Corfu, an island on the northwestern coast of Greece in the Ionian Sea, is bordered by rough mountains and coastline.
Corfu, an island on the northwestern coast of Greece in the Ionian Sea, is bordered by rough mountains and coastline. Its cultural heritage reflects the years that passed under Venetian, French and British rule before joining Greece in 1864. Corfu town, surrounded by two imposing Venetian fortresses, features a medieval lane and a rotating, one-way lane. the great palace of St. Michael and St. George.
1. Palaiokastritsa
Palaiokastritsa is a village in northwestern Corfu. Corfu has been suggested to be the mythical island of the Phaeacians, and the bay of Palaiokastritsa to be the place where Odysseus disembarked and met Nausicaa for the first time, see Geography of the Odyssey. The monastery in Palaiokastritsa dates from 1225. There is a museum inside.
2. Achilleion
Achilleion is a palace built in Gastouri on the Island of Corfu for the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi, after a suggestion by the Austrian consul Alexander von Warsberg. Elisabeth was deeply saddened by the tragic loss of her only son, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria following the Mayerling incident in 1889, and a year later she had this summer palace built as a refuge. Achilleion is located about ten kilometers south of the city of Corfu and provides a panoramic view of the city to the north, and across the whole southern part of the island to the Ionian Sea. The architectural style was designed to suggest an ancient palace of mythical Phaeacia The motif centers on the hero Achilles of Greek mythology, from which the name is derived.
3. Old Fortress
The Old Fortress of Corfu is a Venetian fortress in the city of Corfu. The fortress covers the promontory which initially contained the old town of Corfu that had emerged during Byzantine times. Before the Venetian era the promontory, which lies between the Gulf of Kerkyra to the North and Garitsa Bay to the south, was defended by Byzantine fortifications which the Venetians largely replaced with fortifications of their own design. As part of their defensive plans, the Venetians separated the promontory from the rest of the city of Corfu by creating the Contrafossa, a moat which is a sea channel connecting the Gulf of Kerkyra to the North with the Bay of Garitsa to the South, converting the citadel into an artificial island.
4. Mount Pantokrator
Mount Pantokrator is a mountain located in north-eastern Corfu. At 906 meters, it is the highest mountain on the island. At the summit, the whole of Corfu can be seen, as well as Albania which lies a short distance from the island. On particularly clear days it is also possible to see Italy despite it being around 130 km away. At the top, there is a café for tourists, a telecommunications station, whose largest tower stands directly over a well, and a monastery. The first monastery on the site was Angevin, built-in 1347 but then destroyed sometime around 1537. The current church on the site dates from around 1689, and the current facade was built during the 19th century.
5. St. Spyridon Church
The Saint Spyridon Church is a Greek Orthodox church located in Corfu, Greece. It was built in the 1580s. It houses the relics of Saint Spyridon and it is located in the old town of Corfu. It is a single-nave basilica and its bell tower is the highest in the Ionian Islands. It is the most famous church in Corfu.