Armenia, between culture and nature

Day 1 – Arrival in Armenia

Departure from Milan or Rome in the afternoon, arrival at Zvartnots – Yerevan Airport (capital of Armenia) late in the evening; customs formalities; welcome, transfer, hotel check-in, overnight stay.

Required documents for entering Armenia
For tourists from an EU country (and Switzerland), it is sufficient to show a valid passport, expiring no earlier than six months after the end of the trip. No entry or residence visa is required.

Day 2 – Yerevan – Introductory city tour capturing faces, situations, architectural views –
Khor Virap – Chiva

After breakfast, departure for a city excursion. Walk through the center of the capital towards the “Cascade” – a monumental marble stairway (artistically illuminated at night) interspersed with statues, flower beds, and fountains, climbing the hillside and offering an extensive view of the entire city and (by day) the biblical Mount Ararat.
Visit to the peculiar and unique “iron market,” a huge gathering of humanity around tons of used iron materials (nails, wheels, pipes, screws, ball bearings, nuts and bolts, chains, blades, gears, etc.).
We continue to the Khor Virap Monastery, along the border with Turkey. Depending on the light and cloud conditions, we will enjoy two formidable viewpoints: long shots with Khor Virap set against the biblical Mount Ararat.
Included: breakfast and dinner.

Day 3 – Chiva – Areni – Noravank – Vorotnavank – Tatev

After breakfast, visit the monumental religious complex of Noravank, strategically and spectacularly located. At sunset and on sunny days, the walls take on a particular “brick-red” color and the atmosphere becomes magical, ready for our cameras. Between the 12th–14th centuries, Noravank was a bishop’s see and Armenia’s most important religious and artistic center.
Included: breakfast and dinner.

Day 4 – Tatev – Herher – Tanahat – Yeghegnadzor

After breakfast, visit the Tatev Monastery, perched on a natural fortress, almost entirely surrounded by the deep canyon carved by the Vorotan River. In medieval times, the monastery was one of the most renowned universities of the East for humanities, art, and sciences.
In the afternoon, continue towards the villages of Gladzor and Vernashen to visit the Tanahat Monastery, isolated among the hills in its architectural perfection.
Along the way, stop to admire Shaki Waterfall, formed by the river of the same name that flows into the Vorotan Gorge. Return to the town of Yeghegnadzor for dinner and overnight stay.
Included: breakfast and dinner.

Day 5 – Yeghegnadzor – Selim – Noraduz – Lermontov – Vanadzor

After breakfast, departure northwards, towards the Selim Pass (2,410 m). Since ancient times, Selim (Sulema) was a key point along the Silk Road. Here, in 1332, Prince Chesar Orbelyan built a fortified caravanserai with a vaulted antechamber and a large hall divided into three naves, illuminated by ceiling openings. Though restored, this excellent example of medieval Armenian civil architecture still amazes visitors. The bucolic environment around the Selim Pass may also provide opportunities to photograph eagles hunting prey and perhaps meet local shepherds.
The next stop, descending towards Lake Sevan, is the medieval cemetery of Noraduz, which contains about a thousand khachkars (Armenia’s traditional carved stone crosses), some of them very ancient. With tact and discretion, we will engage with the women and girls who sell colorful wool handicrafts here — curious “models” for an unusual set. The location is evocative, as if suspended in time. As there are no restaurants or inns in this area, we will stop at a food shop with an adjacent bakery, giving us the chance for an “on the road” lunch.
The day ends in villages inhabited by the Molokans, where we will immerse ourselves in an atmosphere where time seems to have stopped. Armenian Molokans (descendants of a peaceful Christian sect born in Russia in the second half of the 16th century, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible) immigrated here in the 19th century and settled in two contiguous villages. They live self-sufficiently, devoted to agriculture and herding. Dinner and overnight stay in Vanadzor.
Included: breakfast and dinner.

Day 6 – Vanadzor – Odzun – Ardvi – Gyumri

After breakfast, early departure for the village of Odzun. Here we will visit one of the oldest churches in Armenia, built where, according to legend, Saint Thomas anointed catechumens and bishops with holy chrism (Odzun in Armenian means “anointed”). In the churchyard stands a curious monument depicting stories of early Christianity on two ancient stelae.
After a few kilometers, we reach the tiny village of Ardvi, home to a 7th-century chapel containing the tomb of Saint John of Odzun, an important Catholicos — supreme head of the Armenian Church — and a small contemporary cemetery. It is an idyllic place, full of moving poetry.
We continue the journey through fields of varying colors, skirting the deep canyon carved by the Dzoraget River, until reaching Gyumri. If time and the warm evening light allow, we will take photos of local handicraft activities. Dinner and overnight stay.
Included: breakfast and dinner.

Day 7 – Gyumri – Harichavank – Rya Taza – Ohanavank – Yerevan

After breakfast, departure to attend an Armenian liturgy, with sacred vestments, ritual chants, and the faces of worshippers in the dim light of the temple, illuminated by numerous small votive candles. We then proceed towards the northwestern slopes of Mount Aragats to visit the Harichavank Monastery (7th century), known in the Middle Ages as a cultural center, particularly for its school and scriptorium.
Continue along the road skirting Mount Aragats to reach the Yezidi shepherds’ villages of Alagyaz and Ria Taza, whose cemetery preserves some interesting tombs depicting animals. If time permits, we will make a short detour to the village of Ohanavan to visit the Ohanavank Monastery (Hovhannavank), dedicated to Saint John, located at the edge of the deep and evocative canyon carved by the Kasagh River. The day ends in Yerevan.
Included: breakfast and dinner.

Day 8 – Yerevan – Mt. Aragats – Yerevan

After breakfast, ascent of the slopes of Mount Aragats in search of Yezidi shepherds, nomads found here during their transhumance. Afterwards, visit the abandoned Orgov optical radio telescope, with its impressive dish.
Free time if available.
Three hours before departure, transfer to the airport for the flight home.
Included: breakfast and lunch.