Corfu island . Welcome to paradise !

 

 

Свадебное путешествие на Корфу - незабываемое и прекрасное приключение на всю жизнь !

Рассказ о Корфу , которым любезно  поделилась Анна  - из своих личных воспоминаний  о чудесно проведенном свадебном вояже и паломничестве ко великому святому Спиридону !

 На острове Корфу мы с мужем оказались на следующий день после свадьбы.
Так началось наше свадебное путешествие.
Верю, что Святой Спиридон не остался в стороне, т.к. мы ехали к нему в гости, а он, в свою очередь принял нас на высшем уровне !
Все сложилось удачно и мы действительно очень хорошо провели время. 

О самом Святом Спиридоне я узнала в 2010 году, когда его десницу привозили к нам в Москву на поклонение.
Помню как мы вместе с моим, тогда ещё, женихом пришли поклониться святому в Даниловский монастырь. 

Свято -Данилов монастырь в Москве

Святой Спиридон прожил удивительную жизнь, которая произвела на меня неизгладимое впечатление.
И с тех пор, в сложных жизненных обстоятельствах , я старалась обращаться к нему за молитвенной поддержкой.

Об отдыхе на Корфу .

 Сам остров Корфу необыкновенно красив, из всех греческих островов, это пожалуй, самый зеленый остров.
Столицей о. Корфу является г. Керкира, где и находится знаменитая церковь Святого Спиридона  с его нетленными мощами.

 

  

  

   

Мы не стали останавливаться в самой Керкире из-за высоких цен в гостиницах, а поселились в 15 км от неё , в очень тихом городишке под названием Беницес,оттуда до столицы можно доехать автобусом за 30 минут.
По приезде в Керкиру , самым нашим большим желанием было поскорее найти ту самую церковь Св. Спиридона, поэтому попав туда в первый раз - мы не сразу ее нашли, а сначала вообще заблудились. 

Но потом догадались искать её по колокольне : я знала, что она в городе самая высокая, и не ошиблась. Сам город небольшой по размеру, за 3 часа его можно вполне обойти, правда не по 35-ти градусной жаре. Город очень чистый, но шумный из-за большого скопления туристов, в том числе  и из России.

И вот перед нами церковь Святого Спиридона Тримифунтского-  старинный и очень красивый храм. Мы пришли по окончании службы и через несколько минут открыли мощи святого , и всем желающим было предложено поклониться им.
Мощи находятся справа от алтаря в специальной комнате в серебряном саркофаге. Нам позволили приложиться к его сапожкам.
Возле саркофага присутствовали двое батюшек, все желающие передавали им записки с именами, а они в свою очередь читали их вслух у мощей.
Имена мы писали латинскими буквами, не указывая "за здравие" или "о упокоении"- там принято писать все вместе .
Подходя к мощам испытываешь невероятное волнение, а тут ещё мой муж захотел второй раз приложиться к мощам, ну и я с ним разумеется.
Так мы бегали раза 3 наверно, после чего мощи закрыли. Мой муж пошутил тогда, что Св.Спиридон устал от нас.

  

Мы ещё немного там побыли, поставили свечки, кстати там нет подсвечников, есть только один большой и тот на улице возле храма. 

Вот так начался наш отдых на этом замечательном острове.
Я уже говорила, что сам город Керкира не очень большой по размеру, за пару дней, что мы там побывали, мы успели забраться на старую крепость, которая находится в старой части города, побывали на новой крепости, она находится соответственно в новой части города, прошлись по площади Спианада. Большая часть Керкиры находится в пешеходной зоне, улочки очень узкие, т.к. дома построены очень близко друг другу, прям окна в окна. Побывали во всех церквях города наверно, примечательно то, что они небольшие, старинные и очень красивые. Всего в полумиле от Старого порта города Керкиры расположился остров Видос, куда можно добраться на лодках, мы и там побывали.

 На острове Корфу много и других достопримечательностей, и чтобы все успеть посмотреть мы для начала взяли напрокат квадрацикл и отправились в западную часть острова в сторону Глифады и Пелекаса.
Правда на квадрацикле далеко не уедешь, скорость низкая, а по горам на нем невозможно ехать, поэтому на следующий день мы взяли напрокат машину. Вот на ней мы и объездили большую часть острова за 3-4 дня.

