Do
Go to Aqualand, and have a rave! rave!!!
Eat some pittas filled with looooads of nice stuff... jst go to a backstreet kebab shop and get them... its good!
Barbati beach - crystal clear!
Drink
Gingerbeer. Corfu was a British protectorate and gingerbeer is one of the British style drinks that the locals adopted with enthusiasm. The Greek version is simply excellent. Ask for it at Liston or better restaurants and coffee houses. Locally it is called "Tsitsibeera"
Sleep
As far as budget accommodation is concerned there are two main choices. On the West Coast dominating the village of Agios Gordios is the Pink Palace, a behemoth of the European backpacking scene. The hostel owns a large pink bus that accosts backpackers arriving by ferry. New arrivals are given a shot of pink liquor. Most activities on offer (of which there are plenty) revolve around drinking - the booze cruise for example (jump off the big rock naked and get free beer) and the hostel's own club - packed out during the summer months.
The other option is Sunrock, also on the West Coast, down the cliff from Pelekas. This is a much more low key, relaxed place, just up from Pelekas beach; one of the best sandy beaches on the island. Many people find themselves here in order to escape from the incessant partying down the coast, yet Sunrock has a bar and is often full of young people with a less commercially oriented party in mind.
The above information is a perfect summary of the situation for backpackers. Aside from the two main choices mentioned above, Corfu has countless options for accommodation. From 5 star hotels in Corfu town to spare rooms you will only find by asking around. With so many people staying in Croatia and other hot spots, accommodations in Corfu are plentiful.
Get out
Corfu makes a good start for a tour of the Ionian Islands, including Kefallinia, Levkas, and Zakynthos.
It's also a good jumping-off place to get to Italy or Albania.
Corcyra or Corfu (Greek: Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, Ancient Greek Κέρκυρα or Κόρκυρα, Latin: Corcyra, Italian Corfù) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It lies off the coast of Albania, from which it is separated by straits varying in breadth from 3 to 23 km (2 to 15 mi), including one near Butrint and a longer one west of Thesprotia. The island is part of the Corfu Prefecture. The principal town of the island is also named Corfu, or Kerkyra in Greek. Corfu is home to the Ionian University. The island is steeped in history and it is perennially connected to the history of Greece starting from Greek mythology.
Its Greek name, Kerkyra, is connected to two powerful water symbols: Poseidon, god of the sea and Asopos, an important Greek mainland river. According to myth, Poseidon fell in love with the beautiful nymph Korkyra, daughter of Asopus and river nymph Metope, and abducted her, as was the custom among gods of that era's myths - Zeus himself was a serial offender. Poseidon brought her to the hitherto unnamed island and, being in marital bliss, offered her name to the place: Korkyra, which gradually evolved to Kerkyra. Together, they had a child they called Phaiax, after whom the inhabitants of the island were named: Phaiakes, that was then transliterated via Latin to Phaeacians.
This myth, with its themes of romance between a powerful god and a beautiful nymph, with a trace of adventure, centred around the element of water, is suggestive of the special ambiance of the place.
The island's history is full of battles and conquests, indicative of Corfu's turbulent position in a historical vortex that lasted until modern times, when after the unification with modern Greece in 1864 the history of the island became one with the mainland's, with no more foreign intervention. The legacy of these struggles remains in the form of castles that exist in strategic locations all over the island. Two of these castles enclose the city. It is the only city in Greece to be surrounded by castles this way and as a result has officially been declared as a Kastropolis (Castle city) by the Greek Government.
Geography and urban landscape
General overview
The name Corfu is an Italian corruption of the Byzantine Κορυφώ (Koryphō), meaning city of the peaks, which is derived from the Greek Κορυφαί (Koryphai), meaning Crests or Peaks, denoting the two peaks of the fortresses that enclose the city. as opposed to the Byzantine architectural style of most Eastern Orthodox churches, is quite an imposing sight. Taking in a concert or other event at night in such a place under the moonlight while surrounded by the sea, immersed in this history steeped environment with all its diverse and unexpected architectural elements, is an experience that even the most discriminating connoisseur of life would appreciate.
