TEHRAN
Breakfast. Day dedicated to visiting the particular places of the Iranian megalopolis. Before starting, we must know that the history of Iran certainly does not begin in 1979, but the revolution is undoubtedly an essential part of the identity and history of the country. The birth of modern Iran is traced back to 1925, the year in which the ruling Qajar dynasty was deposed and Reza Pahlavi ascended the throne. During his rise, Reza Pahlavi had the support of the Shiite clergy, however as soon as he came to power he abandoned his alliance with the clergy and launched various modernization and secularization campaigns in the country. Thanks mainly to the revenues from oil, the Shah was able to build his new state based mainly on two pillars: the army and the bureaucracy.

In the morning we move to the north of the city, a very interesting area to observe the architectural progress of a modern Tehran. In addition we will have the opportunity to visit the Niavaran Palace which in the sixties hosted the most important politicians in the world. After a pleasant stop for lunch in a typical restaurant of the upper middle class area of ​​Tehran, we continue towards the lively Tajrish Bazaar and then return to the hotel walking along the beautiful tree-lined avenue called Vali’asr

The Niavaran palace witnessed events recounted in history texts, the attempt to modernize ancient Persia, which ended dramatically, also due to the many fatal errors of the Shah. The palace was the last refuge of the Shah of Persia before fleeing the country: walking through the corridors and rooms of the residence, we will see the clothes and objects left by the Shah and his family before leaving Iran. Niavaran in a nutshell represents a set of stories and objects that can tell us a part of the modern history of Iran before the Islamic Revolution. Among the exhibits we note the pilot certificates of the planes of the Iranian armed forces of his son Reza, the gifts made to the sons of the Shah by the powerful of the world such as the lunar fragment that Nixon gave on an official visit. Farah Diba smiles from a photo as she looks at her son climbing a tree, Reza in an air force suit in front of a fighter.

Today Tehran is a fundamental page in modern history as it offers travelers its extraordinary places, bars, parks and much more. The artistic progress, the architectural interventions and the rebirth of the many cafes to the traditional Persian style, has made Tehran, in recent years, a fascinating labyrinth so as to surprise the traveler in every urban corner.

In the afternoon we go for a pleasant walk on the Ponte della Natura; a modern work of the Iranian capital. The Bridge of Nature is a pedestrian crossing, built over one of Tehran’s main highways and connects the two green hills of the city. The bridge was designed by a 26-year-old Iranian woman named “Leila Araghian”. Leila herself reported that she designed it with the purpose of bringing people together. After the walk on the bridge we go to experience another urban side of Tehran in one of its wonderful cafes frequented by young artists, writers and the inhabitants of the megalopolis.

Niavaran Museum

Lunch in a typical restaurant in the Niavaran area

Return to Hotel via Tajrish and Valiasr

Bridge of nature

Tehroon coffee

KERMAN

After breakfast, transfer to the domestic airport and departure for Kerman.

“From the houses, on the doors, the great people greet benignly, and nod, pointing to the horizon with knowing smiles; so the heart begins to beat for heroic and tender desires, one savors the eve of the wonderful things that are expected later; still not seen, no, but it is certain, absolutely certain that one day we will get there. ” When Dino Buzzati wrote “The Desert of the Tartars” he never imagined that one day in Iran they would make a film from his book and this is because perhaps it was the only place in the world that corresponded to the writer’s imagination.

Kerman had a great history due to its strategic position. This city on the east side opens the way to India and Pakistan, going south to Port Bandar Abbas and then to the Persian Gulf. To go to Babylon, Susa, Persepolis, you had to go west, which is why, since the time of Darius the Great, Kerman was one of the Satrapies of the Persian Empire. Kerman never lost its value even during the period of the Sassanids (III century AD), and of the Safavids of 1600. In fact, for lovers of markets and popular places, Kerman offers its fascinating Bazaar where you can admire the beautiful faces of the locals, whose facial features are completely different from the inhabitants of Tehran or Kashan.

However, in Kerman there is an inter-cultural exchange with neighboring countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan, but the anthropological mark of the region is undoubtedly the prevalence of one of the Iranian ethnic groups: Baluchi. The Baluchi are the ancient and genuine Iranians who keep their unique celebrations and talents. They moved to Iran in the 12th century. During the Mughal period, this territory became known as “Baluchistan”. Their name, “Baluch”, is a ground of controversy, some say it means “nomad”, while others say it is an ancient Persian word meaning “the cockscomb”.