Продолжили свое путешествие с посещением горы Пантократор, это самое высокое место на всем острове, она находится на высоте около 900 метров над уровнем моря. По узким горным дорогам подниматься было страшновато, из-за такой высоты уши закладывало как в самолете. 

На самой вершине горы находится старинный монастырь, а с самой горы можно увидеть большую часть острова, берега Албании, Италии. Вид оттуда необыкновенный. 

о. Корфу. Церковь на горе Пантократор.

Затем на следующий день мы решили отправились вдоль побережья из Беницеса на север острова в сторону Пирги, Кассиопи. В местечке Сидари находится бухта под названием "Канал влюбленных".
По легенде та влюбленная пара, которая искупается там хоть раз, навсегда будет вместе. Ну мы с мужем тоже не остались в стороне !
Тем более жара стояла такая, что без купания там очень сложно, постоянно тянет в воду  

 

На юге от города Керкиры, на мысе Канони по насыпной дороге можно добраться до острова Влахерна, где находится церковь Влахернской иконы Божией Матери. А оттуда на лодке мы доплыли до мышиного острова (о.Пантиконисси), где находится полуразрушенная церковь, не помню правда как она называется. 

В Пелекасе есть местечко, называемое "Трон Кайзера", там Кайзер Вильгельм любил обозревать окрестности. Мы попали туда под вечер и наблюдали с этого "трона" закат, это было необыкновенно красиво.
Рядом с городом Беницес, где мы остановились в местечке Гастури находится дворец Ахиллио, это дворец императрицы Елизаветы Австрийской (Принцесса Сисси). Она очень увлекалась греческой мифологией и свой дворец назвала в честь её любимого мифического героя Ахилла из эпоса Гомера. 

Были и во многих других местах острова, посетили музей ракушек, местный аквапарк.
Запомнились корфуанские деревушки, где мы были проездом. Кстати население острова после 13 часов как по договоренности впадало в спячку на несколько часов. После обеда все вымирало.
Магазины закрывались аж до 17.00, а некоторые и не открывались вовсе, это нам показалось странным. Мы не понимали - как они вообще зарабатывают и на что живут .
Но как бы то ни было народ там был очень доброжелателен к нам и к друг другу.

После посещения всех основных достопримечательностей острова мы вновь вернулись в Керкиру. Мы с мужем решили снова посетить церковь Спиридона Тримифунтского, на этот раз побывать на службе.
Было как раз воскресение, служба начиналась в 6.00 и длилась около 4-х часов.
Сразу скажу об особенностях служб в Греции. Верующие не стоят всю службу как у нас в России, а сидят, для этого в храмах предусмотрены скамейки, верующие встают только когда читается Евангелие и другие важные молитвы.   
Хор в храме Св.Спиридона был исключительно мужским, из 3-4 человек. Храм постепенно наполнялся верующими, очень много было паломников из России, некоторые как и греки во время службы сидели, а некоторые по привычке стояли. Женщины-гречанки не покрывают свои головы, главное, чтобы были закрыты плечи.
Служба велась то ли на древнегреческом, то ли на новогреческом языке и мы с мужем конечно ничего не понимали.
В этот день на Корфу был какой-то государственный праздник, и по окончании службы в храм пришел детский оркестр, с трубами, барбанами и другими инструментами да ещё в военной форме. Как только служба окончилась они стали играть то ли гимн, то ли что-то другое мы не знали если честно, т.к. с местной музыкой были не знакомы...
После всего этого открыли мощи Св. Спиридона. В этот раз нам разрешили приложится к его голове. Это было наше последнее посещение этого храма. 

Наш отдых продлился 13 незабываемых дней, советую всем, кто там ни разу не был, если будет возможность, побывать на этом замечательном острове.

Corfu Imperial, Grecotel Exclusive Resort

Сеть отелей: Grecotel.

Сеть отелей Grecotel является одной из самых крупнейших сетей в Греции, имеет множество отелей и курортных комплексов, расположенных на Крите, Корфу, Халкидиках, западном Пелопоннесе, Родосе, Миконосе, Косе и в Аттике.

Группа Grecotel получила более 150 международных наград, присваиваемых гостями, туристическими организациями, туроператорами и международными ассоциациями за качество отелей, повышение привлекательности греческого туристического продукта, а также за инициативы в области культуры и охраны окружающей среды.

