Why go
The Venetian fortresses show how the island guarded sea routes and resisted Ottoman sieges. Spianada and nearby British-era buildings reveal a later phase, while the old town’s Greek life continues around both. These layers make a city walk more informative than a chronology alone.
The full story
Ancient Corcyra grew from Greek settlement and maritime trade. Its rivalry with Corinth became part of the chain of events leading toward the Peloponnesian War. The island’s position remained valuable long after antiquity. Under Venice, Corfu became a fortified stronghold guarding access to the Adriatic and withstood several Ottoman sieges. The Old and New Fortresses in Corfu Town are the most direct surviving expression of that period. British administration followed the Napoleonic Wars, leaving a different civic and architectural imprint around the capital. In 1864 Corfu joined Greece with the other Ionian Islands. A visitor can trace these changes without trying to absorb every ruler in sequence: begin at the fortifications, cross the open Spianada, then walk into the old town’s narrow streets. The compact route shows how defense, public life and later governance shared the same urban space.