Arrival in Kerman

During the trip to Iran you can see two wonderful complexes in which the only exemplary elements of Renaissance architecture of the Safavid period are found. The first example is Naghshe Jahan Square in Isfahan, while the second is located in Kerman: Ganj Ali Khan Square. The two squares are perfectly contemporary, but the monuments and the decorations of the two squares are different from each other. If in Isfahan they focused on the construction of magnificent mosques, in Kerman they built an elegant caravanserai and a wonderful Hammam or Turkish Bath. In Ganj Ali Khan Square there is a large water cistern, a wind tower under which there was the workshop where the coins were minted. They largely account for architectural divergences that adapt to the climate and governmental needs of the 1600s.
Hammam Ganj Ali Khan – in Iran almost in every country there is an ancient Hammam to visit, but no one can surpass the majesty and beauty of that of Kerman. We are in a thermal complex where the space is divided into three different parts: Frigidarium, Tepidarium, Calidarium. What highlights the beauty of this Hammam is the decoration of the walls and the position of the water basins in the first room. Each pavilion of this environment is reserved for a different social level: the descendants of the Prophet, the clergy, the local lords, the nobles, the merchants of the bazaar and the peasants. In this Hammam, in addition to the tiles, there are also inlaid majolica tiles that shine amidst the murmur of the people. If you want to see the sundial inside the Hammam, you have to enter the royal room where you can see a single block of Onyx stone with a thickness of 10 cm. This stone is so shiny that it transmits light into the bathroom. Here the people from above this stone measured the passage of time and called it the stone of the time clock.

ALUT – RAYEN – MAHAN – KERMAN

Departure for the Lut desert. In Shahdad, a last inhabited center on the edge of the desert, you can see the very particular Nebka also known as Tamarix (the vases of the desert) which in the Lut desert reach an incomparable height compared to the other deserts of the planet. The eastern side of the desert is a low plateau covered in a layer of salt, while the central point of the desert is sculpted by the wind in a series of parallel ridges and valleys that can reach up to 70 meters high. After the visit to anthropologically desert Shahdad, the journey continues to discover the Yardang or the ridges created by wind erosion that are located just ahead of the village. Yardang in Persian is known as Kalut while Yardang etymologically derives from Turkish. The local guides say that the Kalut are the work of the jinn, entities known in the Islamic world as malevolent ghosts, in reality they are formed by the wind that here always blows in the same direction and over the millennia has eroded the beaten earth up to form them, they are the underground layers which collide due to tectonic movements and grow up to 10-50 mm per year. The Dasht-e-Lut included in the Unesco heritage as a landscape site of Iranian nature. During the short wet season, in spring, the water from the Kerman mountains floods the area, but in a short time it dries up, leaving behind only ridges, sand and salt.We continue the journey to Rayen, a splendid fortified citadel made of adobe, a typical example of ecological architecture of the desert in the Sasanian era in 400 AD. The Rayen citadel has been divided into different places and neighborhoods: the council houses, the bazaar, the warehouse of grain stocks, the part of the bourgeoisie or the merchant class and the stupendous royal mini fortress. The citadel has 15 towers with a single corridor that allowed the soldiers to move from one tower to another, while instead the holes in the apex of the wall were used to guard the citadel by the archers who controlled, from above, every movement in the vicinity. Rayen is located almost 2200 meters above sea level, so the desert landscape and the mountain behind the citadel offer a picturesque image to the visitor’s eyes. the mountain is called Hezar vuoldire mille, It is the highest peak in the province of Kerman, with its height 4500 meters. The name of the mountain is due to the abundance of various aromatic and medicinal plants which number in the thousands.

In the afternoon we continue to Mahan, on the way back to Kerman, the blue dome of the Nur-ed-Din Nemat Allah Mausoleum of the century immediately strikes the attention. XVI, one of the most important figures of the religious doctrine called “Sufism” of the Middle East. We then leave for the Prince’s Garden, “Baghe Shahzadeh”. A unique model of Persian gardens where the descent of water through some waterfalls make the Persian Garden a true earthly paradise in the heart of the monochrome of the Kerman desert.

Return to Kerman, dinner and overnight at the hotel.