В данный проект - Grecotel  , входят только избранные отели Греции категории  5* и 5* Deluxe соответствующие самым высоким мировым стандартам и отвечающие требованиям наиболее искушенных и взыскательных клиентов,  стремящихся получать только лучшее в области обслуживания, размещения, spa-услуг, гастрономии, развлечений, дизайна, атмосферы… 

 Курортный отель Corfu Imperial, Grecotel Exclusive находится на частном полуострове с прямым видом на Ионическое море. Гостей ожидают 3 принадлежащих отелю песчаных пляжа и большой открытый бассейн.

Все номера с превосходным видом на море размещаются в главном здании или в бунгало, расположенном в спускающемся к морю саду.

Рестораны/бары отеля Corfu Imperial приглашают отдохнуть на морском берегу и отведать произведения превосходных шеф-поваров. В ресторане высокой кухни Aristos с обслуживанием по меню подаются блюда греческой и средиземноморской кухни. После ужина напитки сервируются в лаундж-баре, коктейль-баре и баре у бассейна.

На этом острове, некогда являвшемся любимым местом отдыха членов королевской семьи, предлагаются всевозможные спа-процедуры. Дополнительно к вашим услугам ювелирный магазин, бутик одежды и парикмахерская.

Команда аниматоров курортного отеля предлагает различные мероприятия - от утренней гимнастики, аэробики и пляжных игр до уроков танцев, вечерних шоу и музыкальных вечеров, отражающих богатые традиции острова.

Город Корфу расположен в 9 км от отеля. На территории отеля имеется частная бесплатная парковка. Трансфер отеля дважды в день доставляет гостей до центра Корфу.

Номеров в отеле: 303, Сеть отелей: Grecotel. 

 

Corfu island, Greece

Corfu is the most northerly of the large Islands of the Ionian Sea, and is second only to Cefalonia, among those islands, in terms of area. With Cefalonia, Zakynthos, Lefkada, Paxoi, Ithaki, and Kythera it forms the administrative group known as the Ionian Islands. The prefecture of Corfu consists of Corfu itself, Paxoi, Antipaxoi, Othoni, Ereikousa and Mathraki.. The island lies at the mouth of the Adriatic Sea, close to the mainland coast of Greece and Albania, from which it became geographically separated in the distant part. Cape Agios Stefanos, in the northern part of the island, is only 2.5 km from the mainland of Albania. Corfu has an area of 592 sq. km and a population of 92,000.

Geography

The island is elongated and sickle-shaped. In the north, the maximum width from the east to west is 21 km., gradually dwindling as we move south until the island is only 7 km.
Wide at its southernmost extremity. The coastline of Corfu is widely varied. In the east, the land slopes gently down to charming little bays and coves. The largest bays on the east side are those of Corfu town and Lefkimmi, while on the west, where the coastline is steep and rocky, there are tiny inlets, many of them of the greatest beauty. All around Corfu are islets, including Vido and Lazareto in the bay of Corfu town, and the famous Pontikonisi close to the Chalkiopoulou lagoon. Most of the ground on Corfu is low-lying, though there are three ranges of moderately high hills. The highest peak, Mt Pantokratoras (906m.), is in the north- east of the island, with the peaks of Vistonas and Araklis further to the west. A lower range whose highest peak is Mt Agyii Deka (576m.) runs cross-wise across the center of the island, with the Ropa valley further to the north an the low hills of Chlomos (330m.) in a southerly direction. Close to this is Lake Korission, with a length of 12 km. And a maximum width of 1,300 m., separated from the sea by a narrow spit of sand. There are few rivers, almost all of which run dry during the summer. The largest of the is the Mesongi river, which rises on Mt Ayii Deka and flows into the sea in the bay of Corfu Town.

Climate

The climate of Corfu is of the category known as maritime Mediterranean, with cool summers (when the temperature averages 27oC) and mild winters (average temperature 10oC).
In Greek terms, the humidity is relatively high, thanks to the prevailing north-westerly and westerly winds, which cause abundant rainfall throughout the year. As a result, the island is thickly wooded and its landscape is idyllically verdant.

History

The house of the history of Corfu has been directly connected with its geographical position.

