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"Spianada" is from the Italian word "spianare," meaning "to flatten." The Spianada Square of Corfu is located in front of the Old Fortress and is considered the largest square in the Balkans. The open defensive area was created by French occupiers by flattening houses.

At the "top end" of the Spianada Square is a peristyle of 20 Ionic columns, designed by British General George Whitmore in 1817. It was built over an old cistern. The locals call the Peristyle "sterna," meaning "cistern" in Greek.

A statue by sculptor Antonio Carradini of Count Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg, who commanded the Venetian force against the Turks in 1716, now commands the square. Bewigged and armored, the General seems to be looking for stray Ottomans.

Relax at the "Boschetto," a beautiful municipal garden with a fountain. It has busts of famous visitors, including poet Konstantinos Theotokis and writer Gerald Durrell.

Liston is a fashionable boulevard by the Spianada Square, designed and built by the French imperial commissioner Mathieu de Lesseps in 1807 to look like Rivoli street (Rue de Rivoli) in Paris. It houses arcaded terraces and fashionable cafes.

The Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George is on the Square. Once the home of the Ionian Senate and later a royal palace, it was built if 1824. Today it houses the Museum of Asian Art of Corfu. The Church of Saint Spyridon is on Liston street, close by.

The site of the Old Fortress was first fortified in the 6th century AD. Invading Ostrogoths, as was their wont, had destroyed the nearby city of Corcyra. Local Corcyreans found refuge in fortifications on the promontory of Corfu.

In the 12th century, the Byzantines further strengthened their defenses. A citadel was formed by two peaks with strong towers. The eastern peak was named Castle by the Sea (Castle a Mare) or Old Castle (Castle Vecchio). The peak to the west was called Castle near Land (Castel a Terra) or New Castle (Castle Nuovo).

Venetians occupied Corfu from 1386 until 1797. They mostly replaced the fortifications they found with their own designs. They separated the promontory tip from the rest of the city by digging the Contrafossa, a navigable canal from the Gulf of Kerkyra in the north to the Bay of Garitsa in the south, creating an island citadel.

The fort successfully repelled three determined Ottoman sieges in 1537, 1571, and 1716. After the first siege, military engineers Savorgnan and Martinengo designed new defensive zones with bastions and towers. Access over the Contrafossa was by a drawbridge. A permanent bridge is in place today.

The final Ottoman siege lasted seven weeks. The Ottomans were defeated by troops commanded by Count Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg. In 1718, a flash of lightning struck the powder magazine in the Old Castle, creating a chain of explosions. Hundreds died, including the Venetian Commander.

In 1923 both Old and New Fortresses were bombarded by the Italian air force. In the Second World War, Nazis used the Old Fortress as a prison for Jews in transit to death camps in Germany. Out of the 1,800 Jews deported from Corfu, only 120 returned.

Today, the Old Fortress houses the Public Library of Corfu. It is the venue for art and cultural events, and the Hellenistic Music Research Lab of Ionian University is located there.

It is generally believed that "Liston" is derived from the Venetian "lista," meaning a wide, pedestrian street. Others say that before Corfu was united with Greece in 1864, access to Liston was restricted to the nobility of Corfiot society. Their names were posted on a "List" at the head of the street. Ordinary people could walk somewhere else.

This may all be a myth. There is no documentary proof, but one thing is for sure. It is a delightful place to walk, at any time of day, in any season. Liston lies beside Spianada Square, the largest square in the Balkans and the scene of many a cricket match.

The boulevard connects the historical center of the Old Town (with the Old Fort and the Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George) with the South end of Spianada Square. It also lies close to the Church of Saint Spyridon, the patron saint of Corfu.

Liston is a popular social area and a venue for many cultural events. Philharmonic bands and traditional dancing and singing groups in 19th-century costumes often appear. There are, as well, book and photography exhibitions.

Huge Easter events take place in Holy Week. Innumerable lanterns glow in Liston, emitting a mournful purple light throughout the week. The epitaphs and processions end on Easter morning with the traditional throwing of jugs in front of Saint Spyridon's.

Liston lines the northern half of Spianada Square. It owes its elegant arcades and Rivoli street "rue de Rivoli" Paris-style buildings to the French occupiers of 1807 to 1814. Under the canopied arcades sprawl see-and-be-seen cafes, touching the Spianada and the Kapodistriou behind the block. The Napoleonic era was not all bad for everybody.

In the mornings, take coffee in a cafe under the arcades. Enjoy delicious Corfiot sweets with kumquat or ginger beer. Watch the people go by and listen to a cricket match in the square.

Casa Parlante, a "Talking House," is a museum. It is a very special museum in the center of Corfu Old Town, a short distance from Liston and Spianada Square. The museum is housed in a 19th-century noble mansion. It presents the daily life of a noble family of Corfu in the 19th century.

