5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Corfu

Corfu is a cornucopia of food, cultures, traditions and architecture, one of the main aims of Travel Corfu is to share the history, beauty and ultimately our love and passion for the island. Corfu is the second-largest of the Ionian Islands measuring 225 miles (585.3 km²) and is defined by its rugged mountain landscape and rich cultural heritage. Every year around 3 million tourists descend on the island, to swim in the blue seas, drink Mythos and gorge on souvlaki but here are five things you probably didn’t know about Corfu.

5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Corfu:

Corfu Is Like Really Old!: It is believed that the earliest reference to Corfu, was made during the Byzantine times around 1300 BC (The Greek Bronze Age). There is writing in the syllabic script (symbols that represent syllables used in Ancient Greek) of ko-ro-ku-ra-i-jo meaning “man from Kerkyra” and Kerkyra (Κέρκυρα) is the Greek word for Corfu.

Everyone Is Called Spiro: (Greek: Σπύρος) Spiro may also be spelt Spyro and Spiridoula for girls. But why is everyone called Sprio?  After the patron saint of Corfu, Saint Spyridon, who is believed to have repeatedly performed miracles to protect the Corfiotes – from the plague and, then invasion from the Ottoman Empire. His relics are housed in a crypt next to the altar within a beautiful Venetian-style church built for him in 1580.

However, can we even mention Saint Spyridon, without discussing Margo Durrell? On her quest for inner and outer perfection, Margo lays a big wet kiss on the feet of Saint’s Spyridon’s who is thought to have healing, magical powers and kissing his mummified feet can make all your dreams come true.  Of course, all that happens is that Louisa is horrified and Margo comes down with a bug because she never got the memo from Gerald.

“Tell Margo … not to kiss … kiss the air … kiss the air.”

… but it was too late; there she was, crouched over the slippered feet, kissing them with an enthusiasm that enchanted and greatly surprised the crowd.

My Family and Other Animals, Gerald Durrell (page 126)

Olive’s Are A Big Deal: Corfu is the greenest island in Greece, earning itself the nickname the Emerald Island. During the Venetian rule, the development of olive groves was heavily financed and incentivised which is why Corfu is home to more than 4 million olive trees, some over 400 years old.  Unlike the rest of Greece, olive trees in Corfu are rarely pruned making them much taller and wilder, olives are also left to mature and fall off the trees, which is why you will see nets nestled within the trees.  Would you believe that 3% of the world’s olive oil comes from Corfu?

Every Man And His Wife Have Lived Here: Despite being the only Greek territory not to have been under the Ottoman Empire (Turkish) rule, Corfu has a very colourful background, which is evident in the food, culture and architecture. So here is a quick whistlestop tour to those nations who have ruled, invaded and influenced Corfu over the years.

 

• The island is bound up with the history of Greece right from the beginnings of Greek mythology. Legend has it that Mouse Island was in fact formed by the ship of Odysseus which was transformed upside down into a rock by Poseidon, as he was furious and wanted to stop him from returning to his homeland.
• From 1386 to 1797, Corfu was literally known as the “Door of Venice” and you only have to walk through Corfu Old Town to clearly see the abundance of Venetian influence.
• For a few years, Corfu was occupied by the French, who actually constructed The Liston, imitating the rue de Rivoli. The name comes from the Venetian, liston, referring to the long marble slabs used for paving the streets.
• From 1814 until 1864 Corfu was under British rule until it was united with Greece.
• During the First World War, Corfu served as a refuge for the Serbian army during their stay, a large portion died from exhaustion, food shortage, and various diseases. Most of their remains were buried at sea near the island of Vido.  You can learn more at The Serbian Museum of Corfu including uniform exhibits and photographs during their three-year stay.
• On 14 September 1943, Corfu was bombarded by the Luftwaffe and the Nazis moved in to take control of the island.  During their stay, the Germans removed the middle part of Kaizer Bridge in order to allow the movement of large military vehicles, which you can still see in Benitses today.
• Corfu was liberated by British troops on 14 October 1944.
• After World War II, Corfu was rebuilt under the Greek Government (Ανοικοδόμησις) however luckily for us many elements of its classical architecture remain today for us to enjoy.

The Trademark of Corfu Surprisingly Is Kumquats:  Kumquat is a citrus tree that produces an oval orange fruit with a sweet and slightly acidic taste, although not usually eaten raw. Originally from China and Japan, kumquat was introduced to Corfu in the 1860s. Production of kumquat in Corfu reaches 100 tons per year. Liqueurs, jams, sweets, cosmetics and toiletries – pretty much everything is available kumquat flavoured! 

So there you have it 5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Corfu.
5 πράγματα που πιθανότατα δεν γνωρίζατε για την Κέρκυρα.
5 prágmata pou pithanótata den gnorízate gia tin Kérkyra.

Sharing is caring!