Neo Frourio
The new citadel or Neo Frourio (Νέο Φρούριο) meaning New Fortress is a huge complex of fortifications that dominates the northeastern part of the city. The huge walls of the fortress dominate the landscape as one makes the trip from Neo Limani (Νέο Λιμάνι meaning New Port)
to the town, taking the road that passes through the fishmarket (ψαραγορά). The new citadel was until recently a restricted area due to the presence of a naval garrison. However, the old restrictions have been lifted and it is now open to the public, and tours can be taken through the maze of medieval corridors and fortifications. The winged lion, the symbol of Venice, can be seen at regular intervals adorning the fortifications. It is worth noting that at the feet of the lion lies an open book, symbolizing that the Venetians came to Corfu not to conquer but to defend.
Ano and Kato Plateia and music under the stars
Near the old Venetian Citadel is also a large square divided by a street in two parts: "Ano Plateia" and "Kato Plateia" (Ανω Πλατεία and Κάτω Πλατεία in Greek). It is officialy the biggest square in the Balkans and is replete with green spaces and interesting structures such as a Roman style rotunda from the time of the British administration, called the Maitland monument. There is also an ornate music pavilion where the local "Philharmoniki" (Philharmonic Orchestra) (Φιλαρμονική) plays choice pieces of classical music coming from the rich tradition of music and arts for which the island is famous. Listening to classical music overtures in "Ano Plateia" (literally: "Upper square") at night, while gazing at the old Venetian citadel bathed in light that is in turn reflected upon the bay of Garitsa, is an enchanting experience.
"Kato Plateia" (literally: "Lower square") also serves as a place where cricket matches are held from time to time. Out of all of Greece, Cricket is unique to Corfu, since it used to be a British protectorate.
Palaia Anaktora and Gardens
Just to the North of "Kato Plateia" exist the "Palaia Anaktora" (Παλαιά Ανάκτορα: literally "Old Palaces") which is a large complex of Roman architecture buildings used in the past to house the King of Greece. Today they are open to the public and they form a complex of halls and buildings housing art exhibits including a Museum of Chinese Art unique in Southern Europe in its scope and richness of Chinese and Asian exhibits. The lavish Gardens of the Palaces complete with old Venetian stone aquariums, exotic trees and flowers and overseeing the bay through old Venetian fortifications and turrets are a place where anyone can have an "espresso" or "frappé" or even Greek coffee with "ouzo" at the garden café after a dip in the local sea baths (Μπάνια τ' Αλέκου) at the foot of the fortifications that surround the gardens. The palace café comes with its own art gallery where one can take in exhibits of local and international artists and it is aptly called Art Café. At the same time and from the same place one can gaze at the majestic cruise ships passing through the narrow channel of historic Vido island (Νησί Βίδου) to the north, on their way to Corfu harbour (Νέο Λιμάνι), sometimes announcing their arrival by blowing their horn. High speed retractable aerofoil ferries from Igoumenitsa, hovering above the water at high speed, impatiently leave their frothy wake on the blue Ionian sea (Ιόνιον Πέλαγος), to remind visitors to the Gardens that this is the 21st century. There is also a beautiful wrought iron aerial staircase, closed to garden visitors, that descends to the sea from the gardens and was used by royalty as a shortcut to the baths. Rewriting history, the locals now refer to the splendid old Royal Gardens as the "Garden of the People" (Ο Κήπος του Λαού).
Echoes of Venice and Pontikonisi
In several parts of the old city may be found houses from the Venetian times. The old city architecture is strongly influenced by the Venetian style as it was under Venetian occupation for a long time. The small and ancient sidestreets and the style of the old buildings with their trademark Venetian arches are strongly reminiscent of Venice. Of the thirty-seven Greek churches, the most important are the city's cathedral, the church dedicated to Our Lady of the Cave (ἡ Παναγία Σπηλιώτισσα (hē Panagia Spēliōtissa)); Saint Spyridon church, where lies the preserved body of the patron saint of the island; and finally the suburban church of St Jason and St Sosipater (Αγιοι Ιάσων και Σωσίπατρος), reputed the oldest in the island, named after the two saints who were probably the first to preach Christianity to the Corfiots.
