Our property renovation programme is concentrated in the Ionian Islands and principally Corfu, which is also our base in Greece.....

The Ionian Islands

The Ionian Islands are situated on the western side of Greece. They are traditionally called the Seven Islands, but the group also includes many smaller, uninhabited islands. The seven are, from north to south:

Corfu

(known as Kerkyra in Greece)

Zante

The six northern islands are off the west coast of Greece, in the Ionian Sea. The seventh island, Kythira, is off the southern tip of the Peloponnisos, the southern part of the Greek mainland.

The islands are famous for their natural beauty. They are lush with vegetation and therefore green all year round. This, coupled with their warm, Mediterranean climate and the friendly, welcoming nature of the locals, has enticed tourists to return year after year. The rise in tourism, however, has not changed the essentially 'Greek' nature and ambiance of the Ionian Islands. High rise buildings are few and far between. Many of the islands inhabitants still work the land and enjoy a traditional lifestyle. It is a dreamy, exotic place, with a gentle pace of life. No wonder then, that Homer, in his famed 'Odyssey', has his hero forever trying to return to his beloved Ithaca.

Corfu

Corfu is the most northern of the Ionian Islands and the westernmost part of Greece. The island is 36 miles long and at its widest part (the North) 15 miles wide. Covered with over 3 million evergreen olive trees, watered by winter rains, Corfu, even during the hot dry summers remains one of the greenest of the Mediterranean islands. At the center is 'Mount Pantocrator' towering to a height of 998 meters. The NE coast is made up of sheltered rocky coves and shingle beaches offering secluded bays and traditional fishing villages. The North and South offer long sweeping sandy bays and the craggy west coast, with its high cliffs and horseshoe sandy beaches, is an ideal place to watch spectacular sunsets.

The island's main town, built largely by the Venetians, is also the judicial and governmental centre for the region and therefore a lively, bustling place all year round. To serve its population of 113,000, Corfu has two hospitals, three clinics, countless schools for both primary and secondary education and a University. Its international airport provides connections all over the world and the main sea port offers daily ferry services to Italy, Albania, nearby islands and the Greek mainland.

Corfu Attractions

Corfu has an international standard yacht marina, a championship level golf course, bowling centre and two water parks. Windsurfing, dinghy sailing and water skiing are available on most of the islands beaches. The craggy nature of the island provides fascinating walks, through countless rustic mountainside villages and a haven for artists.

Beach-side tavernas offer traditional Greek food, especially fresh grilled seafood, at surprisingly low prices. Gourmets can enjoy a full range of international cuisine at dozens of restaurants in the town centre.

Corfu Town itself is one of the island's 'must-see' attractions. Its architecture is a mixture of Byzantine and Venetian, giving it a unique, yet distinctly Greek, feel. This is the home of Corfiot cafe society. Throughout the year, under the protection of the town's two forts, locals take coffee and ouzo in the grand squares and along its promenades. It is a cosmopolitan place, enjoying its Italian heritage in a time honored manner. Listen carefully and you will hear the 'singsong' sound of Italian in the locals dialect. The town's museums and exhibitions offer an insight into the island's fascinating past.

History

The islands were settled by Greeks at an early date, possibly as early as 1000 BC, and certainly by the 9th century BC.

In the 4th century the islands, like most of Greece, was absorbed into the empire of Macedon. They remained under the control of Macedon and its successor kingdoms until 146 BC, when the Greek peninsula was annexed by Rome. After 400 years of peaceful Roman rule the islands passed to the rule of Constantinople, and remained part of the Byzantine Empire for another 900 years, until the fall of Constantinople to the Fourth Crusade in 1204.

When the French rulers of the Latin Empire based in Constantinople parcelled out the Byzantine territories to their followers and allies, the Venetians acquired Kerkyra and Paxi, and also Kythera, which they used as way-stations for their maritime trade with the Levant. Kefallonia and Zakynthos became the "County Palatine of Cephalonia" until 1357, when this entity was merged with Lefkada and Ithaki to become the Duchy of Leucadia under French and Italian dukes. When the Greeks retook Constantinople in 1261, they briefly regained control of some of the islands, but the Venetians gradually increased their grip.

In the 15th century the Ottomans occupied most of Greece, and the islands accepted Venetian rule as the lesser of two evils.Under Venetian rule, many of the upper classes spoke Italian and converted to Roman Catholicism, but the mass of people remained Greek in language and religion.

In the 18th century a Greek national independence movement began to emerge, and the free status of the Ionian islands made them the natural base for exiled Greek intellectuals, freedom fighters and foreign sympathisers. The islands became more self-consciously Greek as the 19th century, the century of romantic nationalism, neared. In 1797, however, Napoleon Bonaparte captured Venice, and by the Treaty of Campo Formio the islanders found themselves under French rule. In 1798 the Russian Admiral Ushakov briefly evicted the French, but two years later the French returned and the islands were turned into the Septinsular Republic under French protection - the first time Greeks had had even limited self-government since the fall of Constantinople in 1453. But in 1807 they were directly annexed to the French Empire.

In 1809 the British defeated the French fleet in Zakynthos (October 2, 1809) captured Kefallonia, Kythera and Zakynthos, and took Lefkada in 1810. The French held out in Kerkyra until 1814. The Treaty of Paris in 1815 turned the islands into the "United States of the Ionian Islands" under British protection (November 5, 1815). In January 1817 the British granted the islands a constitution, the first in Greek history since ancient times. The islanders elected an Assembly of 40 members, who advised the British High Commissioner. The British greatly improved the islands' communications, and introduced modern education and justice systems. The islanders welcomed most these reforms, and took up afternoon tea, cricket and other English pastimes.

Once Greek independence was established after 1830, however, the islanders began to resent foreign rule and to press for enosis - union with Greece. The British statesman William Gladstone toured the islands and recommended that they be given to Greece. The British government resisted, since like the Venetians they found the islands made useful naval bases. They also regarded the German-born king of Greece, King Otto, as unfriendly to Britain. But in 1862 Otto was deposed and a pro-British king, George I, was installed. In 1862 Britain decided to transfer the islands to Greece. On May 2, 1864 the British departed and the islands became three provinces of the Kingdom of Greece though Britain retained the use of the port of Corfu.

In 1941 when German forces occupied Greece, the Ionian Islands (except Kythera) were handed over to the Italians, who in their three years of rule made themselves hugely unpopular by trying to force the islanders to realise that they were "really" Italian. In 1943 the Germans replaced the Italians, and deported the centuries-old Jewish community of Kerkyra to their deaths. By 1944 most of the islands were under the control of the communist guerilla army, ELAS, and they have remained a stronghold of left-wing sentiment ever since. At every election since the restoration of democracy in 1974 they have voted for the social democratic PASOK party.