As a crossroads between east and wes, it has seen the passage of numerous conquerors across its soil. The seems to have been first inhabited in the Paleolithic period (30,000 – 7,000 BC), as evidenced by finds that came to light in the Grava cave at Gardiki in the south west of Corfu. The Plaeokastritsa area has yielded finds date form the Late Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods, and the sites of various Neolithic settlements have been discovered, the most important of which is at Sidari on the north coast (6000-2600 BC). The Neolithic civilization of Corfu, and the Bronze Age culture which followed it (3000-1100 BC), have much more in common with prehistoric cultures of Apulia in southern Italy that they do with the culture of mainland Greece, and there are traces of influence from other parts of the Balkans. The first settlement of Greeks on Corfu of which we can be sure took place around 760-750 BC, and the expedition set out from the city of Eretria in Euboea. Next followed: THE ROMAN PERIOD (229 BC – 395 AD), THE BYZANTINE PERIOS (395 – 1267) the first period of Venetian rule (1207-1214), THE ANGEVINS (1267-1386), THE SECOND PERIOD OF VENETIAN RULE (1386 - 1797),THE FIRST PERIOD OF FRENCH RULE (1797 – 1799), THE RUSSO – TURKISH OCCUPATION THE SEPTINSULAR STATE (1799 – 1807), SECOND PERIOD OF FRECH RULE (1807 – 1814), THE BRITISH PROTECTORATE (1816 – 1964)… and in the end on 21 May of 1864 after many years of efforts the Ionian islands were incorporated in to the Greek state . however, Britain did not make this concession without taking political considerations into account.: it was Britain which insisted that a Danish prince whom it trusted to installed, at the same time, as King George I of Greece. After the treaty of unification was signed, the Ionian islands were compelled to demolish all their fortifications, while Corfu and Paxoi were declared neutral territory. However, the neutrality of Corfu proved on a number of occasions to be something of a formality. During the First World War, Entente forces landed Serbian and French troops on the island, and in early 1916 the Serbian government –in – exile established itself there. A year later, Serbian Prime Minister Pasic and South Slav representative Trubic signed what was known as the “Corfu declaration” which laid the foundations for the formation of Yugoslavia by the Serbs, the Croats and the Slovenians. Corfu’s neutrality was violated once more in 1923, when the Italian holding Greece responsible for the assassination of the Italian general Tallini, bombed the island and occupied it. The Italian bombed Corfu once again when the Second World War broke out, and later, in 1943 it was raided mercilessly by the Germans, who occupied it and remained in control of it until the end of the War in 1945

Mythology

According to tradition, the modern Greek name for the island – Kerkyra – came from the Nymph Cercyra (or Corcyra in the Doric dialect), who was the daughter of the river-god Asopus.

The god Poseidon fell in love with the beautiful maiden, abducted her, and lay with her on the island. The fruit of their union was Phaeax, the mythical primogenitor of the Phaeaceans who lived on Corfu in antiquity. According to another version of the story, the name of the Nymph Cercyra is cognate with the demonic ancient deity Corgyra or Gorgo. This view has been reinforced by the discoveries made at a temple of Artemis found near the capital of the island: on the pediment of the temple was a depiction of precisely this demon Gorgo , who may well have been a kind of mythological forerunner to Artemis herself. Many other names are used for Corfu in the literature of the ancient Greeks. Its length caused it ot be called Makris (= long) and its shape Drepani (= sickle). According to information preserved by Hesiod and Apollonius from Rhodes, the name Drepane was connected with the creation myth involving Cronus and Zeus. During the Middle Ages, the name Corypho (from ‘coryphi’, a peak) came to be used for the twin peaked acropolis occupied by the Old Fortress of Corfu town, to which the city had been confined after a raid by the Goths in the sixth century AD. This name was the origin of the nomenclature Corfu, by which, of course, the island is known today everywhere in the world except Greece. A still earlier name is given by Homer, in the Odyssey: Scheria, the famous country of the Phaeaceans.

Landscapes-Sights

Corfu town is not the only place to have monuments; they are to be found all over the island as in controvertible witnesses to the brilliance of its history.