The nearby island named Pontikonisi (Greek meaning "mouse island") although small is very green with many trees, and the highest natural point, (not counting the trees or man made structures such as the monastery), is about 2 m. Pontikonisi is home of the monastery of Pantokrator (Μοναστήρι του Παντοκράτορος). It is the white stone staircase of the Monastery that when viewed from afar gives the impression of a (mouse) tail that gave the island its name: Mouse island.
Othoni and Erikoussa
Othoni (Οθωνοί) is the westernmost settlement and island in all of Greece. Erikoussa is the northernmost of the Ionian Islands. All areas lie below the 40° N. About a quarter of the villages names end with -ades, while there are some villages outside Corfu whose names also end in -ades, especially in the prefecture of Ioannina on mainland Greece exactly opposite the southern end of Corfu. The villages at the southern part and on the Paxoi islands have names ending with -atika as well as -eika, notably Gramateika.
History
Early History
According to the local tradition Corcyra (Κόρκυρα) was the Homeric island of Scheria (Σχερία), and its earliest inhabitants the Phaeacians (Φαίακες). At a date no doubt previous to the foundation of Syracuse it was peopled by settlers from Corinth, but it appears to have previously received a stream of emigrants from Eretria. The splendid commercial position of Corcyra on the highway between Greece and the West favoured its rapid growth and, influenced perhaps by the presence of non-Corinthian settlers, its people, quite contrary to the usual practice of Corinthian colonies, maintained an independent and even hostile attitude towards the mother city. This opposition came to a head in the early part of the 7th century, when their fleets fought the first naval battle recorded in Greek history (about 664 BC). These hostilities ended in the conquest of Corcyra by the Corinthian tyrant Periander (Περίανδρος) who induced his new subjects to join in the colonization of Apollonia and Anactorium. The island soon regained its independence and henceforth devoted itself to a purely mercantile policy. During the Persian invasion of 480 BC it manned the second largest Greek fleet (60 ships), but took no active part in the war. In 435 BC it was again involved in a quarrel with Corinth and sought assistance from Athens (see Battle of Sybota). This new alliance was one of the chief immediate causes of the Peloponnesian War, in which Corcyra was of considerable use to the Athenians as a naval station, but did not render much assistance with its fleet. The island was nearly lost to Athens by two attempts of the oligarchic faction to effect a revolution; on each occasion the popular party ultimately won the day and took a most bloody revenge on its opponents (427 BC and 425 BC). During the Sicilian campaigns of Athens Corcyra served as a supply base; after a third abortive rising of the oligarchs in 410 BC it practically withdrew from the war. In 375 BC it again joined the Athenian alliance; two years later it was besieged by a Lacedaemonian force, but in spite of the devastation of its flourishing countryside held out successfully until relieved. In the Hellenistic period Corcyra was exposed to attack from several sides.
In 303 BC after a vain siege by Cassander, the island was occupied for a short time by the Lacedaemonian general Cleonymos, then regained its independence and later it was attacked and conquered by Agathocles. He offered Corfu as dowry to his daughter Lanassa on her marriage to Pyrrhus, King of Epirus. The island then became a member of the Epirotic alliance. It was then perhaps that the settlement of Cassiope was founded to serve as a base for the King of Epirus' expeditions. The island remained in the Epirotic alliance until 255 BC when it became independent after the death of Alexander, last King of Epirus. It subsequently fell into the hands of Illyrian corsairs, until in 229 BC it was delivered by the Romans, who retained it as a naval station and gave it the rank of a free state. In 31 BC it served Octavian (Augustus) as a base against Mark Antony.
