Drive through the countryside to the House of Virgin Mary where the Blessed Virgin is said to have spent the last years of her life. Three Roman Catholic popes have visited this revered site, including Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedictus the 16th. Then drive to Ephesus, an ancient city founded in the 2nd millennium BC as a sanctuary for the Ephesian Artemis, and subsequently occupied by the Greeks, Romans, and Christians. Your guided walking tour will take you through a truly awe-inspiring excavation, during which you'll see the Odeon, the Fountain of Trajan, temple of Hadrian and the most famous structure, the Library of Celsus. The latter two sites display traces of Imperial Rome in all its grandeur. Next, you'll see the Grand Theater, where St. Paul preached. With an astounding 24,000 seats, it's one of the largest theaters preserved from antiquity. You'll conclude your tour with a trip back to Kusadasi where there will be a brief carpet presentation. Or, if you wish, you may return directly to the ship, which is within walking distance. This tour is provided by an operator that has been third-party certified to meet the Global Sustainable Tourism Council's Criteria for Tour Operators.