Historic Corfu

Old Fortress

 Corfu's Old Fortress dates back to the 14th century, over the fortress's many years it endured siege after siege.  WWII is but the latest chapter of the fortress's long and storied history.  Corfu had been occupied by Italy after a diplomatic incident in 1923 led to Mussolini bombing Corfu and then occupying the island.  After Italy surrendered to the Allies, the Nazis gained possession of Corfu and the Old Fortress.  Under Nazi occupation Jews living in Corfu were rounded up and jailed in the fortress prison until being transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. 

Byzantine Collection

The Old Fortress buildings that remain include the clock tower and the prison.  In addition, the fortress now houses a small but magnificent Byzantine collection that includes frescoes saved from Byzantine churches.  Also housed within the Old Fortress are a library and the Ionian University music school.  The first couple of days that we were in Corfu and the weather was nice our time was spent visiting the Old Fortress and the Old Town of Corfu - a UNESCO world heritage site.

Panagia Mandrakina

 Off to the right when leaving the Old Fortress is the Panagia Mandrakina (Church of Virgin Mary Mandrakina).  The eye catching pink Greek Orthodox church overlooks the Mandraki port of the Old Fortress.  And past the church is the Palace of St. George and St. Michael (the Royal Palace).  

Palace of St. George and St. Michael

 The Palace was initially built to house the British High Commissioner and the Order of St. George and St. Michael.  Now the building is a Museum for Asian Art.  Michael and I continued strolling through the Old Town with no real purpose in mind.  Following a maze of narrow lanes we were a bit surprised to find that we were no longer anywhere near the Old Port.  As we tried to find our way back (no Google maps to assist) we ended up just walking around in circles.  So... when all else fails get a taxi.  When the taxi dropped us off at the Old Fortress we could not believe how far we had walked!  Our site seeing came to a bit of a halt with the weather but we still ventured out some when the rain let up.  Corfu is a beautiful town with a different vibe from the other Greek towns we have visited.  Perhaps because they see far more tourists.  Overall it was a great visit and a town that I could visit again and again.