Ancient Greek stories from The Odyssey, Homer’s almost 3,000-year-old epic, are hitting cinema screens today, courtesy of Christopher Nolan’s movie adaptation. Katie Silcox visits Costa Navarino to explore some of the movie’s filming locations in the Greek Peloponnese.
One of the oldest surviving works of Western literature, The Odyssey was composed by Homer in the 8th century BCE and tells the story of protagonist, Odysseus, as he makes his 10-year journey home after the Trojan War, enduring storms and shipwrecks, battles and losses, temptation and imprisonment. Homer’s epic spans 24 books, and Odysseus’ journey takes him through much of Greece, including the present-day Greek islands of Crete, Corfu, Kefalonia and Zakynthos. Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, journeys through the Peloponnese – Sparta and Messinia – searching for news of his father.
And it’s for this reason, and this story, told almost three millennia ago, that I find myself sitting beneath a tree in Messinia, surrounded by olive groves, a cool breeze providing some respite from the evening sun. I’m listening to the words of Dr. Eleni Volonaki, a professor of ancient Greek literature, as she recalls the meaning behind some of the myths, legends and themes explored in Homer’s epic, connecting them to modern life. Part of a new philosophy walk named ‘Echoes of Odyssey’, the experience has been developed and is hosted by Costa Navarino, a sustainable luxury resort that lies in the heartland of Telemachus’ journey through the Peloponnese.
One of a series of Odyssey-themed activities at Costa Navarino, we’re among the first guests to take part, and our under-the-tree conversation veers through Homeric themes including ethical dilemmas, heroism and the concept of ‘nostos’ (or ‘homecoming’ in ancient Greek). This might all sound rather highbrow, but truth be told, we also spent ten or so minutes discussing whether Matt Damon was the right casting choice for Odysseus in the upcoming movie, to which the answer was a resounding ‘no’ from the Greeks in our group. On this day, the movie trailer had just dropped, giving us all a better insight into his portrayal of the main man. According to one Athenian in our group, “he’s too relatable to play Odysseus. He’s ordinary. Odysseus was a superhuman.”
Philosophy Walk at Costa Navarino
Whether we agree with the casting choices or not, there’s no doubt that this is a star-studded movie, the calibre of which contributed to the BFI IMAX’s successful sellout: the central London cinema (home to the biggest screen in the UK) broke records by selling 28,000 tickets and grossing £750,000 in just 24 hours. In addition to Matt Damon as Odysseus, it sees Tom Holland play Telemachus (Odysseus’ son), Anne Hathaway play Penelope (Odysseus’ wife), Lupita Nyong’o play Helen of Troy, and Robert Pattinson play Antinous (one of 108 suitors for Penelope in Odysseus’ long absence). A whole host of names play gods and goddesses too: Zendaya as Athena, Charlize Theron as Calypso and Samantha Morton as Circe. Quite the lineup.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 05: Lupita Nyong’o, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya and Samantha Morton on July 05, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for Universal Pictures)
Many key scenes from the movie were shot in Messinia, and, alongside a sure-to-be-gripping plot, cinemagoers will get to see just how stunning this undersung corner of Greece really is. Greeks have known this for years, favouring Costa Navarino as a summer getaway destination ever since it opened in 2010. It seems that this summer, the secret will finally be out to the rest of the world too. Damon, Hathaway, Holland and Pattinson reportedly stayed and shot across the area for long periods of time (although Odysseus would probably argue that anything under 10 years is, in fact, not a long period of time at all). There’s no official confirmation on where exactly the stars stayed, although rumours have circulated of sightings at Costa Navarino itself.
The Costa Navarino-adjacent places we’ll see on screens from today include some of the region’s most important ancient sites – places that the resort invites guests to explore as part of their specially created Messinian Odyssey Trail. On it, you’ll visit Methoni, where the crew were spotted filming in early 2025. Here, you’ll cross a small bridge connecting the mainland to a 13th-century Venetian fortress – wander its walls as a guide explains the history of the castle and region. You might find yourself distracted by some of the most shimmery sea in all of Greece (I did!).
The tour continues to Voidokilia, where you’ll discover an untouched, crescent-shaped beach that is said to mirror the shape of the Greek letter Omega (Ω). This is one of the prettiest beaches I’ve been to in Greece (and I lived in the country for seven years, visiting hundreds of its beaches, so this is truly saying a lot). Just above Voidokilia Beach you’ll spot Nestor’s Cave – where King Nestor, a character in Homer’s epics, is said to have kept his cattle. And in Pylos, a nearby harbour town, you’ll discover Nestor’s Kingdom.
