Corfu Island

“In 2007, the city’s old town was designated for the UNESCO World Heritage List.”

Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands. Its north-eastern coastline lies off the coast of Sarandë, Albania, from which it is separated by straits varying in breadth from 3 to 23 km (2 to 15 mi), including one near ancient Butrint, while the south-east side of the island lies off the coast of Thesprotia, Greece. The Corfu island is part of the Corfu Prefecture and includes twelve of the sixteen municipalities or communes in the prefecture and communities of Ereikoussa, Mathraki, Othonoi, and Municipality of Paxoi, which are all separate islands.

Corfu Port

Corfu island is connected to the history of Greece from the beginning of Greek mythology. Its Greek name, Kerkyra or Korkyra, is related to two powerful water symbols: Poseidon, god of the sea, and Asopos, an important Greek mainland river. According to myth, Poseidon fell in love with the beautiful nymph Korkyra, daughter of Asopus and river nymph Metope, and abducted her. Poseidon brought Korkyra to the hitherto unnamed island and, in marital bliss, offered her name to the place: Korkyra, which gradually evolved to Kerkyra (Doric). Together, they had a child they called Phaiax, after whom the inhabitants of the island were named: Phaiakes. This term was transliterated via Latin to Phaeacians.

The island’s history is laden with battles and conquests. The legacy of these struggles is visible in the form of castles punctuating strategic locations across the island. Two of these castles enclose its capital, which is the only city in Greece to be surrounded in such a way. As a result, Corfu’s capital has been officially declared a Kastropolis (“castle city”) by the Greek government. Corfu island was long controlled by Venice, which repulsed several Turkish sieges, before falling under British rule following the Napoleonic Wars. Corfu island was eventually ceded by the British Empire along with the remaining islands of the United States of the Ionian Islands, and unification with modern Greece was concluded in 1864 under the Treaty of London.
In 2007, the city’s old town was designated for the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Palaia Anaktora

Palaia Anaktora and gardens
Just to the north of “Kato Plateia” lie the “Palaia Anaktora” literally “Old Palaces”: a large complex of buildings of Roman architectural style used in the past to house the King of Greece, and prior to that the British Governors of the island. Today they are open to the public and form a complex of halls and buildings housing art exhibits, including a Museum of Asian Art, unique across Southern Europe in its scope and in the richness of its Chinese and Asian exhibits. The gardens of the Palaces, complete with old Venetian stone aquariums, exotic trees and flowers, overlook the bay through old Venetian fortifications and turrets, and the local sea baths are at the foot of the fortifications surrounding the gardens. A wrought-iron aerial staircase is also to be found, closed to garden visitors, descending to the sea from the gardens, and used by the Greek Royal family as a shortcut to the baths. Rewriting history, locals now refer to the old Royal Gardens as the “Garden of the People”.

Pontikonisi

The old city and Pontikonisi
The town of Corfu stands on the broad part of a peninsula, whose termination in the Venetian citadel is cut off from it by an artificial fosse formed in a natural gully, with a seawater moat at the bottom, that now serves as a marina and is called the Contrafossa. The old town, having grown within fortifications, where every meter of ground was precious, is a labyrinth of narrow streets paved with cobblestones, colourful and clean. These streets are known as kantoúnia. A promenade rises by the seashore towards the bay of Garitsa (Γαρίτσα), together with an esplanade between the town and the citadel known as Spianada with the Liston (it) arcade to its west side, where restaurants and bistros abound.
In several parts of the old city houses from the Venetian era are to be found. The old city’s architectural character is strongly influenced by the Venetian style, coming as it did under Venetian rule for a long period; its small and ancient sidestreets, and the old buildings’ trademark arches are particularly reminiscent of Venice. Of the thirty-seven Greek churches, the most important are the city’s cathedral, the church dedicated to Our Lady of the Cave, Saint Spyridon church, wherein lies the preserved body of the patron saint of the island; and finally the suburban church of St Jason and St Sosipater, reputedly the oldest in the island, and named after the two saints probably the first to preach Christianity to the Corfiots. The nearby island, known as Pontikonisi (Greek meaning “mouse island”), though small is very green with abundant trees, and at its highest natural elevation (excluding its trees or man-made structures, such as the monastery), stands at about 2 m (6 ft 6.74 in). Pontikonisi is home of the monastery of Pantokrator; it is the white stone staircase of the monastery that when viewed from afar gives the impression of a (mouse) tail which lent the island its name: ‘mouse island’.