Medieval History
Eclipsed by the foundation of Nicopolis, Kerkyra for a long time passed out of notice. With the rise of the Norman kingdom in Sicily and the Italian naval powers, it again became a frequent object of attack. In 1081-1085 it was held by Robert Guiscard, in 1147-1154 by Roger II of Sicily. During the break-up of the Later Roman Empire it was occupied by Genoese privateers (1197-1207) who in turn were expelled by the Venetians. In 1214-1259 it passed to the Greek despots of Epirus, and in 1267 became a possession of the Neapolitan house of Anjou. Under the latter's weak rule the island suffered considerably from the inroads of various adventurers; hence in 1386 it placed itself under the protection of Venice, which in 1401 acquired formal sovereignty over it.
Turks at the Gates of the City
Kerkyra remained in Venetian hands till 1797, though several times assailed by Turkish naval and land forces and subjected to four notable sieges in 1537, 1571, 1573 and 1716, in which the great natural strength of the city and its defenders asserted itself time after time. The effectiveness of the Venetian fortifications of the island as well as the strength of the Byzantine fortifications of Angelokastro, Kassiopi, Gardiki and others, was another great factor that enabled Corfu to remain the last bastion of free, uninterrupted Greek civilization after the fall of Constantinople.
=Early contact=
There were many attempts by the Turks to take the island starting as early as 1431 when Turkish troops under Ali Bey landed on the island, tried to take the castle and raided the surrounding area, but were repulsed.
=The Siege of 1537=
This was the first great siege by the Turks. It started on the 29th August 1537 with 25,000 soldiers from the Turkish fleet landing and pillaging the island and taking 20,000 hostages as slaves. Despite the destruction wrought on the countryside, the city castle held out in spite of repeated attempts over twelve days to take it, and the Turks left the island unsuccessful because of poor logistics and an epidemic that decimated their ranks. Venetian castle engineering had prevailed once more against considerable odds. It can be said that at the time Corfu was the most heavily fortified city in the whole of Europe and provided the model to the rest of Europe, time after time, on how to stem the Ottoman tide. This role that Corfu played as a bastion of Western civilization during Medieval times and beyond is often relatively unknown or ignored. The successful Venetian-Corfiote collaboration under the leadership of Austrian Count Schulenburg provides an early example of multi-ethnic cooperation in Europe.
Venetian policies
The Venetian feudal families pursued a mild but somewhat enervating policy towards the natives, who began to merge their nationality in that of the Latins and adopted for the island the new name of Corfu. The Corfiotes were encouraged to enrich themselves by the cultivation of the olive, but were debarred from entering into commercial competition with Venice. The island served as a refuge for Greek scholars, and in 1732 became the home of the first academy of modern Greece, but no serious impulse to Greek thought came from this quarter.
19th century
By the Treaty of Campo Formio, Corfu was ceded to the French, who occupied it for two years, until they were expelled by the Russian squadron under Admiral Ushakov. For a short time it became the capital of a self-governing federation of the Hephtanesos ("Seven Islands"); in 1807 its faction-ridden government was again replaced by a French administration, and in 1809 it was vainly besieged by a British fleet. When, by the Treaty of Paris of November 5, 1815, the Ionian Islands became a protectorate of the United Kingdom, Corfu became the seat of the British high commissioner. The British commissioners, who were practically autocrats in spite of the retention of the native senate and assembly, introduced a strict method of government which brought about a decided improvement in the material prosperity of the island, but by its very strictness displeased the natives. In 1864 it was, with the other Ionian Islands, ceded to the kingdom of Greece, in accordance with the fervent wishes of the Corfiotes.
World War I
During the First World War, the island served as a refuge for the Serbian army that retreated there by the allied forces ships from the homeland occupied by the Austrians and Bulgarians. During their stay, a large portion of Serbian soldiers died from exhaustion, food shortage, and different diseases. Most of their remains were buried at sea near the island of Vido, a small island at the mouth of Corfu port, and a monument of thanks to the Greek Nation has been erected at Vido by the grateful Serbs; consequently, the waters around Vido island are known by the Serbian people as the Blue Graveyard (in Serbian, Plava Grobnica), after a poem written by Milutin Bojić after WWI.
