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The reflection of a fishing boat in Kouloura Bay, taken on the 21st of May 2008
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| Beautiful Corfu |
"Morning on the dock. Looking out, the islet of Vido, ancient Ptychia the mountains of Epirus, and in between the sapphire sea and the down light travelling and scattering its golden flowers on the serene back of the water. Mid-afternoon in Palaiokastritsa, by the unspoiled sea, looking down from the monastery on to the strange and lonely shoals, the rocks like anchorites which deepen the solitude and transform it into a fairy tale. Late afternoon at Gastouri, in the empty halls of the melancholy empresse’s palace, and at Benitses; an evening full of shivering stars on the shore at Ipsos, by the feet of Pantokrator, hovering between earth and heaven. The set changes from one scene to the next, but it does not contaminate the mystical unity of the landscape, nor does it betray the meaning of serenity" I.M. PANAYIOTOPOULOS from the book "Corfu,Ionian Light" |
| Feature Property for sale
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| This old traditional stone house of 180 sq.m overlooking the Kassiopi harbour in North-East Corfu, was beautifully renovated into a charming villa. It sits in 1,130 sq.m. of mature gardens with uninterrupted sea views all the way to the Albanian mountain range. 3 bedrooms (2 en suite), large sitting room with open fireplace, fitted kitchen, large covered veranda, swimming pool. |
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The villa is situated on the side of a hill above Kassiopi, offering uninterrupted views to the Avlaki headland, the Kassiopi harbour and the beautiful sea channel all the way to the Albanian mountain range. It offers perfect tranquillity, while only a few minutes away from the shops and restaurants of Kassiopi and the beach of Avlaki. A covered veranda and a built in outdoor dining area and bbq, offer the outdoor Mediterranean way of living. Asking price: € 750,000 - £633,176 www.x-rates.com
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| A moment's in Corfu's recent history |
Corfu World Heritage Site |
" Overall, the Old Town of Corfu is a unique cultural entity of a high aesthetic value:
"Corfu - World Heritage Site" by John Waller |
| In 1848, Edward Lear, famous for being the inventor of the «Limerick» but actually of greater importance as the most talented topographical painter of his generation, in Corfu Years wrote:
" We anchored in the beautiful paradise of Corfu bay ....The city was Venetian until 1780, but has little to recommend it - narrow streets and poky houses. But nearest the sea, there is the most beautiful esplanade in the world. On the further side of this, is the magnificent Palace of the Viceroy and beyond is the double- crowned Citadel- very picturesque."
Time moves on and tastes change. In 1937, Lawrence Durrell, in Prospero's Cell, wrote: " The architecture of the town is Venetian; The houses above the old port are build up elegantly into slim tiers with narrow alleys and colonnades running between them; Red, yellow, pink, umber - a jumble of pastel shades which the moonlight transforms into a dazzling white city build for a wedding cake."
His younger brother, Gerald Durrell, in My Family and Other Animals, wrote: " Around us the town rose steeply, tiers of multicoloured houses piled haphazardly, green shutters folded back from the windows like the wings of a thousand months." In 1966, my version, in Greek Walls, was less poetic but just as emotional: " Then out of the haze, slowly, magically, appeared Corfu Town with her magnificent buildings between two enormous forts. It was love at first sight "
For cruise ship passengers, I hope it will also be love at first sight. For those that fly in and eventually come to town, I ask you not to despair about the car parking, but to make your way to Edward Lear's most beautiful esplanade in the world and wander around the streets of the Old Town. I am sure you will understand why it is now a World heritage Site.
The Old Town has a handful of gorgeous buildings: the Town Hall built by the Venetians between 1683 and 1691; The Liston, built by the French after 1807; And the Palace of St.Micheal and St. George, built by the British between 1814 and 1824.
The real beauty of the architecture is the almost total absence of modern building amongst the centuries of Venetian construction. Much of it is at least 4 - storeys high, often built on narrow streets. Space was at a premium; this was an early example of high density living. Indeed, one of the selling points in the nomination for inclusion of the Old Town in the World Historic List is the presence of the first «flat - dwellers» in Greece. Along the alleys, one can walk today as if having arrived in a time capsule. Wander off the Tourist Trail; your journey will be safe and spell binding.
The Venetian presence on Corfu created the Town we love. How did this corner of the Byzantine Empire fall under the sway of Venice? In 1204, the 4th Crusade, led by the 80-year old Dodge of Venice Enrico Dandolo, rather than recapture Jerusalem, ransacked Constantinople and divided up the Empire. As John Julius Norwich, in Byzantium wrote: " It was Constantinople's darkest hour-even darker, perhaps, than that, two and a half centuries later, which was to see the city's final fall to the Ottoman Sultan. "
Venice was rewarded for its dastardly deed by receiving the Ionian Islands as its share of the booty. Within sixty-five years, Charles of Anjou had obtained Corfu and the Angevin occupation started. Charles tried to replace the Orthodox Church by the Catholic one but failed. Corfu was divided into four regions who's names are still known today: Gyrou, Orous, Mesis, Lefkimmis.
On May 20th 1386 the Council of Corfu asked Venice for protection and four hundred years of Venetian rule started. Corfu lies at the entrance to the Adriatic Sea and on the route to Venice itself. It was therefore in Venice's interest to build up the fortifications of the Old Fortress in the 15th C, and then construct the New Fortress and a city wall to the west at the and of the 16th C. The success in doing so, with a little help from the patron saint Agios Spiridon whose relics arrived in Corfu from Contstantinople soon after its final fall, kept the Turks at bay on a number of occasions.
In the successful submission for inclusion in UNESCO's World Heritage List, the two forts and the mainly Venetian historic centre were highlighted. Perhaps the black clouds of the fall of Constantinople in 1204 and 1453 had a silver lining: the Venetians and the arrival of Agios Spiridon. The case for thanking the Venetians is enhanced when we consider the island itself, with three million olive trees and 104 villages.
The above text is from the beautiful book "Corfu Sketches - A thirty year Journey" with over 200 sketches and 5 mapped walks of Corfu. A combination of Theresa Nicholas's vivid sketches, who came to Corfu in 1961 and started recording life as it was in those days and the brilliant texts of John Waller, the writer who loves the island. As he says: "This is not a coffee table book. Please take it with you when you travel into town or drive through the countryside. Use it as a guide. See your journey through an artist's eyes." |
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| A Character from Corfu's past: The fish seller
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| The photo is from the book of Maria Sgourou - Krokou, "H Kerkyra pou efyge" |
| The Jonathan Edward Dunn Team |
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The UNESCO Nomination
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