The Ancients believed the centre of the world lay here, on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. It's for Delphi that ships stop off Itea, a small town set at the head of the Gulf of Corinth, and the sanctuary alone is worth the trip. But the stop has other pleasures in store: a sea of olive trees, a peaceful seaside town, and waterfronts where the days drift by unhurried.

Itea, the Gateway to the Oracle

The waterfront reveals itself within a few steps of the dock: cafés, ice cream shops, palm trees, a few fishing boats, and water so clear you can make out the pebbles on the bottom. The town lives off the sea and the olive; it doesn't play the star and doesn't need to: its reason for being lies up in the mountains, and it has always known it. Those who stay close to the ship can wander the pebble beaches lining the bay, iced coffee in hand, watching the mountains reflected in the gulf.

Amfissa's Sea of Olive Trees

The road to the sanctuary first crosses a striking landscape: the Amfissa plain, blanketed in olive trees as far as the eye can see. Some trees in this grove, one of the largest and oldest in Greece, are several centuries old. Seen from above, the plain ripples like a silvery swell between rocky walls, and it's easy to understand why locals simply call it their "sea of olives."

Delphi, Above the World

16 km from the dock, clinging to the foothills of Parnassus, Delphi was for a thousand years the most consulted site of antiquity. Greek city-states sent kings and ambassadors here to question the Pythia, the oracle of Apollo. Today, visitors walk the Sacred Way past the treasuries of the various cities, up to the Temple of Apollo, its columns standing out against the open sky; higher still, the theatre and then the stadium, one of the best preserved in the country, overlook the valley. Just below the road, the round Tholos of the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, with its three re-erected columns, forms the site's most photographed image, and the Castalian Spring, where pilgrims once purified themselves, still flows at the bottom of the ravine. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the adjoining museum houses the Charioteer, a bronze with enamel eyes that has been staring back at visitors for 2,500 years.

Allow half a day for the round trip and the visit, whether on an organized excursion or a taxi negotiated at the dock. In the morning, the light rakes across the ruins, the air still holds its mountain coolness, and the tour buses are fewer: leave early if the ship's schedule allows it. Good walking shoes are a must, as the terrain climbs steeply.

Galaxidi, the Stop's Other Side

18 km to the west, Galaxidi lines its shipowners' mansions around two quiet coves. In the 19th century, this small town armed hundreds of sailing ships and made its fortune on every sea; its decline left it frozen in a quiet elegance. Wander here among neoclassical façades, chapels, and waterfronts lined with tavernas, far from any bustle. For a stop with no great monuments but plenty of atmosphere, it's a restful alternative to the ruins of Parnassus, or their complement if time allows.

Three Ways to Experience the Stop

• The ancient site and its museum: the top priority, half a day.
• Galaxidi: two hours of seaside wandering, by taxi or excursion.
• Itea itself: pebble beaches, cafés, and a stroll along the waterfront.

Coming back down from the sanctuary toward the gulf, you carry away what the oracle has always offered: not answers, despite its reputation, but questions bigger than the ones you arrived with. The "know thyself" carved on the temple's pediment stays with the traveller long after the olive groves of Amfissa have disappeared behind the wake.