"Welcome! Please come in!" Declares a costumed figure at the front door. "The Count will be with you presently. He hopes you will join him and the Countess in the drawing room for tea." There is something different about this 19th-century butler. He is an animatronic, a robot. Tea with well-dressed robots in "the drawing room." This is new.

Casa Parlante aims to provide an accurate look into Corfu at a historic time. In the 19th century, Corfu was the "capital of the Ionian Islands" and the cultural center of Greece. Old Town's noble residence presents the past of a noble family, using heirlooms, objets d'art, paintings, and furniture.

The "Talking House" comes to life. Children play music. The Count reads his paper. From the kitchen come aromas of fine cuisine. The Countess sips tea. Refreshments include candy and a liqueur. Living knowledgeable guides are multi-lingual. The rooms have moving mannequins. The elderly rocking chair lady may seem a tad spooky.

Saint Spyridon died in the 4th century AD. He had suffered some persecution for his faith while he lived. After his death, his remains continued to be pursued. They were kept in Constantinople. In 1489 the Byzantine Empire fell to the Ottomans. Again his remains were moved. This time they were taken to Corfu by the monk Georgios Kalochairetis.

Georgios' daughter, Asimia, received the saints' remains as a dowry when she married into the Voulgaris family of Corfu. The Voulgaris family kept the saint in their private church. The church was demolished in the 1580s. The remains were then taken to the new church built within the city walls.

The Church of Saint Spyridon and its bell tower are similar in design to the Church of San Georgio Dei Greci in Venice. Inside the crypt are two sarcophagi, one within the other where the saint's remains are kept. The crypt has 53 incense burners. Eighteen are gold. The rest are silver.

Ceiling panels depict scenes of Saint Spyridon's life and miracles. The paintings, created in 1727, had to be copied over because of rot damage. The Romanov imperial coat of arms is above the west door of the narthex.

It is believed Saint Spyridon miraculously saved Corfu by raising a storm in the siege of 1716. The Venetian Senate donated a silver lamp to hang in the west corner of the nave. The inscription read: "For the Salvation of Corfu, to the Patron Saint Spyridon."

The Town Hall of Corfu dominates the Town Hall Square in the Old City. It is probably the best example of a Venetian Renaissance-style building on the island. Constructed between 1663 and 1693, it is made chiefly from marble and stone. At first, it housed the "Lodge of the Noblemen."

Along with many other sculptures outside, the Town Hall is a bust of 17th-century Venetian Admiral Francesco Morosini, supreme commander of the Venetian Fleet. His statue was placed on the eastern wall in 1691. In 1720 the building was home to the Noble Theatre of San Giacomo of Corfu. In 1903 it became the Town Hall of Corfu.

Unhappily, the Town Hall and its historical archives, especially those of the Noble Theatre, were destroyed in 1943 by the ubiquitous Luftwaffe. Only the main stage curtain was salvaged. Today it is in the New Municipal Theatre of Corfu.

The facade and the back of the building are laden with stone decorations. The walls carry masks, engravings, and iconic symbols of the island. The bust of Admiral Morosini is accompanied by figures of four children who symbolize his virtues.

The first Ottoman siege of Corfu ended in 1537. The Ottomans did not succeed, but the siege revealed the urgent need to expand fortifications. The Old Fort might not be enough next time. With the Ottomans, there always seemed to be a next time. The Venetians hastened to build fortifications for parts of the town outside the walls.

They razed some 2,000 homes and built new walls and fortifications in their place. With the walls completed, they proceeded to build the New Fort on the hill of St. Mark. All this had the effect of widening the defense perimeter of the old citadel inside the Old Fort. The work is said to have started in 1577. The finish date could be 1645.

The fortress complex is on two levels. A three-story building called "Punta Perpetua" and a pentagonal-shaped bastion are on the lower level. Inside are arched rooms, galleries, staircases, and ramps. There are two Baroque gates. A dry moat on the west side runs from the vegetable market to the new harbor.

The New Fortress has two bastions, "Skarponas" and "Epta Anemoi." They are on the second level, accessed by the Bell Castle (Castello della Campana). The town defenses were further reinforced on the three hills to the west in the 18th century. Vidos Islet was fortified by French occupiers in the early 19th century.

Below the bastion is the former British military barracks. Today it is a venue for art exhibits and events. Two inscribed monuments survive, attached to the ramparts. The better-preserved one dates from 1728. It shows the symbol of Venice, the Lion of St Mark, and the arms of Marco Antonio Diedo, Supreme Governor.

Central Market in Corfu is a bustling market located under the shadow of the New Venetian Fortress on a sunken street. Its arcade runs along the length of the street, and it is an excellent place to immerse oneself in the island's culture.

The market is filled with all kinds of goods, including fresh fish and other seafood, fruits and vegetables, as well as locally produced sweets and herbs. Many of the herbs are grown in small market gardens, adding to the market's authentic atmosphere.

Visitors to the market can sample the local produce, gaining a taste of the island's unique flavors. The market is also an excellent place to observe the locals' way of life, as they gather here to shop and socialize.

