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Corfu

Corfu (or Kerkyra in Greek) is an island located in the Ionian Sea, on the western side of Greece, near its border with Albania. It is the capital of the periphery of the Ionian Islands. With a surface area of 592 km, it is one of the largest Greek islands and has a population of 107,600. The Italian footprint is very pronounced.

The island is known in the history of ancient Greece as a Greek city under the name of Corcyra. In mythology, Corcyra was a nymph, daughter of the river Asopos and the river-nymph Métope. Poseidon, having fallen in love with her, would have taken her to that island. Phoeax was born of their loves.

Being the greenest of the Greek islands, Corfu boasts three million olive trees, a flowery countryside and Adriatic-style villages. The island of Corfu offers splendid coastal landscapes and excellent secluded beaches. The island includes many interesting places to explore and many sights to see.

The old town of Corfu is the tourist heart of the island. This labyrinth with narrow streets is called locally ‘Kantounia’.
Unlike the Cyclades, the houses are mostly of neoclassical style with ocher and yellow facades and shutters painted green. They date back to the Venetian period. The streets and alleys are paved. The capital of the island is built around the Spianada, the great esplanade (one of the most beautiful squares in Greece), situated between the old citadel and the historical center, crossed by Voulgareos Street, extended by Avenue G. Theotoki.

The historic center of Corfu was declared World Heritage by UNESCO. The majestic buildings of neoclassical influence will please you: the palace of Saint Michael and Saint George, the arcades of the Liston, the Readers’ Society, the catholic cathedral, the Maitland rotunda, the Ionian parliament, the family manor of the Kapodistrias.

The main activity of the island is agriculture, despite the considerable development of tourism. The trees cover almost 60% of the total area and are mostly olive trees, orange and lemon trees, fruit trees and vines. The Kumquat has become the tourist symbol of the island. This small Chinese orange is grown only here and in Sicily and nowhere else in Europe.

Kouloura is a pretty fishing port that owes its name to the shape of its bay (ring-shaped biscuit). This place is charming and quiet. At 50 m is the pretty quiet beach of Kalami. This part of the coast (between Barbati and Kassiopi) shelters many beautiful coves.

Nissaki is a hamlet that houses a small picturesque beach.

Paleokastritsa is located on the north-western coast of Corfu, 25 km from the airport and the city of Corfu. Long considered one of the most beautiful villages in Corfu, it is one of the island’s most inescapable places with its small coves with turquoise and crystalline waters.

Sidari is one of the most popular seaside resorts on the island. It is said that if you bathe in the Channel of Love of Sidari, you will meet your soul mate. In Sidari, you will find two other impressive sandy beaches with sandstone formations.

The monastery of Kanoni located to the south of the city of Corfu, is the typical postcard, emblematic of the island. It is accessible by a dike that connects the main island to Kanoni. Kanoni is a renowned site for the view it offers to visitors. To avoid the mass of tourists, it is better to go very early in the morning. Off Kanoni is the islet surmounted by the monastery of Vlacherna. Further on is Pontikonissi, with its Pantocrator church.

It is this small corner of land (Mouse Island), which is probably the best known symbol of Corfu, which according to legend would be the mythical ship of Ulysses, which Poseidon transformed into stone, as Homer tells In the Odyssey.
The small town of Kassiopi is also home to many picturesque coves.

The beach of Glyfada is among the most beautiful on the island. At 6 km north-west of Glyfada lays the seaside hamlet of Ermones, situated in a protected cove with wild beauty.

The Achilleion or Sissi Palace is a neo-classical Pompeian-style palace located on the outskirts of the village of Gastouri in the municipal district of Achilleio. It is located about ten kilometers southwest of the city of Corfu, at the top of a hill at 145 meters above sea level. Built in 1889-1891 in honor of the Homeric hero Achilles by the Empress Elizabeth of Austria-Hungary (better known as Sissi), it was bought by the Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany in 1907 and then occupied by the French and Serbian troops, making it a military hospital during the First World War.

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