Corfu, 2022 - A Trip into Town

 

Halfway through our holiday we felt in need of some culture so, taking advantage of the bus stop conveniently located opposite River Studios, we caught the 9.20am service to Corfu Town (also known as Kérkyra) the island's principal town. We paid €2.30 for the forty minute journey and, after an iced coffee at a hip harbourside cafe, made our way to the recently restored Corfu Archaeological Museum, built in 1962. 

A cool and airy mid-century setting, perfect for another glorious day of 40°C heat.

The star attraction, standing some 3m tall, is the Gorgon Pediment (c.585 BC) which comes from the Temple of Artemis and so-named for its central sculpted Medusa (the most famous of the snake-haired gorgons), shown with wings on her shoulders, winged sandals and serpents at her waist. She is flanked by her offspring, born from her dying blood; Pegasus, the winged horse, and the hero Khrysaor. Beside her stand two alert lion-panthers waiting to obey the commands of the monster who, according to myth, turned anyone who met her gaze to stone.The pediment was discovered in 1912 at Paleopolis and is Greece's oldest existing monumental sculpture.

I'm not sure what blew our minds more, the age or the sheer scale of it. 

Not so colossal - but almost as important archaeologically - is the Archaic Lion of Menekrates. This late 7th-century BC sculpture, in near-perfect condition, was found in 1843 and is thought to have graced the grave of a warrior during Kérkyra's struggle for independence from Corinth. It is considered one of the most beautiful ancient animal sculptures.

In the case above are a dozen small statues of the goddess Artemis, in her avatar as mistress of beasts, thought to have been produced as votive offerings for local worshippers.

Below is a smaller pediment from 500 BC, showing the god of wine, Dionysos and a youth reclining at a symposium, holding a pouring vessel and a drinking cup.

 A short walk away stands the Mousio Andivouiotissas (the Byzantine Museum), housed within a 15th Century basilica. This single aisle, timber-roofed church is one of the oldest and richest on the island and houses an impressive array of icons from the 15th to the 19th centuries, many of the co-called "Cretan school". After the fall of Crete to the Ottomans, many highly skilled artists came as refugees to Venetian-held Corfu.

After a morning spent exploring, we decided to follow the locals and eat on the Listón, the elegant terrace of shady cafés bordering the Esplanade and reminiscent of Paris's Rue de Rivoli, hardly surprising as the area was designed and built by a Frenchman.

Jon and I have only been dining here since 2017 but the locals have been eating at Aegli, Kérkyra's oldest restaurant since 1920. For around 30€ we devoured wonderful salads washed down with ice cold Mythos beer. Parisian chic minus the Parisian price tag!

If we didn't have more exploring planned, we could easily have spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the shade, watching the world go by, distracted only slightly by rumbles of conversation as office workers exchanged gossip over lunch and the clank of cutlery as waiters hastily laid tables in readiness for the next wave of diners.

Casa Parlante is said to be the most alive museum in Corfu. Set within a 19th Century classical mansion in Kérkyra's old town, the everyday life of the island's nobility during British rule is recreated through scarily lifelike animated figures. Escorted by Athina, our charming guide, and accompanied by a trio of Spanish holidaymakers, we joined the count and countess in the salon for a glass of rosewater cordial, listened to the children of the family playing music, smelled the aromas of the cook's cuisine, crept through the guest bedroom whilst the maid attended to the count's mother and read the headlines of his father's newspaper as he took time out in the study.

Time for a wander around the town....

The imposing Neo Frourio (New Fort) stands above the Old Port. It was built by the Venetians between 1572 and 1645, shortly after the first major Ottoman siege. 

Corfu is the most colonised island in the Mediterranean with the Corinthians, Romans, Byzantines, British and French all having taken over. The most influential architecturally has to have been the Venetians, whose graceful legacy makes Kérkyra so alluring, after all, Corfu is closer to Italy than it is to Athens. Meandering the maze of narrow streets that cluster higgledy-piggledy between the old and new forts is a joy. It's pointless trying to follow a map, the fun is getting lost and exploring interesting side streets. 

Washing hangs drying above your head suspended on lines strung between buildings, scooters buzz down the cobbles beeping for you to jump out of the way and baskets are glimpsed, descending from windows way up high, waiting to be filled with the goods from tradesmen in the street below.

The Venetian emblem, the winged lion of St Mark, can be found all over the island.

By five o'clock, most of the restaurants and shops had closed for their siestas so we walked back to the bus station and caught the bus home to Paleokastritsa.

More to follow.....see you soon!