SHIRAZ

Landscapes and routes are part of the journey. A true traveler can only begin to think about what the local people are through the colors of the environment. If you are in Kerman and pass by the pistachio fields, observe how the farmers pamper their trees. Summer will be the ideal time to walk among these treasures of the area that produce one of the best agricultural products in the whole country. The pistachio is a tree that can reach up to 5 m, with leaves usually composed of three leaflets, purple flowers, dioecious, gathered in a panicle, fruits similar to those of the olive tree, yellowish or reddish, containing an aromatic seed, sweet and tender. When we observe the pistachio fields we cannot ignore the linguistic root of the word, because you are in the right place to know it: Pistachio in Italian derives from the Latin Pistacium, in turn derives from the Greek Pistakion which finally derives from the Persian Pistah, today called “Pesteh “. This tree has not only given an original flavor to our palate, we think of sweets and cannoli, but also has defined a particular green color for our tastes: pistachio green or pistachio color.

The journey continues with a visit to one of the oldest mosques in Iran in Neiriz, with a Mihrab

Along the way you will visit a salt lake and the pink salt flats, “Daryache Maharluo”. A breathtaking and absolutely cinematic panorama where laboratories for the drying of salt water and the production of pink salt still abound today.

The Sassanid Castle in Sarvestan is one of the main castles of the Sassanid Baroque. Sarvestan was the hunting palace of Bahram Gur, the Sassanid king, who went there to hunt the zebras of the area – before the desertification of the Iranian plateau -. The hunting lodge dates back to the 5th century AD, and is a prime example to understand the construction of the dome. For those who want to know the basis of the construction of mosques – during the Islamic period – should contemplate the simple theory of the multiplication of 4 used to raise the dome: in the case of the construction on a square plan, we pass from the square structure to the circular structure by means of four pendentives , concave triangles formed respectively at each corner with projecting brick courses. The Bahram hunting lodge has all the elements mentioned above.

In the evening I arrive in Shiraz. Dinner in a restaurant and overnight at the hotel.

SHIRAZ

The word Fars or Pars is the name of the region of which Shiraz is the provincial capital. Only by reflecting for a moment on the word Pars do we realize that here we are in the heart of history and it is in this region that the Persians built Parse also called Persepolis: city of Persia. Shiraz covers such a wide historical axis that it goes from the 4th century BC to the 1700s. In Shiraz the true poetry of the Iranians will be truly tangible because here in the historic center, the monuments, the gardens, the Bazaar and the mosques narrate a culture that embraces each visitor with such softness. The inhabitants of this city disappear at noon and then appear in the square of Arg in the evening until late at night; they love to have fun and are the most fun and lively in Iran. To discover the Dionysian atmosphere of Shiraz, the name of the city tells us everything, you have to go to the tomb of the great Persian poet “Hafez” or wander in the alleys of his Vakil Bazaar where many European traders spent a period to transport the famous product of the God Bacchus.

Shiraz visits:

The Saray-e-Moshir caravanserai, unique of its kind, because you enter the spring courtyard, where you can engrave a new “Iter” for the dream world; here the imagination can range. Usually the term Caravan brings to mind the colors of the desert environment, something that has to do with dromedaries and desert sand.

The Vakil complex: Mosque and Bazaar is unique in Iran for its painted brick architecture, vaulted ceilings created to keep the air cool in summer and warm in winter.

The Nasir Mosque: the term “elegance” finds its true meaning within a sacred space with its splendid polychrome majolica tiles. It is no coincidence that the spring climate of Shiraz is reflected on the walls, the stained glass window and the exquisite tile decorations. This mosque is a masterpiece of artistic beauty from the late 1900s, also called the Rose Mosque, it is a very welcoming place, but what is striking at first sight is the chromatic world coming from the rose petals, iris and more.

The Madrasa of the Khan whose decorations of pink and blue flowers with birds remind us of the frescoes of the Safavid palaces.

Narenjestan Pavilion and Garden – The Narenjestan or Qavam Garden of Shiraz dates back to the Qajar era (1880). Due to the abundance of sour orange or bergamot trees, it was called Narenjestan because Narenj precisely means bergamot. It is no coincidence that Shiraz is the most famous city for its bergamots that can be found along the streets of the city. The Narenjestan building was a place where ordinary people went for administrative purposes and where public meetings were held, as well as meetings between Qajar dignitaries and nobles.

Dinner in a restaurant and overnight at the hotel.

NAQSHE ROSTAM – PERSEPOLIS

Before breakfast, visit the Mausoleum of Hafez, it is dedicated to the great poet of the fourteenth century AD, the mentor of Sufi. The meekness of Persian philosophy was born between the lines of Hafez’s poems. What makes the poet immortal is the transversality of the meaning of his poetry which highlights the fruit of his “Sufi” thought to all readers. If Shiraz is the homeland of mystical poetry it owes it to its poets. The surprise of the visit to the mausoleum consists in the fact that Hafez’s word is linked to Bacchus and Venus. So reading Hafez while walking in his heavenly garden serves to understand the contradiction that exists between a sweet Iranian stilnovista with modernity that has taken place: perhaps it might seem like a subversive poem!