World War II and Resistance
=Student protests and German bombardments=
During the Second World War the 10th infantry regiment of the Greek Army, comprised mainly of Corfiot soldiers, was assigned with the task of defending Corfu. The regiment took part in Operation Latzides, which was a heroic but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to stem the forces of the Axis. In early June 1944, while the Allies bombed Corfu as a diversion from the Normandy landings, the Gestapo rounded up the Jews of the city, temporarily incarcerated them at the old fort (Palaio Frourio), and on the 10th of June sent them to Auschwitz where very few survived. Approximately two hundred out of a total population of 1900 escaped. Many among the local population at the time provided shelter and refuge to those 200 Jews that managed to escape the Nazis. A prominent section of the old town is to this day called Evraiki (Εβραική, meaning Jewish quarter) in recognition of the Jewish contribution and continued presence in Corfu city. An active Synagogue (Συναγωγή) with about 65 members is an integral part of Evraiki currently.
Architectural catastrophies of WWII
During the second world war the island was bombed by the German airforce which resulted to the destruction of most of the buildings in the town including the market (αγορά) and the Hotel Bella Venezia. The worst architectural losses due to the bombardment of Hitler's Luftwaffe were the splendid buildings of the Ionian Academy (Ιόνιος Ακαδημία) and the Municipal Theatre (which in 1901 replaced the Nobile Teatro di San Giacomo) the Roman style Theatre (Θέατρον) of the city that was later replaced by a nondescript modern box-type building. There have been discussions and plans at the local government level (on and off) about demolishing this modern building and replacing it with a replica of the old theatre. In contrast, the Ionian Academy has been rebuilt to its former glory by the Ionian University.
Beauty, Power and Tragedy: The Achilleion
Empress (German: Kaiserin) of Austria Elisabeth of Bavaria, also known as Sissi, was a woman obsessed with beauty and very powerful but tragically vulnerable since the loss of her only son, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria in the Mayerling affair in 1889. A year later in 1890 she built a summer palace in the region of Gastouri (Γαστούρι) to the south of the city, with the powerful mythical hero Achilles as its central theme. Achilles was considered the most handsome of the heroes assembled at Troy, but he was tragically vulnerable at his heel.
Corfu is an island associated with beauty that historically proved to be very powerfully defended, mainly against the Turks, an enemy the Austrians faced many times in their past also. Corfu was tragically vulnerable as well since the local population outside its fortified walls was decimated and repeatedly suffered many hardships during the numerous invasions. The island therefore, on many levels, provided the perfect ambience match to the Empress and her Hero.
The palace, with the classic Greek statues that surround it, is a monument to platonic romanticism as well as escapism and was, naturally, named after Achilles: Achilleion (Αχίλλειον). This elegant structure abounds with paintings and statues of Achilles, both in the main hall and in the lavish gardens depicting the heroic and tragic scenes of the Trojan war.
The Imperial gardens on top of the hill provide a majestic view of the surrounding green hill crests and valleys as the Ionian sea gleams in the background.
The centerpiece of the gardens is an imposing marble statue on a high pedestal, of the mortally wounded Achilles (Achilleas Thniskon Αχιλλεύς θνήσκων translated as dying Achilles) without hubris and wearing only a simple cloth and an ancient Greek hoplite helmet. This statue was created by distinguished German sculptor Ernst Gustav Herter.
The hero is presented devoid of any accoutrements of rank or status and thus seems very human although heroic as he is forever trying to pull Paris's arrow from his heel, with pain and agony etched on his classic face. He is also gazing skyward as if to seek help from Olympus. According to Greek mythology, his mother Thetis was a goddess.
The parallels to the grieving Empress recuperating from the painful loss of her only son by trying to extract it from her memory, but never quite being able to do so, are compelling.
In contrast, a giant painting of the triumphant Achilles full of pride, dressed in full royal military regalia on his racing chariot, pulling the lifeless body of Hector of Troy and parading it in front of the stunned crowd watching helplessly from inside the walls of the Trojan citadel, greets the visitor at the top of the great staircase of the main hall.
