After watching Christopher Nolan's film Odyssey, many viewers leave the theater with lingering questions. Why was Odysseus unable to return home for ten years? Where is Ithaca, the place he longed to return to? Did the Cyclopes, Sirens, Circe, and Calypso's island actually exist?
However, before delving into these questions, there is a simple yet intriguing one: "So, where is Troy today?"
Many who read Homer's Iliad and Odyssey or watch the film may assume that Troy is located in Greece, as most of the key figures in the Trojan War, such as Agamemnon, Menelaus, Achilles, and Odysseus, are Greek heroes.
Yet, Troy is not in present-day Greece.
The ruins of Troy are located in Hisarlık, Çanakkale Province, in northwestern Turkey. This site is at the northwestern tip of Asia Minor, across the Aegean Sea from the Greek mainland. Even more surprising is Troy's location: according to UNESCO, the ruins are situated just about 4.8 kilometers from the southern entrance of the Dardanelles Strait.
This single figure offers a new perspective on Troy's history. Why was Troy located there? Let's unfold a map.
To the south lies the Aegean Sea. Heading north from the Aegean leads to the narrow, elongated Dardanelles Strait. Crossing this strait brings you to the Sea of Marmara, and beyond the Bosporus Strait lies the vast Black Sea.
Aegean Sea → Dardanelles Strait → Sea of Marmara → Bosporus Strait → Black Sea.
This route remains significant on today's world map, and it was even more crucial 3,000 years ago.
Troy overlooked this vital passage.
UNESCO also recognizes that Troy served as a cultural bridge for thousands of years, connecting Anatolia, the Balkans, the Aegean, and the Black Sea, facilitating migration, trade, and the exchange of knowledge. Evidence of human habitation in and around Troy spans approximately 8,000 years.
Understanding Troy's geographical position allows us to see Homer's world in a different light.
In mythology, the Trojan War began over a woman. Trojan prince Paris took Helen, the wife of Spartan king Menelaus, back to Troy. Enraged, Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon united various Greek forces to attack Troy, leading to a ten-year war, as narrated in Homer's tales.
However, looking at the map raises another question: Was it truly just for the beautiful Helen?
Here, we must distinguish between history and myth. It has not been proven that the Trojan War occurred exactly as described by Homer. The claim that the war started because of Helen, that Achilles and Hector actually fought, or that a giant wooden horse entered Troy are not definitively established historical facts.
However, the existence of the city of Troy is an archaeological fact, as is its proximity to a crucial maritime route of the time.
Thus, if the actual historical conflict evolved into Homer's grand narrative, we might consider the interests surrounding trade, maritime routes, and power dynamics as potential underlying causes. Yet, declaring this as the true cause of the Trojan War would lead us to create another myth rather than history.
What matters is geography.
Geography rarely lies in history. Three thousand years ago, a 'crossroads' meant wealth and power. Throughout human history, the rise and fall of great powers and cities have been linked to routes.
There are land routes and sea routes. People and goods traverse these paths. Money follows goods, and power follows money. Conflicts over power can sometimes lead to war.
Troy was situated on that route.
To travel north from the Aegean world toward the Black Sea, one must pass through the narrow gateway of the Dardanelles. This is why the strategic importance of the Bosporus and Dardanelles remains significant today. Though thousands of years have passed, the sea and straits remain unchanged.
Interestingly, just across the Dardanelles from Troy lies the Gallipoli Peninsula, a battleground of World War I. Despite nearly 3,000 years separating the era of Troy from the Gallipoli campaign, the geographical space over which people have fought has not significantly changed.
Why is that?
Because it is a crossroads. The best way to understand Troy may be to unfold a world map rather than read another mythological book.
Now, in 2026, the world is searching for another island. After 3,000 years, Odyssey is reshaping the world map in a completely different way.
On one side, people are looking to Turkey's Çanakkale and Hisarlık to find the true location of Troy. On the other side, they are heading to a small island in the Mediterranean to find the home of Odysseus.
That island is Favignana, located off the western coast of Sicily, Italy.
Here, it is essential to distinguish between actual history and film. The Ithaca that Homer's Odysseus sought to return to is connected to the modern-day Ithaca in the Ionian Sea of Greece. However, Nolan filmed key scenes of Ithaca not in actual Ithaca but on the Italian island of Favignana.
Favignana is part of the Aegadian Islands, located off the coast of Trapani, Sicily. Due to its shape, it is also nicknamed the 'Butterfly Island.'
Nolan transformed this location into Odysseus's homeland. The Castello di Santa Caterina, situated on the highest hill of Favignana, became the palace of Odysseus in the film. This site served as a significant backdrop for scenes featuring Penelope and Telemachus. The film crew shot not only in Favignana but also in the surrounding Aegadian Islands and the Aeolian Islands for various sea and island scenes.
The choice of Favignana is intriguing.
Production designer Ruth De Jong praised the island's high terrain, which offers views of the sea in all directions, allowing the boats used in filming to access the area. This provided a space where actors could perform while feeling the actual wind and looking at the real sea, rather than a computer-generated ocean.
This is a quintessential Nolan choice.
The 'Odyssey effect' has arrived on the island with a population of about 3,000. Following the film's release, the local economy began to shift.
According to Reuters, Favignana has a resident population of around 3,000. During the filming of Odyssey, about 500 local extras and crew members were employed, with direct spending in the area estimated by local authorities to be between 1 million and 2 million euros. After the film's release, investors from North America, the Middle East, and India have shown interest in high-end tourism projects. Local authorities are also planning a permanent exhibition showcasing the film's production process, costumes, and equipment.
Interestingly, island residents are already contemplating the next question.
What will they do if too many people come?
This reflects the power of 'screen tourism,' where a single film can create a global tourist destination. According to estimates cited by Reuters from the United Nations related to tourism, locations featured in popular films can experience significant increases in visitors. Favignana is beginning to connect the film's success to its tourism industry while also considering how to avoid overtourism.
This is the new Odyssey of 2026.
Three thousand years ago, Odysseus wandered the seas to return home. Three thousand years later, tourists from around the world are crossing the seas to trace Odysseus's footsteps.
One film has created two maps. Therefore, after watching Odyssey, I encourage you to unfold two maps.
The first map shows Troy in Turkey.
Locate Çanakkale and Hisarlık, and trace the route to the Dardanelles Strait. Below, see the Aegean Sea, and above, connect the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. This will help you understand why Troy was located there.
The second map features Favignana in Italy.
Find Sicily and look westward toward the sea off Trapani, where a small island appears. In the film, that island became Ithaca, the home Odysseus risked his life to return to, where Penelope waited and Telemachus grew up waiting for his father.
One map represents history, while the other represents film.
One has drawn people for 3,000 years, while the other is beginning to attract global attention through a single film.
Yet, the forces driving both places share a strangely similar trait: people move along paths.
Three thousand years ago, people crossed the Aegean for trade and war. Today, people fly across the sea following films, stories, and culture. In the past, goods moved people; today, content moves people. Myths become literature, literature becomes film, and film creates tourism and economies.
This may be the enduring power of the Odyssey, which has survived for 3,000 years.
Troy may be gone, but its place remains. Homer has passed, but his stories endure. The ship that Odysseus sailed may have vanished, but people still seek the seas he is believed to have traversed.
And in the summer of 2026, Nolan's camera has once again turned the world's attention to that ancient tale.
So, if asked about the first travel destination after watching Odyssey, I would suggest two places.
If you want to know Troy, go to Çanakkale, Turkey.
If you want to experience Nolan's Odyssey, head to Favignana, Italy.
Between the two lies a journey of 3,000 years of myth, history, and human exploration.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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