All language subtitles for Francescos Mediterranean Voyage BBC 10of12 The Dodecanese_ENG_Subtitles01

FRANCESCO: I've been at sea
for the last two months,
travelling aboard the Black Swan.

We're approaching
the last of the Greek islands -

the Dodecanese.

1,000 years ago,
these peaceful waters

were broken by ships heading
from Italy towards Palestine.

On board was a collection
of knights and peasants

from all over Europe.

Their mission, to claim Jerusalem
and the Holy Land from the Muslims.

The Crusaders left their mark
on this part of the Mediterranean.

Ever since, this whole area

has been caught again and again
in a territorial tug of war.

East versus west,

Christian versus Muslim.

A melting pot of people,

culture and art.

I'm sailing from Venice to Istanbul,

following the trading routes
of my ancestors.

We're arriving
at one of the most popular islands
in the Dodecanese -

Rhodes.

Port control, this is Black Swan,
do you read me, over?

We're putting into port
in Rhodes Town.

It was once home to
the most glamorous
and fearless soldiers in history.

Even today,
its military feel is unmistakable.

This was the power base
of the Knights Of St John -

the most powerful
of all Crusading armies.

They were an international
supergroup of warriors and doctors.

A cross between Russell Crowe
in Gladiator

and George Clooney in his ER days.

Every girl's dream.

The old walled city
was built in the 14th century.

The architecture is unlike
any other in the Dodecanese.

A town built by soldiers
for soldiers.

Along this street are all the lodges
where the Crusaders stayed.

Although the order drew knights
from many different nationalities,

they were all united
in one belief -

that Christianity
should be restored to Jerusalem

and the Muslim infidel
driven out of the Holy Land.

In the heart of the old town
lies the Crusader hospital.

Here, the Knights Of St John would
tend their crushed Crusader brothers

who had returned from the wars.

This was one of the wards.

You have to imagine this vast room
packed with wounded knights,

groaning in pain,

their bodies laid out in rows.

People joined the Crusades
for glory, adventure and salvation.

But often all they got was
a lonely death in a foreign land,

far from their families
and loved ones.

Rhodes finally fell to Muslim Turks
in the 16th century.

And one of the first things
the Turks did

was build a mosque
right here in the heart of the town.

It was a symbol that the Christian
Crusaders' dream was over.

SAILOR TALKS INTO RADIO

This is the Black Swan.
Do you read me?

'Reading you loud and clear.
Go ahead.'

We have been in Greek waters
for over a month.

Now at last
we have reached Turkey.

This is known as
the Turquoise Coast.

Here the waters are too shallow
for the Black Swan to continue.

So I'm swapping boats.

A local guide is going to take me
to my next destination.

Are you Francesco? Yeah.

Come on. Should I come in? Please.

Perfecto.

Let's go.

Are we going far?

Not really, we're going to go around
20, 25 minutes from here,

then we're going to turn the Cape

and we're going to get in
the freshwater river.

As I travel on, I'm on the lookout
for a rare and wonderful sight.

These waters are the breeding ground
of the endangered loggerhead turtle,

are slim.

Francesco, the fishermen,

they're going to feed the turtles,
we may see the turtles there.

So go and have a look?
Yes, go up front and have a look.

Look, look, look - there.

Wow!

It's enormous.

How many kilos?

This part of Turkey was once home to
a mysterious civilisation,

the kingdom of Lycia.

Little remains, but I'm told
what does survive is breathtaking.

Look, Francesco, those are the tombs.

These are the Lycian rock tombs.

The Lycians had a reputation
as fierce warriors.

Rather than surrender in battle,

they would set fire to their towns
and themselves.

They believed the souls of the dead

were taken to the afterlife
by a winged creature.

By building these tombs into cliffs,

this journey would be easier
for them.

Yes, easier for them but not for me.

The facades are like Greek temples.

It suggests an exchange of ideas
as well as trade

between the Lycians
and the Ancient Greeks.

You can walk all around the back
of these free-standing tombs.

By keeping them detached
from the rock face, the Lycians

thought it would be easier for
their souls to leave this earth.

Inside the burial chamber,
you can still see the stone beds

where the bodies of the dead
were laid.

These places are far more
than tombs - they are temples.

Like many ancient cultures,
they worshipped the dead.

All this space was necessary

so they could come up here
and pray.