In 1898 Empress Sissi was assassinated in Geneva, Switzerland, at the age of 60. After her death the palace was sold to the Kaiser of Germany and eventually it was acquired by the Greek State. The Achilleion was used until recently as a Casino but currently it is used as a museum; the myth however lives on.
Kaiser's Bridge
German Kaiser Wilhelm II was also fond of vacationing in Corfu. Having purchased Achilleion in 1907 after Sissi's death, he built a bridge named by the locals after him: "Kaiser's bridge" (Greek: η γέφυρα του Κάιζερ transliterated as: i yefyra tou Kaizer), to access the beach without having to cross the road that is the island's main artery to the south. The bridge, arching over the road, spanned the distance between the lower gardens of Achilleion and the nearby beach. The ruins of that great bridge, a monument to imperial vanity as well as impracticality, are an important landmark of this highway. Ironically, the bridge's central section was demolished by Wehrmacht during the German occupation in WWII to allow for the free movement of its vehicles.
Tradition in Education
Apart from being a leading centre for the Fine Arts, Corfu is also the home of the first University of Greece, the Ionian Academy, that carried and strengthened the tradition of Greek Education while the rest of Greece was still fighting against the Turkish occupation.
It is also home of the Ionian University that was established in 1984 in recognition, by the Greek government of Andreas Papandreou, of Corfu's contribution to Education in Greece as the seat of the first University of Greece, the Ionian Academy, that was fouded in 1824, forty years before the cession of the Ionian islands to Greece and just three years after Greece's Revolution of 1821.
Student activism
The people of Corfu have historically led the way in fighting as a bulwark of Western civilisation against foreign invaders. Not far behind in modern times, starting with the massive student protests of WWII against the fascist Italian army in the foreign front and continuing with the fight against the dictatorship of Georgios Papadopoulos internally, students in Corfu have historically led the way in protesting for freedom and democracy in Greece both against internal and external tyrants. The most recent heroic example is that of Geology student Kostas Georgakis who on 19 September, 1970 set himself ablaze in Genoa, Italy as a protest against the Greek military junta of 1967-1974.
Museums and Libraries
Kerkyra has always been a cultural centre of distinction. The museums and libraries are full of irreplaceable books and artifacts.
The most notable of the museums and libraries are located in the city and are:
Music and festivities
Philarmonikes
Corfiots are great lovers of music. In the past, people used to join in the singing of the cantades (καντάδες), impromptu choral songs in two, three or four voices, usually accompanied by a guitar. The bands (Philharmonic societies, Φιλαρμονικές), which also provide free instruction in music, are still popular and still attract young recruits. Nowadays, given the rigours of modern life that has not spared Corfu society, cantades (deriving from the Italian cantare meaning to sing) are only performed by semi-professional or amateur singers, mainly as tourist attractions. Corfu Town is home to three famous, top notch marching wind bands, the dark red-uniformed Philharmonic Society of Corfu or Old Philharmonic or Palia, the blue-uniformed Mantzaros Philharmonic and the bright red and black-uniformed Capodistria Philharmonic. The bands give regular weekend promenade concerts during summer and take part in the yearly Holy Week ceremonies.
There is considerable but friendly rivalry between them, and they rigorously adhere to their respective repertoires.
Easter
On Holy Friday from the early afternoon the bands of the philharmonic societies, separated into squads, accompany the epitaphs of the town's churches. Late in the afternoon the squads come together to form the whole band in order to accompany the epitaph of the metropolitan church. The funeral marches that the bands play differ depending on the band. The Old Philharmonic plays Albinoni's Adagio, the Mantzaros plays Verdi's Marcia Funebre from Don Carlo, and the Capodistria plays Chopin's Funeral March and Mariani's Sventura.
