The islets of Vlahérna, Pondikonissi and the Achillion Palace
If you’re not the type to just lie around the pool on your Villa holiday and soak up the dun, then the chances are you’re the curious type to likes to visit the local sites and attractions and absorb some of the history band culture of your chosen holiday destination. Well, you couldn’t choose a more varied and historic place than the friendly isle of Kérkira. A holiday villa in Corfu will provide a perfect base for travelling and visiting the more famous sites of this lush and green island. Speaking of islands, whilst your here you might want to take the time to visit two of Kérkira’s most famous islands, Vlahérna and Pondikonissi.
Technically speaking neither of these two is a true island: more of an islet, but they’re worth the visit none the less. The most popular excursion from Corfu Town is to the islet of Vlahérna, closely followed by the islet of Pondikonissi, just offshore from the plush suburb of Kanóni. Vlahérna is the closer of the two and is capped by a small monastery and joined to the mainland by a short causeway. Just beyond that, a small boat trip, a pedalo ride or swim will bring you to Pondikonissi (Mouse Island). You’ll immediately recognise this place as you’ll have flown directly over it when you came in to land on the island. Tufted with greenery and crowned by a small chapel, this legendary islet is closely associated with a ship from Odysseus’s fleet that was petrified by Poseidon in revenge for the blinding of his son Polyphemus. Though in fairness the Homeric echoes and appeal of ancient Greece is somewhat marred by the thronging mass of visitors and the low flying aircraft.
Three kilometres further south, and passed the sprawling resort of Paramá, is one of Corfu’s more bizarre attractions, the Achillion. The palace was built in a unique blend of Teutonic and Neoclassical styles in 1890 by Elisabeth, the Empress of Austria. Henry Miller called it the worst piece of gimmickry he’d ever laid eyes on, and thought it perfectly suitable as an excellent museum for surrealistic art. Today it’s a casino at night, though you can visit the gardens during the daytime. If you’re travelling by car, you might combine the visit with a detour to the village of Kinopiástes? Here you can get a satisfying and authentic Greek meal at a very reasonable price away from the tourist traps.