After a morning of exploring the market's stalls, visitors can take a break at one of the two cafes on-site. These cafes offer a chance to rest weary legs and soak up the bustling atmosphere of the market.

The Central Market in Corfu is a vibrant and lively marketplace where visitors can experience the island's culture, sample its delicious produce, and see how locals live.

Sometime around 600 BC, Menecrates, son of Tlasias and ambassador of Korkyra to Oiantheia (modern-day Galaxidi), was lost at sea. Perhaps there was a battle or pirates. The Korkyreans were determined to honor him with a monument. Praximenes, brother of Menecrates, came from Oiantheia to help with the cenotaph.

In 1843, while demolishing a fortification in Corfu, British soldiers unearthed the cenotaph of Menecrates. The story of Menecrates' disappearance was inscribed on the tomb. A funerary sculpture of a lion was uncovered with the memorial. The lion and the tomb were found in an area known as a necropolis of ancient Korkyra.

The monument and the lion were made of limestone. The monument is a stone cylinder with a conical roof. The conical cover has stones radiating down from a rectangular capstone. The cylinder wall is made of five circular rings in an isodomic construction ( an ancient wall construction technique of finely cut and worked stone). The tomb is almost five feet high and over 15 feet in diameter.

The lion was found near the cenotaph and most likely belongs to it. There is some speculation the lion may belong to the tomb of the warrior Arniadas, who had distinguished himself at a battle by the river Arachthos. The style of the sculpture is Assyrian, and it is in excellent condition. It is kept at the Archeological Museum.

Artemis, daughter of Zeus and Leto, the twin sister of Apollo, was the Goddess of the Moon, wild animals, chastity, and childbirth. A temple was dedicated to her in Korkyra (Corfu) in about 580 BC. It was found on the land of the Saint Theodore Monastery in the suburb of Garitsa. It was the first all-stone Doric temple.

The temple was peripteral, surrounded by a portico with columns. It had a width of 77 feet and a length of 161 feet. It was oriented to the east so the interior would fill with light at sunrise. The immense rectangular altar was in front of the temple. The monastery was partly built over the altar.

The ruins were first uncovered during the Napoleonic Wars by troops of the French general Francois-Xavier Donzelot as they were digging trenches. German emperor Wilhelm II busied himself with excavations in Corfu. He had an "obsession" with Gorgon Medusa's sculpture on the pediment of the temple.

Only the foundation of the temple and associated fragments remain on the site. Despite this, the found remains were enough to establish an architectural reconstruction of the temple. The pedimental sculptures of the Gorgon, her children Pegasus and Khrysaor, and the flanking guardian panthers are kept at the Archeological Museum.

Since 2001, the villa and estate of Mon Repos (My Rest), located in the forest of Palaiopolis, has been used to house the Museum of Palaiopolis-Mon Repos. The name Mon Repos was given to the villa by King George I of the Hellenes. He received the villa as a summer residence from a united Greece in 1864.

The villa was built in 1831 for the British Lord High Commissioner of the United States of the Ionian Islands, Frederick Adam. In 1833 it housed a school of fine arts. The park around the villa was opened to the public in 1834. It was a royal summer residence until 1967, when King Constantine II, the last king of Greece, fled the country.

The villa at the Mon Repos estate is a perfect example of Neoclassicism of the Regency era. The permanent display is spread throughout 14 galleries. The uppermost floor hosts temporary exhibitions and cultural events.

In the galleries are archeological finds, documents, prints, and photos. The mansion contains Regency-style furniture, objects, and a collection of watercolors and botanicals. The estate covers 260 acres of trees, temple ruins, and the botanical gardens of the Ionian Academy.

On the northeastern shore is the ancient well of Kardaki. It is said if a stranger drinks from this well, he will stay in Corfu forever. Overlooking the sea is the cave of Nymphs and an ancient theatre. In the Mon Repos area, one may find the temples of Hera, Artemis, and Apollo.

The Temple of Hera, or Heraion, was probably built circa 610 BC in the ancient city of Korkyra, also known as Palaiopolis. It is located within the Mon Repos estate. Hera's sanctuary is considered an early piece of Archaic Greek architecture.

The temple roof was adorned with lions, gorgons, and abstract-looking Daidala maidens painted in bright colors. It was among the most decorated temples of Archaic Greece. The temple had stone columns from the beginning establishing that Doric architecture had made rapid strides around 600 BC.

The Temple of Hera was erected at the top of Analipsis Hill, which made it easily visible to ships passing Korkyra. The Digital Archaic Heraion Project at Mon Repos has begun to digitize fragments found at the Corfu Heraion. The goal is to reconstruct in 3D virtual space Temple at Palaiopolis.

A major fire destroyed the temple in the 5th century BC. It was rebuilt as a new temple in the 4th century. The reconstructed temple was ruined again in the Venetian and Byzantine eras, mostly by looting stones.