After lunch we leave for a visit to the great archaeological sites, of the Achaemenids IV century BC, and of the Sassanids III century AD, we visit the archaeological site of Naghsh-e-Rostam, it is a necropolis. A very suggestive place, it still retains the rock tombs of the great Achaemenid kings. It is not at all an exaggeration to say that the site is the richest in all of Iran because here there are all the historical evidences: a magnificent bas-relief of the Elamites, 1300 BC, the particular shapes of the royal tombs and ancient Persian scriptures of the 400. BC, the very important documents of the Sassanids and the writing of the Middle Persian of 300 AD In a single archaeological site, very suggestive, one can contemplate a Persia at the time of Elam up to the defeat of Valerian the Roman general who fought against Shapur.

The journey continues with a visit to Persepolis, it is the sacred city founded by Darius in 524 BC, to celebrate the feast of Nowruz (new day) or the Persian New Year on 21 March. Persepolis was conquered and burned by Alexander the Great as revenge for the pillage that Xerxes made during the Persian wars. The excursion to Persepolis delves into the details of a majestic city where Darius and Xerxes brought the best craftsmen, paid and insured by royal law, to build it. Here there is not only an architectural study but with the marvelous bas-reliefs of the Apadana Palace you can leaf through an ancient anthropological book. Among the ruins you can visit its imposing palaces that never cease to impress travelers: the Palazzo Cento Colonne where the King received the generals, the Sala delle Adienze called Palazzo Apadana with a square plan and six rows of columns, up to 19 meters. The access stairways depict processions of Satrap and the imperial guards known as the Immortal Soldiers.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

PERSEPOLIS – PASARGAD – YAZD

A cultured itinerary must enrich the traveller’s knowledge, and Pasargade, which is the first capital of politics and diplomacy of Ancient Persia, is able to do so and in addition can demonstrate the sagacity of its brilliant general, known as Cyrus the Great. He, the Father of all Median and Persian soldiers, celebrated the conquest of Babylon with a document defined as the foundation of the charter of human rights: “The Cylinder of Cyrus”, which is a clay document, in which it was recorded the liberation of the exiles, including Jews. The archaeological site of Ancient Persia, Pasargade, among its ruins, highlights the simple square-plan Tomb of Cyrus built with stone blocks that at first sight resembles a Mesopotamian ziggurat. Cyrus the Great, with the construction of his tomb, wanted to respect his origins, that is the ancient Iranian civilizations and in addition he also managed to surprise Alexander the Great, centuries after his death. It is said, in fact, that in the inner chamber Cyrus the Great wrote a message to any conquerors including Alexander the Great who, after hearing the words of Cyrus the Great, would have started to cry:

“O man

Whoever you are,

and whenever you come,

Since I know that you will come,

I am Ciro

I conquered a world empire for the Persians.

Don’t envy me

for that little land that covers my body! “

On the way, we visit the archaeological site of Pasargade. The city was the first capital of the Persian Empire founded in 546 BC. by Cyrus the Great during his reign who died in the summer of 530 BC. In Pasargade was born the real Pardis or Paradise the “Persian Garden”. Among the monuments and ruins at the site are three royal palaces and a magnificent bas-relief: the Private Palace of Cyrus the Great, the Palazzo delle Udienze and the Tomb of Cyrus the Great. Pasargadae was once surrounded by two rivers which brought water to the city, through a peculiar irrigation canal that sang and supplied water, passing through the middle of the Persian Garden.

Halfway before arriving in Yazd we will pay a visit to the town of Abarkoh: a particular urban example where the construction of the houses involved the use of raw earth (bio-architecture) which acted as insulation during the summer and winter. The same system was applied for the construction of an ancient icebox that provided ice in the hottest months of the year. In Abarkuh we visit one of the oldest cypresses in the world Sarve Abarkuh which according to some sources will be approximately 4000 years old.

YAZD

Breakfast. Full day dedicated to visiting the city, one of the most interesting in Iran and an ancient Zoroastrian center.

