Corfu Pearl
  Greek Italian  
 
Special Offer
 

Special rates for July!

60 € per Studio per day (2 persons)
100 € per Apartment per day (4 persons)

  
 
 
Useful Information
 

Distances

  • Airport: 24 kms
  • Port: 20 kms
  • Corfu Town: 22 kms
  • Liapades Village: 800 meters
  • Gefyra Beach: 1700 meters
  • Rovinia Beach: 2 kms
  • Medical Center: 1 km
  • Super Market: 200 meters

    • Useful Telephone Numbers

  • Airport: 0030 26610 30180
  • Port Authorities: 0030 26610 32655
  • Taxi: 0030 26610 33811
  • Hospital: 0030 26610 88100

    •  

    		  
     

    OLD FORTRESS

    The first task facing the Venetians was to strengthen the Byzantine fortifications of the Old Fortress which lay at the centre of their city. In the fifteenth century they built two walls, one surrounding the twin peaks of the promontory and another one, providing protection from attack by sea. On the west side a moat was built at the same period; this separated the Old Fortress from Xopoli and meant that the fortified acropolis rather resembled an island The moat is spanned by iron bridge 60 meters long, which unites the Old Fortress with the town.

    Between the two sieges of the town by the Turks ( in 1537 and 1571), major defensive works were constructed, most of them under the supervision of the engineer Sanmicheli: the Contrafossa was widened, two bastions were constructed, and in other to enhance the security of the Old Fortress the space between it and Xopoli was cleared, thus creating the Spianada. The fortress itself was reinforced with additional military installations, and now only a few people dwelt inside.

    The Venetian Walls, on three levels, have survived in very good condition together with some sections of the Byzantine fortification and the much later works for which the British were responsible. Inside, one can see the two fine towers built by the Venetians, the Castel del Terre, 64 meters in height, and the Castel del Mare, 51 meters high, together with the ruins of the gun batteries, underground tunnels, cisterns, barracks, powder magazines and other buildings dating from Venetians and British times.

    On the highest peak is the stone lighthouse tower, built in 1822 and the first lighthouse ever to quide sailors over the Greek seas. To the south is the church of St George, built by the British in Doric style (1840).
    Inside the Fortress, the Venetians erected a marble statue of the Austrian general Matthias von Schulenberg, who helped the Corfiots to repel the attempted Turkish invasion of 1716. The statue, by the Italian sculptor A.Corrantini, has now been moved to the Spianada, outside the arched gateway to the Old Fortress.

    The Old Fortress is one of the most important monuments on Corfu since it was the place where some of the most dramatic events in the island’s history took place and it has been inhabited continuously for one thousand five hundred years. Apart from its historical interest, it is also one of the most attractive places on the island and forms a frequent subject for artists and photographers. From its two peaks there is a superb view of the city in one direction and the sea in the other. Sound and Light performances and dance events are held in the fortress during the summer months.