Nor does the modern era lag behind in any way, for the countryside of Corfu is a succession of landscapes of unrivalled beauty. The island is densely wooded, with olive groves that convey an air of serenity and go some ways towards masking the steeply plunging cliffs of the west and with idyllic mountain hamlets peeping out of the greenery higher up the hills. Along the coast, the tone is set by quaint fishing villages built close to the water's edge, or near sandy beaches where bathers in their hundreds enjoy the sun and the cool sea. In the summer months, the constantly increasing tourist industry makes Corfu buzz, but there is no shortage of more isolated corners which hold out against modern developments and retain much of their authenticity. There, the serenity of the landscape brings earth and sky closer together and the aromas borne on the wind remind us that this is a place the gods have touched.

The Corfu Town

Corfu town, the capital of the island, has a population of around 30,000 and is the centre of economic, political and cultural life for the Corfiots. 

It is the chief town of the Prefecture of Corfu, and as such is the location of most of the public authorities (banks, law-courts, prisons, hospital, consulates, the National Tourist Organisation, etc.). It is the seat of the Metropolitan Bishop of Corfu and Paxoi, whose official church is St Spyridon. A complete educational system consists of primary and secondary schools (junior and senior), private schools, foreign-language schools, vocational training schools, and a university (the Ionian University, with departments of Foreign Languages, Translation and Interpreting, Music, and History). There is a good public transport network, with town buses and services to nearly all the villages. There are daily flights and ferry departures to other parts of Greece and other countries, which facilitate the highly-developed commerce and tourism of the island.
The large numbers of tourists who visit Corfu each year give the island a cosmopolitan air. In order to meet the needs of the tourist trade, many hotel and apartment units have been constructed in recent decades; these are fully-equipped and comply fully with modern requirements. Shops and other establishments dedicated to the tourist industry are to be found all over the town, together with quaint taverns and deluxe restaurants, old-style coffee-shops and modern outdoor cafes, and discos and bars which are open until late into the night.

There is a casino in the Corfu Hilton International hotel, while there are also football pitches, golf courses and tennis courts, a stadium, a swimming-pool and a Yacht Club, all open to visitors as well as local people. The beaches at Mon Repos and the Yacht Club are suitable for swimming and sea sports.
The Corfiots have been known since ancient times for their love of song, dance and merrymaking. Today they hold frequent cultural events and festivals each year. Their religious feasts are of particular interest, consisting of services and processions through the town to the accompaniment of music played by the town band. The procession of St Spyridon (see p. 100) and that in which the icon of Our Lady is carried round the town on 15 August rival Easter itself in the number of people whom they attract to the alleys and churches of Corfu and in the atmosphere of devotion which they create.

The religious parts of these feasts are accompanied by secular merrymaking, with much eating, singing and dancing. The anniversary of the union of the Dodecanese with Greece is celebrated on 21 May each year, while the festivities of the Carnival occupy the last three Sundays before the beginning of Lent. During the summer, there are lectures, concerts, theatrical productions and performances of folk dancing and ballets. From May to September, a 'Son et Lumiere' event is held at the Old Fortress, and on 10 August the so called 'Barcarola' is celebrated. In September, the Corfu Festival attracts the participation of artists and ensembles from all over Greece and from other countries and games of cricket against visiting English teams are often held on the Spianada during the summer months. The centre of all these events and indeed of social life in Corfu more generally, has for centuries been the Spianada. Divided by Dousmani St into the Upper and Lower Piazza, the Spianada is surrounded by some of the most notable monuments in Corfu and has a superb view of the Municipal Gardens, the Contrafossa and the Old Fortress, on its eastern side.

On the west side, cafes and restaurants operate beneath the arches of the Liston, and visitors can enjoy their coffee or try one of the specialities of the local cuisine ('pastitsada' beef with spaghetti, “sofrito” beef with garlic, fish in a “bourdeto” sauce), washed down with a good island wine or perhaps with ginger beer, one of the relics of the period of British rule. On the Spianada, traditional horse-drawn carriages are available for hire, and the driver provides a tour of some of the prettier parts of town. North of the Spianada - behind the Palace - begins Arseniou St, which runs above the sea-order, with neo-Classical elements, and it is surrounded by densely-vegetated gardens adorned with important works of art. In 1908, after the death of Elizabeth, the Achilleio was bought by Wilhelm II, the German Kaiser, and in 1914 - on the outbreak of the First World War it was abandoned. In 1915, it was used as the headquarters of the Serbian Army and as a hospital, coming into the hands of the Greek state in 1919. During the Second World War it served as a hospital again - and as the headquarters of the German and Italian occupying forces - and after liberation it houses a variety of schools and institutions. Today, it belongs to the National Tourist Organisation and from 1962 to 1992 Corfu casino operated there. The ground floor of the building functions as a museum.