The Atash-Kadeh – the Fire Temple. It is wrong to think that Zoroastrians worship fire. Before going to a Fire Temple, where the sacred fire still burns, Fire must be recognized as the sacred element because, according to this philosophy, it is the Source of Purity and Light. This is the true direction in which the Zoroastrians practice their worship. Here in Yazd in the Fire Temple this sacred flame has been burning for more than 15 centuries and has never been extinguished. The priestly duty or that of the Temple Wizard is to empty the ashes and provide the wood to keep the flame burning, so that practitioners can turn to it as it is considered a source of good. the two tallest minarets in Iran measure 48 meters.

This mosque is not only famous for the height of the minarets, but also for the splendid main portal, decorated with inlaid majolica tiles; it is in fact an artistic masterpiece that offers one of the most fascinating works of the trip to Iran. To observe the details of the cut of the majolica tiles, just approach the main facade.

Historic center and old Fahadan district. Yazd owes its fame above all to the architecture of the old city, built entirely with unfired bricks; the most important monuments of the historic center, however, are the so-called “wind towers” ​​which dominate the roofs and which can be seen from afar. For this reason Yazd has been called the “city of wind towers”.

These towers, called badgir (literally “wind catchers”) are used to provide the necessary ventilation, since the houses do not have many windows to the outside. The badgir during the day removes the hot air from the inside and, during the night, brings fresh air from the outside to the inside of the building. The system uses two environmental conditions: the difference in air pressure and the difference in temperature.

The Towers of Silence. Here everything stops, in this place there is in fact a cemetery used until about 70 years ago and it is very different from the common ones because it is a sacred place for the Zoroastrians. In this particular holy field the dead were brought to the top of the tower by special employees the “Salar”, and were the only ones who could touch the dead. The corpses were left inside circular buildings and there the bodies, thanks to atmospheric agents and vultures, became bones and were subsequently moved to the well in the center of the tower, where they would find perpetual rest. The four elements of nature: air, water, fire and earth are considered sacred by the Zoroastrians. The earth could not be contaminated with human remains so there was no provision for the burial of the bodies and for the same reason neither was cremation. These places were called: Towers of Silence. And here the silence is real, deafening, softened only by the sound of the wind.

The Water Museum; In Iran, especially in desert areas such as Yazd, there was an underground irrigation system that supplied the oases with fresh water from the aquifers, through a system of underground channels up to twenty kilometers long, with inspection wells called “mil”, artificially dug along the canal route. These vertical wells guaranteed access to the underground tunnel, both for the withdrawal of water and to facilitate the necessary maintenance works. The canals, known in Persian as Kariz or Qanat, were dug by exploiting the natural inclination of the land, so that they conveyed the waters of the aquifers towards the cultivation land or a town. Even in the long run, the canals suffered minimal loss of water by evaporation and did not contaminate drinking water. Through the Water Museum you have the opportunity to know the details of this millenary work of Iran.

MEYBOD – NAEIN

After having breakfast, depart for Isfahan. Starting from Yazd to reach the ancient capital of the Safavids or Isfahan, you have to cross two characteristic cities with the typical architecture of the desert areas: Naein and Meybod.

In Meybod we begin the discovery of the extraordinary clay architecture of the East of Iran where we visit a caravanserai, a glacier. The term of the caravanserai is composed of kārwān “caravan of camels” and sarāy “building” which indicates a building or group of buildings intended – in the East – to accommodate travelers and merchandise, both as a place to stop and stop on commercial roads and as a point of arrival or storage of goods near or within cities. The caravanserai in turn was divided into two different social categories: real and popular.

There is a complex that includes a Caravanserai and its Ice House. This construction in the shape of a trullo was mainly used for storing ice during the summer. Ice production took place during the winter in the external trays in front of the icebox. With its conical shape, it protected the internal basin which contained ice and protected it from the sun. The diameter of the internal tank – corresponds to the level of the entrance door – also reaches 13 meters and slowly as it goes down, almost 6 meters, the diameter decreases. Therefore, the interior height of the icebox from the lowest part to the highest point of the dome was 21 meters.

In Naein instead you can visit a splendid mosque with an octagonal minaret, the beautiful prayer niche and the Kariz or Qanat, an interesting Mehrab and the charming old Bazaar, now in disuse.

