Nicea

You still enter Nicea through the old Roman gates

Nicea was a real bit of serendipity for me. I was on my way to somewhere else and Iznik wasn't far off the route, so I thought I would make the detour just to say that I had been there.

I found a beautiful little town still surrounded by its Roman walls and set in a marvellous location on a sparkling lake. I was even more delighted to discover that the famous church was still standing (sort of) and that the inhabitants were friendly.

Alas, a subsequent visit a couple of years later revealed that the local police had discovered radar guns and yellow paint and were making copious use of both, which greatly detracted from the enjoyment of the visit. Still, if you are interested in church history or just want to see a (relatively) unspoiled Turkish town, do go and visit Nicea. I can't recommend it highly enough.

The "More info" link takes you to a book of church history. I haven't read it, so can't personally recommend it. What I have read is original documents such as the Ecclesiastical History by Sozomen, also available from Amazon, but I must warn you that it is fairly heavy going!