Why does Corfu look like Italy?

The architecture of Corfu City still reflects its long Venetian heritage, with its multi-storied buildings, its spacious squares such as the popular Spianada and the narrow cobblestone alleys known as Kantounia. The town began to grow during the Venetian period on a low hillock situated between the two forts.



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In 1386, the Venetians, seeking a strategic entry point into the Adriatic for naval interests, annexed Corfu, exerting their influence over the island's culture, architecture, language, and most notably, its food.

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Corfu lies off the northwestern coast of Greece, near Albania, where the Ionian Sea meets the Adriatic. The Lion of St. Mark, one of the most iconic symbols of Venice, is an emblem of Corfu, too, another present-day reminder of the island's Venetian history.

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The ulterior motive for the invasion was Corfu's strategic position at the entrance of the Adriatic Sea. The crisis was the first major test for the League of Nations but the League failed it. It showed that the League was weak and couldn't settle disputes when a great power confronted a small one.

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From the 15th century, Corfu was under Venetian rule for some four centuries, then passing to French, British and Greek governments. At various occasions, it had to defend the Venetian maritime empire against the Ottoman army.

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The French occupied Corfu for only a year before a Russian-Turkish fleet took the island, leaving the Russians in control and declaring the island part of the Eftanisos State – the State of the Seven Islands.

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The escalating migrant crisis has put many alarmed holidaymakers off visiting Greece, but the popular Greek island of Corfu is not affected. Corfu and other Ionian islands are unaffected due to their location off Greece's northwest coast in the Ionian Sea across from Italy.

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One very important aspect of Corfu we didn't mention so far: the residents of the island. The are called Greeks, but they call themself Corfiots.

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Corfu, known as Kerkyra in Greek, owes its name to the Nymph Korkyra, the daughter of the River God, Asopus. According to the myth, Poseidon, God of the Sea, fell in love with Nymph Korkyra, kidnapped her and brought her to this island.

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Incorporated into the Napoleonic empire (1807), the island became a British protectorate after the emperor's final defeat (1815). British administration displeased the inhabitants, however, and in 1864 Corfu was ceded, with the other Ionian Islands (Iónia Nisiá), to Greece.

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Its rich multi-cultural heritage, its historic monuments, its stunning natural landscape, its crystal clear seas, and its excellent weather all year round explain why Corfu is one of the most cosmopolitan Mediterranean destinations weaving a powerful spell on its visitors.

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The Corfu dispute was a significant case study of failure for the League for the following reasons: ? The incident showed the League was powerless against a bigger country which threatened a smaller country. ? It proved the League could be ignored and overruled by other international groups.

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Guide to Old Perithia Village, Corfu One such, practically the only surviving example, is Old Perithia. The Old Perithia village, which was built in the 14th century while the island was under Byzantine rule, is located on the northern flanks of Mount Pantokrator at about 400m above sea level.

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In November 1815 Corfu came under British rule following the Napoleonic Wars, and in 1864 was ceded to modern Greece by the British government along with the remaining islands of the United States of the Ionian Islands under the Treaty of London.

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With houses dating from the 14th century, Old Perithia is Corfu's most ancient village. Built to be safe from pirate attacks, it's near the top of the island's highest peak, Mount Pantokrator, surrounded by dense forest and with views over the Ionian Sea towards Albania.

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Unlike the stark and often treeless islands of the Aegean, Corfu is covered with luxuriant vegetation, thanks to its winter rainfall - 240mm average in December - and is the wettest place in all of Greece.

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