Corfu

Corfu (Kerkyra), the northernmost of the Ionian Islands, is one of Greece's greenest and most culturally layered islands — a lush, cypress-covered island whose long Venetian rule (1386–1797) left it with a townscape quite unlike any other Greek island, a sophisticated café culture and an architectural heritage that earned the Old Town UNESCO World Heritage status in 2007. Corfu Town (Kerkyra) is the essential Corfu experience — the Liston arcade (modelled on Paris's Rue de Rivoli, built by the French during the brief Napoleonic period), the two Venetian fortresses flanking the Old Town, the narrow Venetian lanes (kantounia) and the imposing Orthodox cathedral create a distinctive atmosphere that is as much Italian as Greek. The Achilleion Palace, the summer residence of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi), is a Greek-Roman fantasy on a hilltop with extensive gardens. The west coast of Corfu has some of the finest beaches in the Ionian — Paleokastritsa (turquoise water, rocky coves, monastery on the headland above), Glyfada, Porto Timoni (a double bay only accessible on foot) and the lagoon at Korission are all excellent. The island's olive groves (an estimated 3 million trees, many planted by the Venetians who paid locals per tree) produce exceptional olive oil. The food — bourdeto (spiced fish stew), pastitsada (beef in tomato spice sauce), sofrito (beef in wine and garlic) — is distinctly Corfiot and excellent.