| Kanoni,
Pondikonisi & Achilleion--Although these sites and destinations
are not literally next door to one another and have little in common, they
are grouped here because they do, in fact, all lie south of Corfu town
and can easily be visited in half a day's outing. And they are all places
that everyone who comes to Corfu town will want to visit, even if they
go nowhere else on the island. History buffs will revel in their many associations,
and even beach people cannot help but be moved by their scenic charms.
Kanoni
is approached south of Corfu town via the village Analepsis; it's well
signed. Ascending most of the way, you come at about 4 kilometers (2 1/2
miles) to the circular terrace (on the right), the locale known as Kanoni
(after the cannon once sited here). Make your way to the edge and enjoy
a wonderful view. Directly below in the inlet are two islets. If you want
to visit one or both, you can take a 10-minute walk down a not-that-difficult
path from Kanoni; with a vehicle you must retrace the road back from Kanoni
a few hundred yards to a signed turnoff (on the left coming back).
One
islet is linked to the land by a causeway; here you'll find the Monastery
of Vlakherna. To get to the other islet, Pondikonisi ("Mouse Island"),
you must be ferried by a small boat, which is always available (Dr500/$1.45).
Legend has it that this rocky islet is a Phaeacian ship that was turned
to stone after taking Odysseus back to Ithaka. The chapel here dates from
the 13th century, and its setting among the cypress trees makes it most
picturesque. Many Corfiotes make a pilgrimage here in small boats on August
6. It's also the inspiration for the Swiss painter Arnold Boecklin's well-known
work Isle of the Dead, which in turn inspired Rachmaninoff's music of the
same name.
There
is a causeway across the little inlet to Perama over on the main body of
the island (the Kanoni road is on a peninsula), but it is only for pedestrians.
So to continue on to your next destination, the villa known as the Achilleion,
you must drive back to the edge of Corfu town and then take another road
about 8 kilometers (5 miles) to the south, signed to Gastouri and the villa
of Achilleion. It's open daily from 9am to 4pm. Admission is Dr1,000 ($2.90).
Bus no. 10, from Plateia San Rocco, runs directly to the Achilleion several
times daily.
This
villa was built between 1890 and 1891 by Empress Elizabeth of Austria,
whose beloved son Rudolf and his lover died mysteriously (most likely a
double suicide) at Mayerling in 1889. The empress identified him with Achilles,
and so the villa is really a memorial to Rudolf (and her grief)--thus the
many statues and motifs associated with Achilles (including the dolphins,
for Achilles' mother was the water nymph Thetis). As you approach the villa
from the entrance gate, you will see a slightly Teutonic version of a neoclassical
summer palace. Take a walk through at least some of the eclectic rooms.
Among the curiosities is the small saddle-seat that Kaiser Wilhelm II of
Germany sat on while performing his imperial chores. (He bought the villa
in 1907, after Elizabeth was assassinated in 1898.)
The
terraced gardens that surround the villa are now lush and tropical. Be
sure to go all the way around and out to the back terraces. Here will you
see the most famous of the statues Elizabeth commissioned, The Dying Achilles,
by the German sculptor Herter; also you cannot miss the 15-foot-tall Achilles
that the Kaiser had inscribed, "To the greatest Greek from the greatest
German," a sentiment removed after World War II. But for a truly impressive
sight, step to the edge of the terrace and enjoy a spectacular view of
Corfu town and much of the eastern coast to the south.
If
you have your own car, you can continue on past the Achilleion and descend
to the coast between Benitses and Perama; the first, to the south, has
become a popular beach resort. Proceeding north along the coast from Benitses,
you come to Perama (another popular beach resort), where a turnoff onto
a promontory brings you to the pedestrian causeway opposite Pondikonisi
(see above). The main road brings you back to the edge of Corfu town |
