Corfu in a nutshell.
Corfu is one of the best known and best loved locations in Greece. Straddled between the Albanian and Greek Ionian coasts, it has been host to many influences and cultures throughout the centuries. Athens, Rome, Byzantium, Venice: each in turn has left its mark and architectures on this island. To one end, the North-West mountains form a natural bulwark to Italy and the greater Adriatic sea. Beyond that lie the hills and plains of Corfu proper with its vineyards, olive groves and, everywhere, the haunting figures of the cypress columns, dark and slender against a Southern sky. To its North, we find monasteries and family beaches and hilltops. Ruined fortresses and temples pay testament to the rise and fall of dynasties and empires. A one hour trip from Corfu town is the ancient city of Cassiopi, with its modern bars and nightclubs. Further on we find the cliffs and precipices of Sidari, and on to where the high, impregnable Castel Sant’Angelo stands, still undefeated, against the elements of tide and wind. South of the island remains largely underexplored, with its smallholdings, villages, salt flats and unspoiled coves and bays. Corfu town, perhaps, has its spiritual heart in the cathedral church of St. Spyridon. Recluse, worker of miracles, capricious guardian saint, four times yearly his relics tour the Corfu streets to the tune of crowds and marching bands. Palaces and secluded squares, museums, alleyways and alley cats, washing lines, street markets, luxury hotels and monuments make up this city of historic sights and festivals and its people.