We enter the Achilleio through an iron gate ornamented with two bronze relief’s, of Zeus Cleft) and Achilles (right). The first room on the ground floor, the reception hall, has a fresco in the centre of its ceiling, by the Italian painter Galopi, on the theme of The Four Seasons and the Hours. Also of interest in this room are the Italian marble fireplace, two statuettes of Athena and Hebe (above the fireplace, by the German sculptor Heinemann), and a painting of Elizabeth by the German artist Witter halter. At the far end of the reception hall, a magnificent staircase flanked by bronze statues of Zeus and Hera and by a large collection of marble and plaster sculptures (of Zeus, Niobe, Artemis, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes and Pan) leads to the upper floors. To the right of the reception room is the Empress's Catholic chapel. In the sanctuary apse are representations of Christ and Pontius Pilate, beneath which is an icon of Christ and Our Lady (by Franz Matz). There are two recesses with statues of Christ and Our Lady, an altar and a harmonium. Next to the chapel is a room with mementoes of Elizabeth: medallions, photographs, paintings, candlesticks, furniture, a front through the district called the Mourayia, along the Venetian sea-walls. There is a wonderful view from here across to the coast of Albania. The sea-front road, now called Athinagora St, leads down to the harbour, one of the busiest in Greece. Not far out at sea is the islet called Vido, ancient Ptychia, to which caiques ply daily. Until 1864, there was a Venetian fortress on Vido. Now it is disused.

Above the harbour towers the hill on which stands the New Fortress, with its Venetian outworks. At 79 Solomou St, close to the entrance to the New Fortress, is a modern museum of considerable interest: the Maritime Museum of Napoleondas Sayias. Founded in 1989 with exhibits which its owner had collected from all over the world, it contains shells, pieces of coral, fossils, shark jaws, crabs, lobsters, snakes, starfish, sponges, micro-organisms and much more. The most unforgettable experience awaiting the visitor is, however, a stroll through the centre of Corfu town and in particular through the old-world Campiel10 district. The narrow alleys (“kantounia”) lined with tall buildings, often spanned by arches or by the washing-lines of the townsfolk, the attractive little squares with their carved stone wells, the churches with their elegant bell-towers, and the occasional mansion with skilfully wrought balconies and hanging lanterns help to create a medieval atmosphere to be found nowhere else in Greece. Of al-most equal interest is the market, in the streets to the west of the Spianada: Nikiforou Theotoki St, spanned with arches (“volta”), still retains many traces of the Venetian period.

The Ionian Bank building, at the intersection of N.Theotoki and Filarmonikis Sts, houses a collection of banknotes covering the period from Turkish times down to the present day. There is also an exhibition of photographs showing how coins are minted. Despite the number of new buildings that have been constructed to meet the needs of tourism and the merciless destruction that others have undergone over the centuries - culminating in the German bombing raids of 1943 - Corfu can still boast private and public buildings of the greatest value for the Greek cultural heritage. In every corner of the town are traces of all those whose fate it was to tread the ground of the island and add another piece to the mosaic of its history. Since 1976, Corfu town has been on the list of Europe's most historic cities, and efforts are still being made to conserve as much as possible of its historic atmosphere. An enormous programme of maintenance work on the monuments of Corfu began in 1992-1994, on the occasion of the town being chosen as the venue for the European Union summit meeting during the Greek Presidency of the Community.

Landscapes On The Island

Corfu town is not the only place to have monuments; they are to be found all over the island as in controvertible witnesses to the brilliance of its history.

Nor does the modern era lag behind in any way, for the countryside of Corfu is a succession of landscapes of unrivalled beauty. The island is densely wooded, with olive groves that convey an air of serenity and go some ways towards masking the steeply plunging cliffs of the west and with idyllic mountain hamlets peeping out of the greenery higher up the hills. Along the coast, the tone is set by quaint fishing villages built close to the water's edge, or near sandy beaches where bathers in their hundreds enjoy the sun and the cool sea. In the summer months, the constantly increasing tourist industry makes Corfu buzz, but there is no shortage of more isolated corners which hold out against modern developments and retain much of their authenticity. There, the serenity of the landscape brings earth and sky closer together and the aromas borne on the wind remind us that this is a place the gods have touched.

