Map of Corfu (© Road Publications)

The stone ship of the Phaeacians at the Bay of Kanoni attests to the fierce punishment of Poseidon who turned into stone the ship aboard which the Phaeacians who had accompanied Ulysses home were coming back to their homeland.

Corfu, or Scheria of the Phaeacians according to Homer, is the last stop of Ulysses, the man of all manner of wiles, before reaching his homeland. Corfu is a green island with wonderful beaches and friendly people. The unique architectural style of the city of Corfu, the traditional villages of the hinterland, and the flora have inspired musicians and writers, like Goethe and Oskar Wilde; Corfu was most possibly the place that inspired Shakespeare to write the Tempest.

Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, also known as «Sisi» («Sissi in films and novels) liked so much the island that in the 19th century she decided to build there one of her palaces. Corfu is also the birthplace of the Greek Statesman I. Capodistrias, of the composer N. Mantzarou, and of the writers L. Mavilis and Konstantinos Theotokis among others.

|