Corfu, Greece

Corfu, an island off Greece’s northwest coast in the Ionian Sea, is defined by rugged mountains and a resort-studded shoreline. Its cultural heritage reflects years spent under Venetian, French and British rule before it was united with Greece in 1864. Corfu Town, flanked by 2 imposing Venetian fortresses, features winding medieval lanes, a French-style arcade and the grand Palace of St. Michael and St. George.

The island is bound up with the history of Greece from the beginnings of Greek mythology. Its history is full of battles and conquests. Ancient Korkyra took part in the Battle of Sybota which was a catalyst for the Peloponnesian War, and, according to Thucydides, the largest naval battle between Greek city states until that time. Thucydides also reports that Korkyra was one of the three great naval powers of fifth century BC Greece, along with Athens and Corinth.^[7] Medieval castles punctuating strategic locations across the island are a legacy of struggles in the Middle Ages against invasions by pirates and the Ottomans. Two of these castles enclose its capital, which is the only city in Greece to be surrounded in such a way. As a result, Corfu's capital has been officially declared a Kastropolis ("castle city") by the Greek government.^[8] From medieval times and into the 17th century, the island, having successfully repulsed the Ottomans during several sieges, was recognised as a bulwark of the European States against the Ottoman Empire and became one of the most fortified places in Europe.^[9] The fortifications of the island were used by the Venetians to defend against Ottoman intrusion into the Adriatic. Corfu eventually fell under British rule following the Napoleonic Wars. Corfu was eventually ceded by the British Empire along with the remaining islands of the United States of the Ionian Islands, and unification with modern Greece was concluded in 1864 under the Treaty of London.
In 2007, the city's old quarter was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
I took another tour, otherwise you don't know what you are seeing. I find the history fascination, all those things we learned in school.
The entrance to one of the castles.

This is the Achilleion Palace, built by Empress Elizabeth of Austria, completed in 1891, overlooking the sea.

The the Greek history and mythology are abundant.

And beautiful gardens.

We walkedthrough the picturesque streets of Old Town, and past the Venetion quaarters, out to the Esplannade with the view of a arch looking out to sea. This white stone street was for Aristacrats only and the peasants had to stay back.

I went into the Church of Saint Spyridon, Patron Saint of Corfu, beauitful.

These are 5' tapers (candles) by the door anad the amount of gold was staggering.

                                           Amazing.