Oliver Gikes

With a storyteller’s voice and an archaeologist’s eye, Oliver Gilkes has spent a lifetime uncovering the layers of the Mediterranean’s past—and bringing them vividly to life. A trained historian and archaeologist from the University of Winchester, Oliver began his journey amid the soil and stone of British excavations and museum galleries. But it was the sun-soaked landscapes of Italy that truly captured his heart.

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For over a decade, Oliver worked on classical and medieval sites across Italy, from the hidden depths behind Rome’s Porta Pia to the sacred ruins of the Carolingian abbey of San Vincenzo al Volturno. His path then led east, to Albania, where he became a leading expert on the region’s archaeology. There, he directed excavations at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Butrint and the medieval city of Gjirokastra, training the next generation of archaeologists while peeling back the layers of forgotten history.

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Oliver’s love of heritage goes far beyond the trench. As a guide, writer, and consultant for cultural travel, he crafts site-based experiences that blend scholarship with storytelling. Whether tracing Roman roads through olive groves or standing beneath ancient vaults, his tours turn ruins into stories—and stories into lasting memories.

He is the author of Albania: An Archaeological Guide and Gjirokastra: The Essential Guide, alongside numerous academic publications. Yet it’s his personal approach that sets him apart: warm, curious, and always listening to the land beneath his feet.

 

If you're looking to explore the Mediterranean with fresh eyes and a deeper understanding, Oliver Gilkes is the expert who will connect you not just to the past—but to the pulse of place itself.