Spartilas

In summer 2007 the old town was listed in the UNESCO list for the preservation of worldwide heritage. The old town is designated by the intense Venetian element but also by a lot of English and French influences. It is a maze of narrow cobbled streets (kantounia) overshadowed by old mansions.

Spianada square is said to be the largest square in the Balkans. It is located between the town and the Old Fort. In the west side is Liston, an impressive building complex. It was built under the French rule, in imitation of the Parisian Rue de Rivoli. According to tradition only the gentries who were registered in the list of nobles had the right to walk here. Today it hosts elegant cafes beneath its colonnade. There is a cricket pitch opposite the Liston, which is said to be the most atmospheric pitch in Europe. The northern side is dominated by the Palace of St.Michael and St.George,one of the finest examples of Regency Style outside Britain. East of Spianada a bridge above the Venetian ditch leads to the Old Fortress. On the south end you may find various green spaces, a Roman-influenced rotunda, a monument commemorating the union of the Ionian Islands with Greece and a gorgeous music pavilion, where concerts are often performed during the summer months.

It was built around1819, during the period that Corfu was under British occupation. The building except for one spacious house for the British High Commissioner, was also used as the headquarters of the battalion of St. Michael and St. George. Today houses the Asian art museum and the Municipal Art Gallery and a lovely cafe’.

This is where the city of Corfu was located from 60 BC until the 14th century, and was built by the Venetians in order to protect the city from the invasions. Today two impressive bastions remain, which bear the names of the Italian engineers Martinengo and Savorgan, as well as later British buildings, such as the church of St. George, built in 1840, a large basilica in the style of an ancient Doric temple. Although it’s a steep climb the views from the old lighthouse at the highest point are well worth the effort.

This is situated in the northwestern end of the city. It was built on the late 16th century, by the Venetians, on St. Mark’s hill for the better protection of the continuously developing Corfu city and its surroundings. It offers a panoramic view of the city.

The building dates, in its present form from 1725. The army quarters of Grimani where situated here. After 1824 became the home of the Ionian Academy, which was the first university of the “newborn” Greek State.