Lycia was eventually conquered
by the Romans.

Their tombs
are almost the only trace left

of a once-prosperous kingdom.

After my sweaty climb,
I need to freshen up,

so it's the perfect moment
to do something

I've been avoiding for weeks.

I like, OK?

Turkish barbers are famous
for their close shaves,

but I'm a little nervous
about what to expect.

Galip, the barber, has built a
reputation as a real perfectionist.

I'm clearly in good hands.

I have to say,
it's a really new experience.

It was fantastic.

I'll come back.

We'll be back in
Turkish waters soon.

But for now,
it's back to the Dodecanese.

Our next destination is
the island of Leros.

Buongiorno.

Leros isn't like
other Greek islands,

it has a slightly sinister
air to it, even now.

And one that sends shivers
down my spine.

It was part of the Italian dictator
Benito Mussolini's plan

to spread his rule as far as
North Africa and the Middle East.

Porto Lago, now called Lakki,
was built in just four years.

It was more than a town,

it was a manifesto
for the new Italian empire.

The streets are straight and wide

because Mussolini loved cars
and military parades.

And he didn't like fussy ornaments,

so the buildings are bright,
white and simple.

Everything here
has Mussolini's imprint,

from the church...

to the cinema.

But 60 years on, the town
is in a state of decay.

Constantinos Kumalis,
now in his seventies,

is the local scooter mechanic.

He remembers the
Italian occupation well.

After Mussolini was toppled,
the Germans invaded Leros.

Their occupation was brutal
and cruel.

So, perhaps it's
not so strange that the islanders

feel more fond of Mussolini
than most of us.

Just 20 miles from Leros is Patmos.

WHISTLE PEEPS

Patmos is a beautiful
and peaceful little place.

So, it's all the more surprising

that God chose this island to reveal
how the world was going to end.

It was here on Patmos that St John
wrote his Book Of Revelation,

the frightening prophecies
at the end of the Bible.

From it comes the Whore Of Babylon,
666, the Number Of The Beast

and the Four Horsemen
Of The Apocalypse.

I read the Book Of Revelation
when I was a teenager

and it gave me nightmares.

In it, St John The Divine,

describes the terrible evils
of Satan and his cohorts.

It's hard to believe this is
where St John lived and worked.

It's still known
as the Cave Of The Apocalypse.

It is said that God spoke to John
through this crack in the cave.

But in spite of the terrifying
images in the Book Of Revelation,

ultimately, God promised
that Christ would triumph.

Good would succeed over evil.

St John's reputation grew

and in the 11th century, a monastery
was founded in his name.

The monks here still revere him.

Good morning,

I'm Father Martinianos.

Francesco. Welcome to our monastery.

Father Martinianos
grew up in Brighton

but left England over 30 years ago.

He's one of 20 monks who live here.

He's offered to show me
the monastery's greatest treasure.

We have wonderful frescos,
they're around 16th century.

Of course, because they didn't
have in the old days,

the means to restore and clean,
they used to take paint,

and paint the whole wall
and repaint it again.

So, when we were trying to clean it,

appeared this.

This is 12th century.

So, this is the original one? Yes.

Here...

we're in the dining room
of the monastery.

Was built at 12th century too.

So, there sits the abbot

with the monks, and
the abbot when he comes in,

he knocks this so the prayer starts
and we start eating.

The moment this bell rings,
BELL RINGS

doesn't matter
if you have eaten or not,

you just get up and make a
polite prayer, and you leave.

Because food should not
become a pleasure.

Food is something
to sustain yourself, to be alive,

and nothing more than that.

So, we eat very fast.

How much time do you have to eat?

Well, enough to finish a plate.

This is one of my favourite views.

It's very nice. Marvellous.

How long have you been a monk?

Oh, it's only, I'm a baby monk,
it's only 15 years.

How was your life?

I was a very normal person,
like you,

in fact I had no connection
whatsoever about church, religion,

and as a matter of fact, if
you'd told me 20 years ago that,

you know,
how about becoming a monk?

I would have told you,
go and jump from that.

So those click,

those things are
very unexplainable sometimes.

It's been two long
months since I left Venice.

But now my family has come to Patmos
to see me. I can hardly believe it.

We still have a long way to go

until we reach our final
destination in Istanbul.

But tonight, it's nice to forget it

and just enjoy being with my family
and good friends.

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