An island like a botanic garden

“A piece of Tuscany by the Mediterranean” is what the island of Corfu has been fittingly called. With millions of olive trees, gnarled and planted centuries ago, their silvery grey sprinkled with dark cypresses, the island seems like a giant botanic garden.

In the interior of the island, sublime panoramas with mountain villages limewashed in earthy colours; old enchanted rural mansions, oil mills, monasteries, endless olive groves and hillside vineyards. On 300 kilometres of coast, long sandy beaches alternate with secluded rocky bays. This island idyll is surrounded by the Ionian Sea, the cleanest part of the Mediterranean.

Tourism is limited to the coastal towns; bucolic landscapes in which time stands still begin right behind.

Thanks to its mild climate, Corfu has always been a popular abode: Poseidon himself, Odysseus, Jason and Medea, Antonius and Cleopatra, Nero, Hadrian, Casanova, Böcklin, Duse, Sissi and Emperor Wilhelm II were among visitors to the island, who often arrived by adventurous means. Today you can get to the fascinating holiday island by plane in two hours from central Europe.

The island capital Kerkyra with its two impressive fortresses is a jewel under the southern sun, and listed as a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO. Exploring this unique outer harbour of Venice is worth a trip alone: Fortresses, harbours, squares and esplanades, churches and chapels, cafes, markets and gold smiths.