On Holy Saturday morning the three town bands take part in the epitaph (Epitaphios Επιτάφιος) of St. Spyridon Cathedral in procession with the Saint's relics. This time the bands play different funeral marches, with Mantzaros playing de Miccheli's Calde Lacrime, the Palia playing Marcia Funebre from Faccio's opera Amleto, while the Kapodistria Philharmonic plays the Funeral March from Beethoven's Eroica. The custom dates from the 19th century, when the British banned the participation of the garrison's band in the traditional Holy Friday funeral cortege. The defiant Corfiotes held the litany the following morning, and paraded the relics of St. Spyridon as well, so that the British would not dare intervene.
The litany is followed by the most spectacular Corfiot celebration by far, the "Early Resurrection". Balconies in the old town are decked in bright red cloth, and Corfiotes throw down large clay pots (the botides μπότηδες) full of water to smash on the street pavement, especially in wider areas of Liston and in an organised fashion. This is done in anticipation of the Resurrection of Jesus (Ανάσταση του Κυρίου), which is to be celebrated that same night.
Teatro di San Giacomo and a night at the opera of yesteryear
During Venetian rule, the Corfiotes developed a fervent appreciation of Italian opera, which was the real source of the extraordinary (given the conditions in the mainland of Greece) musical development of the island during that era. The opera house of Corfu during 18th and 19th century was the Nobile Teatro di San Giacomo, named after the neighbouring catholic cathedral, but later the theatre was converted into the Town Hall. Many local composers, such as Nikolaos Halikiopoulos Mantzaros, Spiridon Xindas, Antonio Liberali, Domenico Padovani, the Zakynthian Pavlos Karrer, the Lambelets', Spiros Samaras and others, connected their career with this theatre. San Giacomo's place was taken by the so-called New Municipal Theatre (1901), which held the operatic tradition vivid until its destruction during World War II (namely, in 1943 as a result of a German air raid). The incapability during the post-war years to rebuild it was the main cause that led to the island's continuous crisis in regard to music. In any case, the first opera to be performed in the San Giacomo Theatre was in 1733 ("Gerone, tiranno di Siracusa") and from 1771 until 1943 nearly all the operatic compositions by the most (or less) famous Italians, as well as some of the local and French, composers were performed at the stage of the San Giacomo theatre. This sweet era, a distant reminiscence of the glorious musical past, was until recently reflected in the mythology that supported that the opera theatre of Corfu was a fixture in famous opera singers' itineraries, and those who were successful there were given the title of distinction "applaudito in Corfu", meaning "applauded in Corfu" as a reflection of the discriminating musical taste of its inhabitants.
Ionian University and musical tradition
Since the early 1990s a new factor in the musical reality of Corfu is the Music Department of the Ionian University, which has placed new standards. Apart from the academic activities, its concerts in Corfu and abroad and its musicological research in the field of the so-called Neo-Hellenic Music, the Department organizes every summer an international music academy, which gathers international students and music professors in brass, strings, singing, jazz and musicology.
Ta Karnavalia
Another great Corfu tradition is the Carnival or Ta Karnavalia. Venetian in origin, the festivities include a parade featuring the main attraction of Karnavalos, a rather grotesque figure with a large head and a smiling face that leads a procession of many colourful floats. Corfiots, young and old, dress up in colourful costumes and follow the parade. They even spill into the narrow streets (kantounia), and spread the fun all over the city dancing and frolicking. At night, in more sophisticated social circles, dance and costume parties brighten up the nightlife.
Saint Spyridon the Keeper of the City
Saint Spyridon the Thaumaturgist (Miracle-worker, Greek: Ο Θαυματουργός), also referred to as Αγιος Σπυρίδων ο πολιούχος (translated as Saint Spyridon the Keeper of the City), is the patron saint of the island. St. Spyridon is revered for the miracle of expelling the plague (πανώλη) from the island, amongst many other miracles attributed to him. It is believed by the faithful that on its way out of the island the plague scratched one of the fortification stones of the old citadel to indicate its fury at being expelled. St. Spyridon is also believed to have saved the island at the second great siege of Corfu which took place in 1716. There were rumours spreading among the Turks that some of their soldiers saw St. Spyridon as a monk approaching them menacingly with a flaming torch in one hand and a cross in the other, and that helped increase their panic. This miracle is one of the earliest successful examples of psychological operations in warfare, (psyops). This victory over the Turks, therefore, was attributed not only to the leadership of Count Schulenburg who commanded the stubborn defence of the island against the Turks, but also to the miraculous intervention of St. Spyridon. Venice honoured von der Schulenburg and the Corfiots for successfully defending the island. Recognizing St. Spyridon's role in the defence of the island Venice legislated the establishment of the litany (λιτανεία) of St Spyridon on the 11th of August as a commemoration of the miraculous event, starting a tradition that continues to this day.
