Why go
The Temple of Artemis and ancient city area reveal an older Corcyra beyond the fortified capital. In town, the Liston, Spianada and two fortresses show later layers; Achilleion adds a nineteenth-century palace outside the centre. Their locations make the contrast between ancient city and later capital clear.
The full story
Corfu's architecture is easiest to understand as a sequence of places. Ancient Corcyra occupied ground south of the present Old Town, around the Mon Repos and Palaiopolis area. Remains such as the Temple of Artemis point to that earlier city. The later capital grew inside strong Venetian defences, with the Old and New Fortresses controlling its approaches. In the streets between them, arcades and closely spaced facades give the town much of its Italianate appearance. The Liston, an arched colonnade beside Spianada, is one of the clearest examples to compare with the open square. The Palace of St Michael and St George represents the British administration's civic presence. Away from town, the Achilleion was commissioned by Elisabeth of Austria and uses the figure of Achilles throughout its decoration. Wartime bombing destroyed important buildings, including the Municipal Theatre and parts of the Ionian Academy. The city's appearance is therefore both a survival and a record of rebuilding.