The epic of the Trojan hero Aeneas.

The myth
The myth about Aeneas had existed for a long time before Publius Virgilius wrote it, Augustus had asked him to do so. He wanted a Roman Odissey. It could also "prove" his divine origin and emphasize the glory of Rome. The work is a combination of old tales mixed with known history and a lot of divine interference.

Divine love baby
Aeneas was the product of the love between Anchises and the goddess Venus. She would help and guide him.

Escape from burning Troy
When the city of Troy was destroyed by the Greek, Aeneas escaped with his father Anchises and his son Iulus, together with a small group of soldiers and servants. His wife Creusa got lost and Venus ordered him to leave her, but to take the Penates of Troy and bring them to a new to found city.  Much later these Penates  would end up in Rome!

Aeneas' Odissey
Like Odysseus, he had to sail half the ancient word before he reached the goal that Venus had set for him. He would visit Sicily, where his father Anchises died, Tracia, Dalos , Crete. He had to face many dangers like Cyclops, Scylla and Charybdis.

Queen Dido visited
After a storm he reached Carthago in north Africa. Here he met queen Dido, the founder of this young city. She fell in love with him, but Venus had other plans and told him to leave. When he did so, Dido committed suicide.
(This is a simplistic and obvious maneuver to explain the hatred of de Carthaginians for

Rome and to justify the wars. Since Troy, if ever, was destroyed in the 12th century BC and Carthago was founded, traditionally, in 815BC, this is impossible.)

Tour of the underworld
At last he arrived at Cumea, at the Italian coast. Here he met the Sibylle. Again like Odysseus, (or Orpheus) he entered Hades ,the underworld, where he met the soul of Dido, who was still full of hatred and would not accept his excuse that the gods had made him leave her.

Encounter with his deceased father
He also met the soul of his father, who showed him the souls of famous Romans.

Alba Longa
In the end he landed at the mouth of the Tiber and in good Roman tradition fought himself a place where his son Iulus would found the city Alba Longa. When ages later Alba Longa was destroyed by Tullus Hostilius, the (Trojan) Penates were brought to Rome.
(There has never been found a trace of Alba Longa though. The city probably never existed.)