Corfù Island
Corfu' Island is located in the Ionian Islands Archpelago and is the closest to Italy, so much so that it is chosen as a destination by many people in the summer season, especially the very young who usually spend their "secondary school trip".
The cross between the Greek culture and the Italian culture that have many aspects in common from joviality, love for cooking and an influence given by the Venetian domination which has still left evident traces today, such as in the architecture.
Corfu' is chosen for many reasons, the first being its proximity (with a fast ship it takes about nine hours), for its still affordable prices, for the services and for its naturalistic beauty made up of idyllic sandy or pebble beaches, a postcard sea with clear and crystalline waters, inlets, mountains, cliffs, villages that seem to have stopped in time in short, more than anything capable of satisfying any taste.
Kerkyra this is its name in Greek is the island that welcomed the mythical Ulysses on his return to Ithaca, has enchanted writers and nobles such as Princess Sissi and Lord Byron and considers itself a nation within a nation with its traditions, not allowing himself to be overwhelmed by the East which for years dominated and bullied Greece. It is perhaps more the Italian, French and English influence that you breathe in Corfu' with its colorful houses, a cuisine very similar to our south, cobbled streets, cafés, dehors and boulevards. The British love Corfu so much that even in winter many people move there due to its decidedly milder climate.
If you love nightlife then this is the island for you! In fact, the east side has places such as Dassia, Ipsos, Paleokastritsa, Sidari, Benitses, Acharavi, Kavos and the capital Corfu' Town are considered almost Meccas of fun where mythical parties are organized and sunrise and sunset are just common names. All well-organized, they offer night-goers a huge amount of places to choose from to spend a cheerful evening as well as well-equipped beaches that will fill the day with water games, beach volleyball matches and why not pure idleness.
On the contrary, if you are a family or a couple and are still looking for tranquility and silence, the rest of Corfu is perfect, such as the Pelekas village. A quiet village surrounded by expanses of olive trees perched on a rock. Still far from mass tourism, it offers its guests a wonderful beach with shallow waters perfect for children.
Do not miss the capital full of Venetian squares and palaces of the neoclassical period, its famous via Espanade or Liston where you can take a long walk among bars for an aperitif, shops where you can find the perfect souvenir, restaurants or taverns where you can taste the delicacies of Greek cuisine and territorial.
To the south, however, the Benitses village is worth a visit, one of the oldest with its immense beach framed by high mountains and where not far away is the Achilleion Palace, the summer residence of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, now transformed into an interesting museum.
Corfu is also very coveted for marriage, many couples especially from northern Europe love to exchange eternal love in the village that houses the legendary Canal D'Amour a beautiful area with yellow rock formations that intersect between bays and canals and around which a beautiful legend. It is said that if a couple swims across the small channel together, they will very soon be conveyed to the wedding.
And again, for a dive into the past, go to thePalia Perithia village, the oldest in Corfu' at the foot of Mount Pantokrator, it will seem like you are magically catapulted back in time.
Finally, one of the natural beauties of the island is definitely Cape Darstris, an inlet wedged between high promontories of light clay very similar to the cliffs of Dover, or the island of Vidos also called Ptichia in front of the capital, a small paradise for those who want to stay in contact with Mother Nature where it is possible to go only on foot with a woodland rich in many species of birds and animals in the wild where you can enjoy a refreshing swim in one of its wonderful pebble beaches equipped with sunbeds, umbrellas and a small kiosk for something to drink or something quick to eat.
Our advice is to rent a car or a scooter with an engine capacity of at least 150 cc (remember that in Greece you need an A or A1 driving license for motorcycles) because Corfu' is not small and the places and things to see are many.