Corfu

Corfu (Greek: Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, 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 length 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. Appropriately enough, this being an island after all, 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 Asopos and river nymph Metope, and abducted her, as was the custom among gods of that era - 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 ambience 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 Corfu is one of the Ionian Islands which nestle off the West side of the Greek mainland. The island is 36 miles long and at its widest part (the North) 15 miles wide. Covered with over 3 million evergreen olive trees, watered by winter rains, Corfu, even during the hot dry summers remains one of the greenest of the Mediterranean islands. At the center is 'Mount Pantocrator' with a height of 998 meters. The NE coast is made up of sheltered rocky coves and shingle beaches offering secluded bays and traditional fishing villages. The North and South offer long sweeping sandy bays and the expected commercialism. The craggy west coast, with the high cliffs and horse-shoe sandy beaches and spectacular sunsets. By the coast, search for quiet rocky coves or untouched sandy beaches. Inland a network of twisting roads service local villages that seem totally untouched by tourism; stop and explore and meet the warm and friendly Corfiot people.