It’s at Nestor’s Palace that two ancient Greek worlds – the historic and the mythological – become one. While Nestor is a mythological character, this palace is very real. It was once home to a Bronze Age ruler and is now an archaeological site where you can spend a morning exploring the (also very real) remains of its wine cellars, bathrooms, throne rooms and hearth. Importantly, clay tablets inscribed with an archaic form of ancient Greek were also found here. Through the decoding of them, archaeologists and linguists traced the palace’s origins to around 1300–1200 BCE, predating Homer’s telling of Odysseus’s journey by about 500 years: a real-world, Bronze Age site offering insight into Homer’s inspiration.
Any adventure tracing ancient Greek history and mythology should be out and about, in the very landscapes that inspired them, but back at Costa Navarino there’s more to explore (and learn). This sprawling – but never overwhelming – resort is made up of four separate hotels: The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort; The Westin Resort; W Costa Navarino; and Mandarin Oriental – plus some villa rentals. We stayed at The Romanos, and, one lazy afternoon, I took the opportunity to visit its spa, Anazoe, where therapists utilise local and time-tested ingredients to scrub, pummel and moisturise skin.
Anazoe SPA at The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, Costa Navarino
Massage, facials and scrubs are categorised by what they target – longevity, kinetics, radiance, mind, healing – and there’s also thalassotherapy pools, rainforest showers, aromatherapy rooms, plus ice and heat experiences. Once I’d explored it all, I settled into the Oleotherapy Trilogy treatment, which left my skin more radiant than it’s been in a while, thanks to a local sea-salt and honey exfoliation and an olive oil body wrap. All ingredients used in ancient Homeric bathing rituals, I’m told.
Elsewhere at Costa Navarino, alongside four golf courses and multiple swimming pools, you’ll find more than 40 restaurants – and guests of all hotels are invited to make reservations at any of them. Taking advantage of this, I found myself on a transfer from The Romanos to W Costa Navarino one evening, arriving just in time for the kind of hazy, dipping-into-the-sea sunset that Greece does best.
Here, upon a long, communal table on the sand, we dined on dishes by chef Nikos Billis that have been specially designed to honour the ancient traditions of the region. In The Odyssey, when Telemachus arrived in Nestor’s Kingdom, searching for news of his father, the very first thing he was given was a seat at the table. This seven-course meal – known as Nestor’s Feast – recreates the way in which they would have eaten: beef broth with nettle and saffron, chickpeas with cured fish, lamb with mastic and carob, with each and every dish cooked live on the beach using only ingredients that were available in ancient Greece. Billis began his career in Greece before cheffing all over the world – London, Paris, Spain, Italy, the UAE, Turkey – before returning to Greece.
His very own homecoming, as Homer might say. But he’s not the only one.
‘Nostos’, or ‘homecoming’, is a key theme in The Odyssey, and one that rang true for me on our very first night at Costa Navarino, as I sat down for our philosophy discussion under the tree. This wasn’t my first time in the region; having previously lived in Greece, I’d been on many Peloponnese adventures already. This was, however, the first time I’d been back in the country since leaving it for good, five months prior.
“Odysseus cherished his homeland, his family and his palace, and this is why he insisted on making the journey,” Dr. Eleni Volonaki mused as we sat listening to her understanding of ‘nostos’, as explored in Homer’s epic on our first night here. “But the importance of a journey isn’t the journey itself,” she continued. “The importance of a journey is what you gain and learn along the way.”
On this trip to the Peloponnese, I’d learnt a lot about ancient Greece: about its mythology, its way of life, its connection to the land, and its importance to Greeks, of all ages, even today. But, truth be told, I connected with the idea of ‘nostos’ more than that of ancient Greek epics or mythology.
And yet, I suppose I have Homer to thank for that. For it was here, on my first return visit to Greece after moving back to the UK, sitting under a tree at Costa Navarino discussing Homer’s works, that I came to understand just how much my experiences living abroad have taught me. About myself. About life. About connections. About people, places and culture. About my very own homecoming. Whether that homecoming was to Greece or to the UK is another question. And another article of its own.
Find out more about The Odyssey’s filming locations here:
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Lead image: ANNE HATHAWAY and TOM HOLLAND in THE ODYSSEY (2026), directed by CHRISTOPHER NOLAN. Credit: Syncopy Production / Universal Pictures / Album
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Katie Silcox is Citizen Femme’s managing editor who writes about travel and culture. Originally from the UK, she’s also lived in India, the UAE and Greece, where island hopping was her favourite summer pastime. She’s previously worked across titles including Condé Nast Traveller, GQ and Architectural Digest.
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