Corfu - For Your Eyes Only
Photo © Rob Jones
I was rather taken by Corfu Town.
Last time I was on the island, four years ago, I jumped in a cab at the airport and was whisked off to the north of Corfu for my stay. So I never actually got to see the capital other than a few hurried back-street cut-throughs on the way out.
It’s not what I expected. It felt very …. Italian, French? even, dare I say it, British?
Photo © Rob Jones
And of course there are reasons for all of that.
10 Things to know about Corfu
It’s local name is Kerkyra. That’s what you’ll see on all the signs across the island. Internationally known as Corfu, both the island and the main town.
It’s just 3 Kilometres from the Albanian coast. Just over 100km as the crow flies to the heel of Italy.
Corfu is one of the few places in Greece that was not invaded by the Ottoman Empire.
At one point the French laid siege to Corfu, which explains some of the fine architecture.
Corfu Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Every Easter the locals hurl pots out of the window, shattering as they hit the ground.
Some of the exterior shots of the James Bond movie ‘For Your Eyes Only’ was filmed on Corfu. Roger Moore was in the saddle at the time. They pretended it was in Spain, and had lots of the local houses painted white.
The local dialect was heavily influenced by Venetian.
The Duke of Edinburgh was born here, at Mon Repos, which these days is on the way to the Airport.
Since the Middle Ages, Corfu has been Venetian, British (during the Napoleonic Wars) and then Greek.
I felt I didn’t have enough time to take it all in. Not just the ambience of the town, but also the sights both ancient and modern.
I suspect I’ll be back.
RJ