At the end of the day we arrive in Isfahan, one of the most beautiful cities in Iran.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

ISFAHAN

“The flower of the Thousand and One Nights” is the icing on the itinerary and we find it in Isfahan. The city is a historical picture that completes the trip to Iran. It is no coincidence that Isfahan attracted Pasolini’s attention to shoot some scenes of his film in Naghsh-e Jahan square. And here is a Persian saying that says: Isfahan is half the world. In fact, the flowering of Islamic architecture was born here in Naghsh-e Jahan Square where the turquoise blue color dominates its mosques and the sky above the square, that is the ancient Polo field, over time, has become the seat of the most precious artistic workshops. The Safavid age corresponds to the third Persian empire which restored Iranian power to the throne, establishing a new Persia, based on political, religious and military relations. The presence of the Vank Cathedral, managed by the community of Armenian Christians since 1605 AD, makes it a striking example. However, Safavid power is admired in art and so in Isfahan a phase of “renaissance” of Persian civilization, culture and arts was born. The Islamic Renaissance period in Iran sees the artistic lightning under the rule of Shah Abbas I (1587-1629).

In Isfahan, in a few seconds, the dream of every Middle Eastern traveler comes true: Iran and its Renaissance charm; just think of the frescoes of Palazzo Quaranta Colonne or the splendid ceiling of the Music room of Palazzo Ali Qapu.

Breakfast. The whole day is dedicated to visiting the city walking through the streets between Naghshe Jahan square and the artists’ shops.

Visits of the day.

Royal Square or Naghsh-e Jahan, in Persian (the image of the world) urban center of the city, redesigned by Shah Abbas I. In the large central square Naghsh-e Jahan (512 x 163 meters) there are two series of arches where in the lower part there are all the artists’ shops where they produce and sell most of the handicrafts of Iran such as miniatures, turquoise and fabrics. Naghshe Jahan Square housed an elite of merchants who were in search of artistic refinement. Still in the square there are still the poles that were used to delimit the polo field built 400 years ago.

The graceful “Mosque of the Queen or Sheikh Lotfollah” is a majestic masterpiece of the Safavid period located in a harmonious space and completely recognizable for its artistic opulence. Shah Abbas I chose the talented Iranian architect, Ali Akbar Isfahani, as head of the construction of the mosque, which took almost 17 years to build. The mosque, at the behest of the shah, would have been dedicated to his father-in-law, the Lebanese theologian who would later be entitled to a Koranic school in Isfahan. The masterpiece of the architect Isfahani has put into practice a unique model of mosque that has never existed before. In fact, the mosque has neither minarets nor an internal courtyard, nor an ablution tank. However the prodigious external and internal decoration, the play of light towards the mihrab, the calligraphy magnificence with the lapis lazuli background and finally the complexity and beauty of the floral motifs under the dome have made the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in Isfahan one of the most beautiful in Iran.

the Royal Mosque; namely the Mosque of the Imam today. The genius of the architect Isfahani can be seen, willingly and unwillingly, outside the interior space of the mosque. In fact, when you have completed your visit to the mosque, in the middle of Naghsh-e Jahan square you see an unusual abundance of minarets and a cunning and “deliberate” detour from Isfahani, for an aesthetic adaptation to the square. The Imam Mosque is an unmistakable masterpiece where every decoration and every particle finds its meaning in the geometric symmetry. Here the inner courtyard has been decorated with a bath for ablutions, around which there are four imposing iwans that represent the majesty of the use of blue colors in the Islamic sacred space. In addition to the decorative beauty, the two-layered dome – 36.3 m. of internal height and 51 m. the external one – of the southern Iwan, an excellent system has been applied to amplify the sound, during the calls of the ritual. Walking with a velvety step is recommended to hear the rumble.

The Ali Qapu Pavilion is the palace where the ruler received his guests. Ali Qapu has six floors with a door that connected the square to the Chehel Sotun Palace. When you are in the square you immediately notice the beautiful terrace with its 18 columns, where you can certainly enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the Naghsh-e Jahan square. The masterpiece of the Palace consists of the incorporated details such as the fifth floor tub, the inlaid wooden ceiling, the type of tablet applied on the walls of the building that highlight an oriental dream world. Finally, in the spine of the Ali Qapu Palace winds a spiral staircase that leads to the enchanting Music Room, decorated with stuccoes depicting vases and other similar themes, which together help to improve the acoustics of the room. .

The Palace of the Forty Columns or Chehel Sotun is the pavilion where the King granted audiences. A few steps from the Piazza, another luxurious Persian Garden shines in the courtyard of the Chehel Sotun, embracing one of the delights of the Safavid Renaissance: the pavilion still pulsates in the heart of the Persian Garden as if the luxury of real life had never ended. Here the frescoes strut because it is very little to define them as refined and elegant. Admiring the paintings and the stories they tell means opening a cultural and anthropological door to identify for a moment with the most important characters of the history of the Middle East of 1600 – 1700.

