HolidaysInGreece Corfu Island

Area: 592 sq. km., Population: 92261, Capital: Corfu (Kerkyral

How to get there: By air from Athens and several European capitals, by ship from Piraeus, Patras, Italy, Igoumenitsa, Paxos

HISTORY: Known to the ancients under many names, the island owe8 its present name to the nymph Kerkyra. It has heen inhabited slnce paiealithic fimes, when if was stil% united to Epirus on the mainland, from whence the first settlers originated. Centuries later it was aolonised by tbe Eretrians frorn Euboea in 775 BC and by the Corinthians in 734 BC. Sub8equintiy after winning. independence, it became a great commercii/ poeer. Many’ ruiers %aid claim to the island and by 229 BC it was conquered by the lllyrians who in turn ceded it to the Romans. Durina the Middle Aaes, Corfu was consiantiy raided by barDarians - the Vandals, Goths and Saracens in the 5th, 7th and 9th centuries respectively. In 1081 the Norman prince Robert Guiscard seized the island, but it returned to Byzantine rule until 1214 when it became a part of the Duchy of Epirus. In 1267 it was taken over by Charles d’Anjou and less than one hundred years later the inhabitants appealed for aid against pirate attacks from Venice, under whose sovereignty they remained for another fovr centuries. Venetian rule has left an indelible imprint on the physical appearance and social fabric of the whole island. Napoieon’s troops ousted the Venetians in 1797, and in 1800 it became the capital of the autonomous Septinsular Republic paying tribute to Turkey. The lonians were restored to France seven years later and were recognised as a free state under the protection of England in 1815. The autocratic English administration stirred up the unionist spirit and the isiands became part of Greece in 1864.

SIGHTSEEING: The prefecture of Corfu includes the Diapontia islands, Othoni, Mathraki and Errikousa, to the north and Paxos and Antipaxos to the south. The capital contains entertainment possibilities, amenities and sightseeing for all tastes. It owes its unique grace and beauty to the four centuries of Venetian domination, symbolised first and foremost by the Old and New Forts. The Old Fort or Citadel built on a promontory jutting into the sea dates largely from the 18th century. Much of the city’s architecture is Venetian in style; it has narrow cobbled streets (kandounia) and tall buildings with arches on the ground floor. A number of the buildings belong to the Venetian era - the Town Hail (1863-1693) and the Bank of Greece (17th c), among others. In the early 19th century the French engineer de Lesseps designed the Liston arcade on the Spianada, a replica of Paris’s famous rue de Rivoli. Later the English built the Reading Society building (18%), the palace of St. Michael and St. George (1819), etc. The latter houses the Museum of Oriental Art. Other museums in the city include the Archaeological Museum and the Byzantine Museum.

Of the island’s 800 churches, the most interesting are Agia Kerkyra (5th c.), Sts. Jason and Sossipater (10th or 12th c.) and St. Spyridon, the patron of the island. Four processions in his honour take place every year. Corfu’s main ancient monument, the tomb of Menecrates, is in the Garitsa district, while the scant remains of the 6th century BC city are on the Palaiopolis peninsula, where evidence of temples of Artemis, Apollo and Hera have been found.

Mon Repos, the former summer palace of the Greek royal family, lies on the outskirts of the city (no admission), while nearbv are the popular strolling places, Analipsi hill and Kanoni, overlookina the tinv monastery of Vlacherna and the much Photographed Pontikonisi, Corfu’s trademark.

The road to the north part of the island passes Kontokali and the bay of Gouvia, the lush resort areas of Dassia and Ypsos to arrive at Kassiopi and Sidari, where paleolithic artifacts have been discovered. One can return via Agios Georgios, one of the island’s most beautiful beaches, and Skripero. At the tip of the south coast is the new resort of Kavos. To get there one drives through Moraitika and Benitses, two lively seaside villages. It is well worth making the detour to the Achillion in Gastouri, once the palace of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Kaiser Wilhelm, now a museum by day and casino by night. To get to the west coast, the road leads first to Pelekas, a charming mountain village, a good place to view the sunset. The island’s most famous beach, Palaiokastritsa, lies on the west coast, as do the resorts of Glyfada, Ai Gordi and many other delightful spots. Corfu is a large, densely settled island, amply equipped to handle vast numbers of tourists. It is one of Greece’s most popular destinations. Its geographic location, mild climate, lovely lush landscape - an endless expanse of every possible shade of green - made it a coveted prize by potential rulers until the last century and won it a wide number of admirers from ancient times up to the present.