Corfu is also reported to be the place where the Argonauts found refuge from the avenging Colchic fleet after they had seized the Golden Fleece. Additional scenes from the same movie, filmed on the island, include Melina and James walking through the town streets and Melina being greeted by Bond at Pontikonisi island, and the Greek Wedding scene was filmed at the Bouas-Danilia traditional Village (Μπούας Δανίλια παραδοσιακό χωριό).
Corfu was also used by the BBC to shoot both a TV series (1987) and a movie (2005) version of Gerald Durrell's book "My Family and Other Animals," based on his childhood in Corfu in the late 1930s.
Corfu Data
Tourism
Quite apart from their more malevolent invaders, the Corfiotes have a long history of hospitality to foreign residents and visitors, typified in the twentienth century by Gerald Durrell's childhood reminiscence My Family and Other Animals. Some Italian culture and cookery have been absorbed, and are particularly evident during August when Italian holidaymakers visit en masse. The North East coast has largely been developed by a few British holiday companies, with large expensive holiday villas which are used as homes during the two-thirds of the year out of season. The north and east coasts have most of the package holiday resorts, and with some exceptions the interior has relatively little tourist trade. This had had the effect of a massive transfer of resources, because traditionally the best farmland was away from the rocky shore, the salt and the pirates, but from the 1970s the inferior seaside land suddenly became the most desirable and highly valuable holiday property sites. Many Corfiotes now make more from the frantic four month holiday season than from their traditional agriculture.
At the other end of the market, and also the other end of the island, the southern resort of Kavos provides the notoriously robust facilities particularly attractive to young holidaymakers, along similar lines to resorts such as Faliraki in Rhodes
Climate
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| style="background: #99CCCC; color: #000080" height="17" | Climate
| style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000080;" | Jan
| style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000080;" | Feb
| style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000080;" | Mar
| style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000080;" | Apr
| style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000080;" | May
| style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000080;" | Jun
| style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000080;" | Jul
| style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000080;" | Aug
| style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000080;" | Sep
| style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000080;" | Oct
| style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000080;" | Nov
| style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000080;" | Dec
|-----
| style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000080;" | Avg Daily Sun Hours
| style="background: #FFFF99; color:#000080;" | 4
| style="background: #FFCC66; color:#000080;" | 5
| style="background: #FFCC00; color:#000080;" | 7
| style="background: #FFCC00; color:#000080;" | 7
| style="background: #FFCC00; color:#000080;" | 9
| style="background: #FF9900; color:#000080;" | 10
| style="background: #FF9900; color:#000080;" | 12
| style="background: #FF9900; color:#000080;" | 11
| style="background: #FFCC00; color:#000080;" | 9
| style="background: #FFCC66; color:#000080;" | 6
| style="background: #FFFF99; color:#000080;" | 4
| style="background: #FFFFCC; color:#000080;" | 2
|-----
| style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000080;" height="16;" | High temperature
| style="background: #FFFFCC; color: black;" | 14
| style="background: #FFFFCC; color: black;" | 15
| style="background: #FFFFCC; color: black;" | 16
| style="background: #FFFF99; color: black;" | 19
| style="background: #FFFF99; color: black;" | 23
| style="background: #FFFF99; color: black;" | 28
| style="background: #FFFF66; color: black;" | 31
| style="background: #FFFF66; color: black;" | 32
| style="background: #FFFF99; color: black;" | 28
| style="background: #FFFF99; color: black;" | 23
| style="background: #FFFF99; co