Dinner in a restaurant and overnight at the hotel.

ISFAHAN

The multi-ethnicity of Iran is a relevant factor in understanding Iran today. While some nomads resided and still reside in the Iranian plateau for several centuries now, other ethnic groups such as Turkmen or faithful of other religions, such as Christians, came to Iran following geopolitical reasons, recognizing that this state tolerates other ethnic groups and religions; this has always been an added value given by a millenary culture. Just think, in this precise case, of the Armenians who had to move to Iran on the direct order of Shah Abbas I. In fact, the Armenians of the Jolfa area of ​​Armenia, in the twenties of the seventeenth century, left their homeland forever. , devastated due to a continuous conflict between the Ottomans and Safavids, and came to Isfahan, starting a new socio-religious phase, building both their churches and the headquarters of their so-called Armenian Caliphate. The Jolfa neighborhood in Isfahan welcomed the Armenians, and Shah Abbas I, in a manuscript, signed by himself, allowed them to establish new commercial and religious relationships, granting them a certain freedom fully supported by the Safavid Court. The Armenians have opened an important trade route in the heart of the capital of the Safavids “Isfahan”. In addition, the headquarters of the Armenian Caliphate primarily focuses on the publication of new religious texts, using Gutenberg’s invention in Iran. All in all, Isfahan is a historical summary of the events managed by the Armenians, who still live in the Jolfa district where the architectural beauty and the details of the frescoes of the Vank Cathedral surprise any type of traveler.

Vank Cathedral and its Museum tell the story of the diaspora of the Armenian people who have lived outside their motherland for more than 300 years. Iran not only knew how to welcome its guests, but above all it protected them from the serious conflicts that threatened social life in the Armenian neighborhood of Isfahan. Today, in the courtyard of the Vank Cathedral, the Armenians with great care and caution have opened a new ethnological museum, where it is possible to immerse yourself in the real culture of a country so far and almost, thanks to the information displayed in the galleries of this historical showcase of the Armenian people. But the story does not end there because the Vank Cathedral – it is not the only church in Isfahan – invites the Armenian community to celebrate religious holidays and above all to commemorate the genocide. In fact, every year on April 24, Armenians gather in the Vank Cathedral to commemorate the deportation and elimination of their compatriots, about 1.5 million dead. As soon as you enter the elegant courtyard of the Vank Cathedral, going down the steps of the main entrance you will notice one of the most important monuments of the Armenian people, dedicated to the people deported during the great tragedy.

posting to Isfahan means being surprised and enriched by the local culture. When from the Jolfa district you go towards the Friday Mosque (Masged Jamè) you absolutely have to cross the Zayandeh Rud river. On the way there is a simple sign of how the river marked the urban border between the two religious districts of Isfahan. The passage from the area of ​​the Armenians, arriving in the very popular area of ​​the Friday Mosque, brings us back to the official religion of Iran: Shiism. The visit of the Friday Mosque in Isfahan, to say the least, is the most important visit because here you can admire the Islamic architectural progress that took place from the seventh century until 1900. So it is not wrong to point out that the Friday Mosque it is the oldest and most complete in the whole country. Here the details are infinite and the spaces are immense. An exemplary model of altar called the Mihrab of Olgiaito was born in this mosque, in the 14th century; the building has a complex stucco composition consisting of three-dimensional inscriptions that blend with floral and geometric carvings. The Mosque has two clearly recognizable spaces even for the inexperienced eye: internal space and external space. It is wonderful to admire the monochromaticity of the colors of the bricks in the inner space and the turquoise blue and lapis lazuli colors in the outer space. The passage from one space to another makes us travel in time, especially when we are under the magnificent dome of Taj al-Moluk, reputed to be the most beautiful, among those made of bricks, in all of Iran.

The end of the visit to the mosque on Friday now leads us to an unexpected discovery in the midst of the traffic of people. Here in Isfahan, when one visit ends, another starts again and the traveler unconsciously prepares to listen to the narratives of the city as if Shahrazad were reading them directly from “A Thousand and One Nights”. And here is the popular bazaar immediately after exiting the main entrance of the mosque. For those who love to get lost in the popular alleys, you should know that the time has come to be free from the fees by taking a walk among the shops and perfumes and in this way you can reach Naghshe Jahan Square in 40 minutes. Before turning right and following the covered corridors of the Bazaar, one can satisfy the traveller’s curiosity by going directly to another historical district of Isfahan, to visit all the Synagogues of the Jewish community of Isfahan, where the Jews practice their worship. There is talk of a multi-ethnicity in the true sense of the word and not easily found in other parts of the world.

