton Publishes Principia
Laws of motion and universal gravitation. The scientific revolution crystallized in one book. The universe becomes mathematical.
England
1762 AD
Rousseau Publishes The Social Contract
"Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." Direct inspiration for the French Revolution we celebrate on Bastille Day.
Paris, France
Paris
1776 AD
American Declaration of Independence
France supports the American Revolution, which bankrupts France and helps trigger their own revolution 13 years later.
Philadelphia, USA
Paris
1789 AD
French Revolution / Storming of the Bastille
July 14, 1789. We are in Paris on July 14, 2026 — Bastille Day — exactly 237 years later. The moment modern France was born.
Paris, France
Paris
Modern Era
1793 AD – 2026 AD
1793 AD
Reign of Terror
Robespierre guillotines 17,000 people. The revolution devours its own. The idealism of 1789 descends into blood.
Paris, France
Paris
1799 AD
Napoleon Seizes Power
The revolution's general consolidates power. Spreads French law across Europe by conquest. Reshapes the continent we travel through.
Paris, France
Paris
All Europe
1804 AD
Napoleon Crowns Himself Emperor
In Notre Dame Cathedral, takes the crown from the Pope's hands and places it on his own head. We visit Notre Dame Jul 11.
Paris, France
Paris
1815 AD
Battle of Waterloo
Wellington defeats Napoleon. "The nearest run thing you ever saw." Ends 20 years of European war and reshapes the continent.
Waterloo, Belgium
1861 AD
Italy Unified
After centuries of fragmentation, Italy becomes one nation. Only 165 years old as a unified country. Younger than the United States.
Italy
Italy
1863 AD
Paris Salon des Refusés
Birth of Impressionism. The art shown at the Musée d'Orsay. The paintings the establishment rejected changed art forever. We visit Jul 12.
Paris, France
Paris
1889 AD
Eiffel Tower Built
Parisians hated it. Maupassant ate at its restaurant daily because it was the only place in Paris you couldn't see it. Now the city's icon.
Paris, France
Paris
1903 AD
First Tour de France
Designed by a newspaper to boost circulation. 6 stages, 2,428 km. We watch a stage in Cadillac, Jul 10.
France
Bordeaux
1914–1918 AD
World War I
20 million dead. France loses 1.4 million soldiers. The world that existed before is gone forever. Every French village has a memorial.
Europe
All Europe
1940 AD
Lascaux Cave Discovered
Four teenage boys chasing their dog find 17,000-year-old paintings. The most important prehistoric art discovery ever. We visit Lascaux IV replica Jul 9.
Dordogne, France
Bordeaux
1940 AD
Fall of France
Germany conquers France in 46 days. Occupation begins. Sets the stage for D-Day four years later.
France
All Europe
1942 AD
Wannsee Conference
Nazis formalize the "Final Solution." Six million Jews systematically murdered. The darkest chapter of the 20th century.
Berlin, Germany
1944 AD · Jun 10
Oradour-sur-Glane Massacre
SS troops murder all 642 inhabitants. Women and children burned alive in the church. We visit the preserved ruins Jul 7. Nothing has been touched.
Oradour-sur-Glane, France
Bordeaux
1944 AD · Jun 6
D-Day
156,000 Allied troops land on 5 Normandy beaches. Largest seaborne invasion in history. We visit the beaches Jul 18.
Normandy, France
Normandy
1944 AD · Aug 25
Liberation of Paris
After 4 years of occupation. De Gaulle leads the victory parade down the Champs-Élysées. The city reborn.
Paris, France
Paris
1969 AD
Apollo 11 Lands on the Moon
"One small step for man." Humanity leaves Earth for the first time. The culmination of human ambition since the first cave paintings.
The Moon
1989 AD
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Cold War ends. Europe reunified. The longest peace in recorded European history begins. The Europe we travel through exists because of this moment.
Berlin, Germany
2019 AD
Notre Dame Fire
Spire collapses. Rose windows survive. Rebuilt and reopened Dec 2024. We see the renovated cathedral Jul 11 — among the first visitors since restoration.
Paris, France
Paris
2026 AD · Jun 28 – Jul 27
Our Trip — You Are Here
Eleven travelers. Italy, France, Normandy, Riviera. 30 days walking through 3,000 years of history. Every site on this page is a place we'll stand.
Italy & France
Italy
Bordeaux
Paris
Normandy