Corfu..."bless you"
Ok, it's a bad joke, but a worse one is "it's Greek to me", so I didn't do that one!
Corfu is a small island off of the coast of Greece, and it fit with our Adriatic itinerary well, because according to folks who have been to Greece and other Greek islands, it's described as less like those places and more like the rest of the Adriatic coast. At one time, it was Venetian, and the architecture shows it! Actually, to our eyes, the architecture in the Spianada seemed more like what we had seen in the old Latin American capitals, like Havana or San Juan. We visited the island as part of a cruise on Azamara Quest, and had only a short day to visit. We weren't able to get to the beaches on the island, but we spent the morning touring the old fortress and enjoying a walk around Corfu Town.
The cruise port (circled on the left) is quite a distance from Corfu Town. The cruise ships provide a shuttle bus which goes to the spot noted with the asterisk. From the bus stop, it's an easy walk to the major sites in Corfu town. We visited 1) Old Fort 2) Palaces of St. Michael and St. George 3) Spyridon Church 4) The shops and cafes of Corfu Town
We had attended port lecturer Chuck Richardson's talk about Corfu, so we had a general idea of what there was to see in Corfu. Also, every day, Azamara provides a map with a few key sites noted and any of their shopping business partners. I don't usually find these maps very useful for navigating or deciding what to visit. I noticed on this cruise that at each port, a table was provided for a local tourist representative who usually had much better maps of the area, such as this Corfu map. The representative also would give good information about how to get around and advise guests about what to see.
Old Fortress
Our first stop was right outside the shuttle stop, the Old Fortress; originally a simple Byzantine defense, it's current design owes to the Venetians who took it over and held off attacks from the Ottomans in the 16th century and again in the 18th century. Today it's a well preserved complex of churches, museums, cafes, municipal buildings and what sounded like a music school. It cost 6 Euro per person to enter the fortress, and includes admission to a contemporary gallery as well as the Archaeology Museum.
The archaeology museum had some interesting artifacts dating to the 5th Century BC. There was also an interesting gallery space in the chapel for temporary exhibitions. While we were there, there was an exhibition of Domna Delliou's Faces, an interesting presentation of modern portraits interpreting characters of Greek mythology, and even some from Shakespeare.
Click on image below to expand (One of Domna Delliou's Faces and a mosaic found in the Archaeology museum.
Some of the oldest items in the Archaeology Museum are well preserved Greek floor mosaics
View from the fort
During British occupation in 18th C, this Greek Revival church was built.
Today it's interior reflects it's Greek Orthodox affiliation.
Walk through the Esplanade and Palace St Michael and St George
There is a beautiful park that stretches along the waterfront, called the Esplanade. It's a shady spot with gardens and artwork, and many locals enjoying the day. At the end of the Esplanade is the Palace of St Michael and St. George, which is an art museum for Asian art today.
The view of the Old Fortress from the Esplanade
The Colonnade of the St Michael's St Georges Palace
St. Spyridon Church
We walked by this Church which holds the remains of St Spyridon (270-348 AD) who is the Patron Saint of Corfu. We didn't visit because we were in shorts, but we did note that like many Orthodox Churches people are frequently coming and going to light a candle.
Spianada
This area of interesting architecture is an interesting place to walk around. The green parks were built mostly by the British, during their occupation, but the buildings bordering the parks, have cafes and shops. A cafe under the shady colonnade looks like it be a nice place to relax for lunch!
The Colonnade along the Spianada, below shops, flags and street signs in Corfu Town.
Shops in Corfu Town
Corfu is a place with evidence of many influences; including Venetian, as seen in this building bearing the winged lion, symbol of the Venice.
Post and Video K Klofft
Photos J Klofft