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How the town was fortified to protect it from pirates. What remains and how to find it.

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THE FIRST TOWN OF CORFU, THE KANONI PENINSULA , HALIKIOPOULOS LAGOON, THE ANCIENT CITY, KARDAKI, KANONI - PONTIKONISSI, THE CITY OF KORYFO, CAMPIELLO, THE PALACE OF ST. MICHAEL AND ST. GEORGE, MUNICIPAL ART GALLERY, ESPLANADE, LISTON, PENTOFANARO, TOWN HALL SQUARE, PLATI KANDOUNI, IONIAN PARLIAMENT, IONIAN ACADEMY, MOURAYIA, READING SOCIETY, FALIRAKI, KAPODISTRIA MANSION, OLD HARBOUR, SPILIA, OVRIAKI, NIKIFORO THEOTOKI STREET, THE SQUARE OF THE SAINT, PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY, SAROKO SQUARE, MANDOUKI, GARITSA, MENECRATES MONUMENT, VIDO, LAZARETO

The town of Corfu : was founded in the 7th century BC on the peninsula of Kanoni by Corinthian colonists. It had as its centre the area known as Palaiopolis, which stretched from Mon Repos to the village of Analypsis. To the east was the Port of Alkinoos (Garitsa Bay) and to the west was the Hyllaic Port (Lake Halikiopoulos).Its northern extent was marked by the Tower of Nerantzihas - the only remaining section of the ancient wall of the city, dating from the 6th century AD. The great barbarian raids, culminating in the devastating attack by the Goths under Totilas in the year 562 AD, forced the Corfiots to take refuge elsewhere, and thus the new town of Corfu came into being.

The Kanoni Peninsula: begins at the southern end of Garitsa Bay and rises to the hill of Analypsis, where the original city of the Phaeceans is said to have been built. To the north was the ancient Temple of Artemis, built between 590 and 580 BC by Corinthian artisans with the help of Corfiots. The Gorgon Pediment, now in the Archaeological Museum, formed its western pediment. When, in the 6th century AD, the town was relocated to its present position, this area was not abandoned, and a small population remained. In 1540, the Venetians, after an agreement with the Turks, evacuated their defensive positions at Nauplion and Monemvasia. The soldiers were transferred to Corfu and were settled in this area, being granted land in exchange for military duties. In 1799, this military body was abolished, but their descendants retained the right to use the land. As a result, the area of the hill they occupied is fragmented into little plots of land. Only the Palaiopolis estate remains intact.

The Halikiopoulos Lagoon: forms an important area of wetland, which, in spite of tourist development and the extension of the airport, continues to shelter rare species of migratory birds, reptiles and mammals. The organised fish farming which takes place here, over 2000 stremmata, yields the major part of the island's fish.

Palaiopolis: formed the centre of the ancient city of Corfu. Today, only a few remains of an archaic temple dedicated to Hera, otherwise known as Akraia, still exist. It was built around 600 BC, destroyed during the civil war of 428 BC between the democrats and oligarchs, rebuilt in 400 BC, and demolished by the Romans in 30 BC. The little that was left was used by the Venetians for their great work of fortifying the town. A little further on stands the Temple of Kardaki, which was found accidentally by the British in 1822. It is a temple in Doric style, probably dedicated to Apollo, and is in a very good state of preservation. Close by is the Convent of Agia Evthimias. In 1831, a summer villa was built in the Palaiopolis estate for the use of the British Lord High Commissioner, Sir Frederick Adam. It is neo-classical, with a Doric peristyle, probably from a design by John Chronis. In 1864, the Council of Corfu granted the use of this villa to King George of Greece, and subsequently it was thr summer home of the Greek royal family, better known by the name of Mon Repos (a name also used by Peter the Great for his summer villa at St. Petersburg). Following the abolition of the monarchy in Greece, there were many misunderstandings regarding the ownership of the estate, and after a legal battle with the former King Constantine of Greece, it fell under the jurisdiction of the Municipality of Corfu, and is now open to the public. Near the gate of the estate stand the ruins of the Palaiopolis Basilica, or Agia Kerkira, built in the 5th century using materials from buildings on the site ( a Doric temple, a Roman bathhouse, and others).

Kardaki: from the village of Analypsis a footpath winds down to Kardaki, the famous spring of which tradition says that a stranger who drinks from it will forget his own home for ever. Locals ask foreigners who are resident on Corfu: "Have you drunk water from Kardaki?"

Kanoni-Pontikonissi: is a modern tourist resort with several hotels and a view over the Halikiopoulos Lagoon and the airport. At the tip of the Kanoni peninsula a footpath descends to the Vlacherna Monastery, a tiny island linked to the shore by a causeway. The causeway is the mooring point for a number of small boats which will take you to Mouse Island (Pontikonissi) where you can visit the Byzantine Church of Pantokrator. The combined picture of Kanoni, Vlacherna and Pontikonissi has become the trademark of the whole island, and has been photographed, perhaps, by just about every camera in the world. Another causeway, for walkers or cyclists, links Kanoni with Perama on the opposite shore.

The town of Koryfo: was constructed to the east of the present town using such stones and marble as remained after the looting of the ruins of Palaiopolis. It was fortified with the help of the Byzantines, and became the impregnable Old Fortress.

 

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