Lush Ionian jewel — Venetian old town, kumquat liqueur, and the greenest island in Greece
Corfu (Kerkyra) is the greenest and arguably most beautiful of the Greek islands — a mountain-ridged Ionian island of cypress trees, olive groves, and turquoise bays that spent 400 years under Venetian rule, producing a unique cultural mix of Italianate architecture, cricket (introduced by the British in the 19th century), and ginger beer. Corfu Town's Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — two massive Venetian fortresses, the Liston arcade (modelled on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris), and narrow alleyways known as kantounia create one of the most atmospheric city centres in Greece.
Corfu has the most complex colonial history of any Greek island — ruled successively by Byzantines, Angevins, Neapolitans, Venetians (1386–1797), French (1797–1799, 1807–1814), Russians, and British (1815–1864) before union with Greece. The Venetian period was decisive: 400 years of Venetian rule left Corfu with a culture, architecture, and cuisine unlike any other Greek island. The British built roads, hospitals, a library, and introduced the game of cricket — which is still played on the Spianada, Europe's second-largest square, making Corfu the only place in Greece where cricket is a serio…