Full day Cultural Walking & Boat Tour “Following the steps of the Durrells, getting a taste of their lifestyle on Corfu Island”
Our tour of Corfu begins at the Durrells spot at the center of Corfu.
We will make a quick at the Town Hall square with the theatre of San Giacomo, a Baroque Renaissance building of the early 18th century.
Next on the list is the Esplanade square, home to the most important monuments of Corfu town.
The Liston buildings surrounding it are decorated with French arcades making the place reminiscent of Rue De Rivoli in Paris.
Close to it we find the Old Byzantine Fortress of Corfu, that was built in the 6th cent ΑD and it was reinforced in the years of Venetian rule. The citadel of Corfu stood between the imposing rocks of the promotory and for many centuries the fortress protected Corfu from pirate attacks.
The Boschetto garden next to the fortress is dedicated to the famed authors Lawrence and Gerald Durrell.
The palace of St. George and St. Michael was built in the years of the British protectorate. It is an elegant regency style building with an ionic peristyle, overlooking the garden.
The church of St. Spyridon is the most venerated church on the island. Inside the church there is a small crypt and the relic of St. Spyridon is laid in a silver gilt ebony casket.
The Campielo area is the oldest most authentic part of Corfu. We’ll pass through narrow alleys with Italianate houses, small squares and picturesque churches.
After walking a short distance we arrive at the new fortress of Corfu. Built in the 16th. cent, it serves as an impressive example of Italian defensive architecture. The area around the fortress is quite charming with the Tenedos church, the traditional old houses and the old Jewish neighborhood.
This marks the end of our Corfu Town tour and the beginning of our boat cruise. Our experienced crew will be awaiting you on board for a unique ride along the coastline of Corfu town with its remarkable pastel colored 400 year-old Venetian houses.
Our crew will share their knowlegde regarding the Durell Family and take you to all the spots where they filmed the scenes for the successful series “The Durrells” (prod. Christopher Hall, 2016-2019).
As we go on with our cruise, we can spot from afar the elegant Mon Repos Palace, where Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband was born in 1921.
Finally we will reach the idyllic “Mouse island” (Pontikonisi) with its white picturesque Greek orthodox chapel “Vlacherna”- both serve as landmarks of Corfu island.
We sail back and anchor at the beautiful uninhabited island of Vidos, where local fauna and flora exist untouched from humans.
Afterwards, we can relax on board and listen to several short stories of the Durrells whilst sailing along the east coast towards the North. We’ll come across the beautiful Venetian Villa in Kontokali, that served as the setting for the Durrells’ home in the series…and we will spot yet another idyllic chapel, that of Saint Arsenius, a serene location that Larry & Nancy Durrell favored as a swimming spot.
Last but not least, arriving at the small village of Kalami, you can have lunch at the famous White House, where Lawrence Durrell lived with his wife Nancy in the 1930s.
This tour -both on foot and on board- is definitely something different and unique, specially curated to be an unforgettable experience!
