understand this country.
It’s a journey best
experienced with the
help of those who
truly have this
country dialled.
We’re Fez-bound,
but not before
swinging past Volubilis;
seat of the Roman
Empire in Morocco.
It’s a flashback to the
1st century AD, although
the lush agricultural region was
settled by indigenous Berber tribes
as early as the 3rd century BC.
Here, columns and mosaics remain
stunningly intact, and you can wander
the ruins, imagining the clip-clop of
hooves and other sounds of ancient
Roman life.
It’s awe-inducing to say the least,
but the country’s oldest city is calling,
so it’s off to Fez for riads and a really,
really long lunch. The medina (the old
part of town in Moroccan cities) is
a hive of around 9,500 narrow lanes
and alleys, so it’s essential to take
a guide, if you plan to re-emerge.frankincense and glittering gems,
the food market in the medina is
packed to the hilt with its own riches.CLOCKWISE: Marrakech
trading; vibrant tagines at
the Four Seasons Casablanca
(inset); cooking lessons in
Fez; ancient Volubilis;
colourful spices at the souks
OPPOSITE: score some dates
at a Fez medina; Marrakech
streets at dusk.