Question 1

Venice, France, and Britain — Four Centuries of Occupation

Accepted Answer

Venice held Corfu from 1386 to 1797 and built the fortresses that withstood four Ottoman sieges. The town goes back to the 8th century BC. Thucydides counted ancient Korkyra among the three great naval powers of Greece, with Athens and Corinth. In the summer of 1716 an Ottoman force of 33,000 landed on the island. The defense was led by a Saxon field marshal, Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg, and the siege was over within two months. France took Corfu from Venice in 1797 and held it again from 1807 to 1814. Britain ran the Ionian Islands as a protectorate from 1815 and handed them to Greece in 1864. Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first governor of independent Greece, was born in Corfu, and the airport carries his name.

Question 2

Getting Around

Accepted Answer

Blue city buses cover the town and its nearby sights, and most lines leave from San Rocco Square. Line 10 goes to the Achilleion, line 2 to Kanoni, and line 7 up the coast to Kontokali, Gouvia, Dasia and Ipsos. Buy bus tickets from the machines or at the San Rocco Square ticket office. Fares are set by zone. Green long-distance buses for Paleokastritsa, Sidari and Glyfada leave from the Intercity Bus Station, which line 15 also passes. They run only about six times a day, so check the return time before you go.

Question 3

What to Eat

Accepted Answer

Corfu's cooking carries four centuries of Venetian influence, and pastitsada is the dish most closely tied to the island. Pastitsada is rooster or veal braised in a spiced tomato sauce and served over pasta. It is the traditional Sunday dinner. Sofrito is veal, lightly fried and then cooked in wine, vinegar, garlic and parsley. Two fish dishes to look for are bianco, with potatoes, garlic and black pepper, and bourdeto, in a hot red-pepper sauce. Tzitzibira, the local ginger beer, is a leftover of British rule.

Question 4

Culture & Local Life

Accepted Answer

The Spianada, the great square in front of the Old Fortress, is the largest in Greece, and the arcaded Liston along its edge was begun under French rule on the model of the Rue de Rivoli in Paris. The Old Fortress stands on a promontory that the Venetians cut off from the town with a sea channel, the Contrafossa. The New Fortress, on St. Mark's Hill, was begun in 1576. It is open to the public and looks out over the Old Town. Saint Spyridon Church, built in 1589, holds the relics of the island's patron saint. Its bell tower, added in 1620, is the tallest in the Ionian Islands. The Achilleion, a palace built for Empress Elisabeth of Austria and later bought by Kaiser Wilhelm II, is near Gastouri, about 9 km south of town. Check that it is open before you make the trip.

Question 5

Tipping

Accepted Answer

A common guide across Europe is to round up a taxi fare and leave 5 to 10 percent in a restaurant when service is not included. Greece uses the euro. Check the bill for a service charge before you add anything. Carry some coins and small notes for buses, kiosks and small purchases.

Question 6

Shopping & Local Markets

Accepted Answer

Corfu never took to shopping malls, and the Old Town is still a place of small independent stores. Some Old Town streets specialize: one in leather goods, another in olive-wood pieces, another in religious icons. The open-air market sells vegetables, fruit and fish. Shops usually close for an afternoon break, though in summer many stay open all day and into the night. Kumquats grow on the island, and kumquat liqueur is the local bottle to take home.

Question 7

Traveling with Family

Accepted Answer

Kontokali, 6.5 km from Corfu Town, is a small, sandy, shallow beach that families with children tend to choose. The open-top bus loop from the terminal covers the Old Town in an hour without the walking. Corfu is the only place in Greece where cricket is played, and matches still take place on the Spianada from time to time. To enter the Old Fortress you cross the sea channel that turned it into an island. Gerald Durrell's book My Family and Other Animals is about his childhood on Corfu in the 1930s, and it is good reading for older children before the trip.

Question 8

Beaches

Accepted Answer

Corfu's beaches are a bus or taxi ride from the port. For Kontokali, city bus line 7 stops a ten-minute walk from the beach. Glyfada is a large beach of fine sand with umbrellas, recliners, showers and water sports. Paleokastritsa, on the west coast, has six coves with deep, cold, clear water. At Barbati, a long pebble beach, the water gets deep quickly.

Question 9

Accessibility

Accepted Answer

Wheelchair-accessible taxis are part of the fleet at CTTS, the taxi company with an office at the cruise terminal. The Old Town's lanes are narrow and cobbled. The Spianada, laid out by the Venetians as a level field, is the easier ground. Both fortresses are built on hills, so expect slopes. Two beaches are noted for amenities for people with disabilities: Agios Spyridon, the central beach at Paleokastritsa, and the small sandy beach at Benitses. Ask the bus company whether the buses on line 15 can take a wheelchair, and ask your ship whether the gangway will be step-free in Corfu.

Corfu, Greece

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