Kanoni - Perama 

Towards the south end of Corfu town is gently-curving Garitsa bay, whose shore is an ideal place for a stroll or a trip in a horse-drawn carriage.

At the south end of Garitsa bay stands the Kanoni promontory, where most of the oldest monuments of Corfu are concentrated. Those closest to the town are the circu­lar cenotaph of Menecrates and the church of Sts Jason and Sosipater. Not far away is the Palaiopoli district, where the ancient city of Corcyra stood. Further to the west, near the ancient Hyl­laean harbour, are the remains of the temple of Artemis, while in Palaiopoli itself, by the entrance to Mon Repos, we can see what has remained of the Early Christian basilica of St Cer­cyra. The densely wooded Mon Repos estate was used after 1831 as the summer residence of High Commissioner Frederick Adam, and later be­longed to the Greek royal family. Inside it, the High Commissioner's miniature palace has survived, and archaeologists have excavated the Kardaki tem­ple and the temple of Hera. At Kardaki, close to the sea, is the spring by the same name which supplied the ancient city with wa­ter. Today, there is a fountain there, with a lion's-head spout, from which rushes a constant flow of cool water. Lorenzos Mav­ilis describes the Kardaki spring in one of his finest sonnets, while there is also a folk saying accord­ing to which, "any stranger who wets his lips at the spring will nev­er return home to his own people". Above Kardaki rises Analipsi hill, with a magical view across the sea to the coast of Epirus and also north over Corfu itself. The village of Analipsi is the site of the ancient acropolis, on which a few traces of buildings still remain.
At the southern end of the promontory, 4 km. from the cen­tre of Corfu town, is Kanoni, a place of international renown. It took its name from a cannon which the French set up there. Al­though Kanoni is one of the busiest places on the island and despite the number of hotels and other tourist facilities that cluster around it, it is still as picturesque as ever thanks to its unique view. Below the viewpoint, a metal bridge leads out from the promontory to an islet on which stands the seventeenth-century Vlacherna Monastery, Corfu's immediately recognisable trademark. Further out is another islet, Pontikonisi, whose clump of cy­press trees has served as a source of inspiration for artists from all over the world. According to tra­dition, the islet was originally the ship of the Phaeacians which Po­seidon turned to stone as it sailed back from taking Odysseus to Ithaca. On Pontikonisi stands the Byzantine church of Christ Pan­tocrator (eleventh-twelfth centu­ry), to which there is a pilgrimage on 6 August. Caiques from Kanoni take visitors out to Pon­tikonisi through the summer months.
From Kanoni, a narrow bridge runs across the Chalkiopoulou la­goon (the ancient Hyllaean har­bour), close to the end of the run­way of Corfu airport, and ends on the other side of the lagoon at Perama. This is a small tourist vil­lage set among olive trees, with good swimming beaches. 

Benitses - Moraitika - Mesongi - Chlomos - Korission Lagoon 

Close to Gastouri, 13 km. south of Corfu town, is Benitses, once, a small village but in recent years a centre for tourist development and a place whose night-life is renowned.

The village stands in an area rich in orange and lemon trees and has a pebble beach. The remains of a Roman baths have been excavated in the area, and a Roman villa (of the third century AD) with a mosaic floor has come to light. Moraitika, an¬other former fishing village, is now equally cosmopolitan in at¬mosphere. It is 7 km. south of Benitses and has a sandy beach. Here, too, a Roman house has been discovered; it may well have been the summer residence of an Imperial official. At Meson¬gi, 2 km. further along the road south, there is a long beach and a camp site, and the little Mesongi River flows into the sea close to the village. A turning near Mesongi leads to Chlomos, con¬sisting of old houses built on a hill. A turning in the other direc¬tion will take us to the Koris¬sion lagoon, separated from the sea by sand hills which have an excellent beach on their outer side. The lagoon is now a sched¬uled wetland and serves as a nat¬ural breeding-ground for fish. A few specimens of the threatened Caretta Caretta species of turtle have also made their home here.

Sailing in the Greek Ionian Sea