Achillion

The Achilleion
Empress of Austria Elisabeth of Bavaria, also known as Sissi, was a woman entranced by beauty. She lost her only son, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, when he committed murder-suicide in The Mayerling Incident of 1889. A year later, in 1890, she built a summer palace in the region of Gastouri (Γαστούρι) to the south of the city, with the powerful mythical hero Achilles as its central theme.
The palace, with the neoclassical Greek statues that surround it, is a monument to platonic romanticism as well as escapism. It was named Achílleion after the Homeric hero Achilles. The structure is filled with paintings and statues of Achilles, both in the main hall and in the gardens, depicting the scenes of the Trojan War.
The Imperial gardens on the hill look over the surrounding green hill crests and valleys and the Ionian Sea. The centerpiece of the gardens is a marble statue on a high pedestal, of the mortally wounded Achilles, Achilleús Thnēskōn, ( Achilles Dying) without hubris and wearing only a simple cloth and an ancient Greek hoplite helmet. This statue was carved by German sculptor Ernst Gustav Herter. The hero is presented devoid of rank or status, and seems notably human though heroic, as he is forever trying to pull Paris’s arrow from his heel. His classically depicted face is full of pain. He gazes skyward, as if to seek help from Olympus. According to Greek mythology, his mother Thetis was a goddess.
In contrast, at the great staircase in the main hall is a giant painting of the triumphant Achilles full of pride. Dressed in full royal military regalia and erect on his racing chariot, he pulls the lifeless body of Hector of Troy in front of the stunned crowd watching helplessly from inside the walls of the Trojan citadel.
In 1898, Empress Sissi was assassinated at the age of 60 by an anarchist in Geneva, Switzerland. After her death the palace was sold to the German Kaiser Wilhelm II. Later it was acquired by the Greek State. The Achilleion has been converted into a museum.

Palaiokastritsa

Palaiokastritsa
Palaiokastritsa is the most famous tourist resort in Corfu. It is a region of unique beauty. Characteristic of this region is the alteration of sceneries. Endless vineyards, hills verdurous with pines, rocky shores and lacy beaches, all beauties of nature create an earthly paradise. In the highest top of the hills, is located the castle – monastery of Panagia. The dreamy Palaiokastritsa is located in the northwestern part of the island, 25km from the city. It was discovered tourist by English (authors and painters of the 19th century). English, during the period 1814-1864 when the island was under the British protection, constructed the first road that connected the historic monastery with the city. Until 1950 when Paleokastritsa started to develop its tourist foundations, the homonym monastery was the only building in this crowded region. Paleokastritsa is one of the first regions in Corfu that attracted naturalists and gained international fame. Six coves (Agios Spirydonas, Agia Triada, Agios Petros, Ampelaki, Platakia and Alipa) and a small graphic port combine scenery from abrupt rocks, green hills, golden beaches, colourful pebbles and blue waters. Another reason for visiting Paleokastritsa is the bottom of her sea. Thousands of divers visit it every year to explore it. A boat in the marine caves will fill you with unique pictures. Don’t miss visiting the monastery of Panagia. This byzantine building was constructed in 1228 and reconstructed during the 15th century. It is built on the top of a green hill. In the monastery’s museum you will see a remarkable collection of byzantine icons and ecclesiastic heirlooms. The view from the monastery is extraordinary. You can also see Agelokastro, the byzantine fortress of the 13th century in village Krini, on the hill right across the monastery.

Additional Information
Location: 377,00 km from Athens

It is famous about
The Achilleion
The old city
The Pontikonisi
Palaia Anaktora and gardens
Palaiokastritsa,