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Self catering accommodation in Acharavi, Agios Stefanos (W), San Stephano (E) and Kaminaki , Corfu since 1995
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Corfu Town: This Island’s Capital
The Palace of St. Michael was built by the British with stone from Malta and has been many things; High Commissioners residence, and home to the Asian art museum.
St Spiridon's Church, (pictured middle right) the present one, built in 1590, replaced a much older version and is dedicated to the island's patron saint.
Corfiots swear by him, pray to him and honour him with remarkable passion; and he wasn't even born here!
He was a bishop from Cyprus who had performed minor miracles. When he died in the 4th century, his remains were taken to Contantinople, (Istanbul) after the Turkish invasion his remains were smuggled out on a donkey and finally ended up in Corfu.
He has saved the island once from famine, twice from plague and invasion by the Turks. Many children are named Spiros (boys) or Spiridoula (girls) in his honour. It is an ornate Greek Orthodox Church, you can see his closed silver casket, and this can be opened for someone wishing to pray directly to the saint. It is bought out on parade on four annual occasions.
It is a place of worship; you will need to be respectfully dressed to enter. The rust coloured campanile dominates the town's skyline. A stroll through the paved pedestrian area of the old town will probably be accompanied by a cacophony of sound from the two local brass bands practicing! Much of the paving and improvements were implemented by the funds from the European Union in the year of the Summit conference. Do not worry about wandering off into the tiny alleys you will come out on the sea on one side or the other and can just follow the sea wall back to the Liston!
Worth a mention is the British cemetery, which tell its own story, but is also an extraordinarily quiet haven in a bustling town, with lovely gardens. Buildings that are beautiful and interesting are the Town Hall, and the Reading Society.