The visit of the bridges over the Zayandeh-Rud river, the Sio Se Pol Bridge (of the 33 arches) and the Khaju Bridge (Pol-e-Kaju).

Free time. Dinner in a restaurant and overnight at the hotel.

NATANZ – ABYANEH

Along the way we visit the town of Natanz, to admire the Friday Mosque, Masged Jamè, and the Abdol-Samad Mausoleum.

We continue the journey along the slopes of Mount Karkas “vulture” and here we enter a wonderful stage, given by a valley where we can admire one of the oldest traditional villages of Iran “Abyaneh”, at an altitude of 2200 meters above the level of the sea. The village, which finds its origins in the Achaemenid age of 400 BC, is surrounded by the ruins of a Sassanid fortress from 300 AD. and it is also famous both for the red ocher color of the houses and for the rose drawn on the long scarf worn by the women of the village. (the feasibility of the visit depends on the season and the snow).

In Kashan there is the Bagh-e Fin, one of the most famous Persian gardens that can be visited during the trip to Iran. The Fin garden was designed by Shah Abbas I (1557-1629), as an earthly vision of Paradise. The concept of the Persian Garden takes its soul only when the traveler listens to the melody that springs from the lapping of the water, along the path of the various canals. Even today, the central water basin called the camel’s throat has the duty to distribute the water in all the lateral channels, using the simple theory of communicating vessels. In 1600 the Persian Fin Garden in Iran became important because Shah Abbas I chose it as the ideal place for the royal coronation when he ascended the throne. But two centuries later, the kings of the Qajar also chose the Persian Fin Garden in Kashan as the operational headquarters of the Court. In the midst of the greenery of the Fin, only the cypresses and plane trees can tell us about the symmetry and elegance of the Persian Garden plan. On the other hand there are still the magnificent frescoes in the building built by the kings of the Qajar which date back to the 70s of the 1800s, and finally to learn the secrets of the Fin Garden you have to enter the Hammam complex, famous for the story of the assassin or attempt suicide of Amir Kabir, the reformist of the Qajar administration.

Dinner in a restaurant and overnight in a traditional hotel.

KASHAN – QOM

When we talk about the house, in Kashan it always represents an exemplary model to get to know the local culture better. Because Kashan in addition to having the millenary hill displays its nineteenth-century villas, also called bioclimatic houses. It should be known that Kashan enjoys a desert climate and a remarkably hot summer period. The invention of the inhabitants of the city gives birth to a house with two or three different levels where you can simply cool down or heat a room or a living room depending on the season in which you are. But the importance of the city is not just the variety of houses that exist. Kashan is rather known for the precious production of Rose of Persia water. In fact, the trip to Iran now absorbs its original scent, which is the scent of rose petals that is grown on the hills of central Iran. This beautiful city built in a verdant oasis still houses some of the most beautiful traditional houses in the region, such as the splendid home of the wealthy merchant of the Tabatabaei family. During the visit it is possible to contemplate the details of a patriarchal house, where the head of the “Pedar” family tends to gather his sons and have them in the same villa as a matter of availability and family economic management. Furthermore, the nineteenth-century mansion highlights two factors of Islamic architecture: introversion and extroversion. Before leaving for Qom you will visit the Sultan’s Hammam and the Agha Bozorg Mosque and Madrasa.

Departure for the holy city of Iran: Qom. The latter is one of the holy cities of Iran, dominated by the imposing sanctuary dedicated to Hazrate Masumeh; Fatima the Innocent was the daughter of the seventh Imam Musa ibn Ja’far and sister of Ali ibn Musa al-Reza, eighth Imam of the Shiites and descendant of the prophet. Hazrate Masumah was born in 789 AD. in the city of Medina; when in 816 she was going to Marv to visit her brother, she would have fallen ill (or injured during a sacking of the caravan) when the caravan carrying her was arriving in Saveh, she was transported to Qom where she died in 27 years old. Every year thousands of Shiites from the Middle East travel to Iran dedicating themselves to the rituals of pilgrimage to the shrines of their saints. In the complex of the Hazrate Masumeh Sanctuary it is possible to reach the entrance door of the burial chamber, where men and women separately touch the tomb

Transfer to Tehran airport. Dinner and overnight at the IBIS Hotel.

 TEHRAN – ITALY

Transfer to “Imam Khomeini” international airport for the Tehran – Italy flight.