Corfu -The Spianada and the Old Castle

By Gigi Fitrakis

Our description of Corfu town begins, naturally enough, at the Spianada: the large open area which lies between the town and the Old Castle. The original reason for which this area was not built on was so that the Castle gunners would have a clear field of fire at any besieging forces. At the same time, it was useful as a parade ground. Today, the southern part has been turned into a pretty park, with a bandstand, statues and shady walks, and the northern section, nearest the Castle, doubles as a car park and cricket pitch. Cricket and ginger beer are among the few legacies of British rule; but it was the French who first had the idea of planting trees on the Spianada. Despite the different national origins of the buildings around the Spaniada -Venetian, French, British and Greek they all blend together into a harmonious whole which, in the soft Corfiot light, is very pleasant to the eye.

The building which stands on the western side of the Spianada is one of Corfu town's chief glories. This is the arcaded row of cafes and restaurants known as the Liston, which was built during the brief period of French rule to plans by the engineer Lesseps, father of the man who built the Suez canal. There is an almost identical series of buildings in the Rue de Rivoli in Paris.

The cafes of the Liston are one of the places of which it could be said that if you sit there long enough everyone you know in the world will come by. This is the centre of social life in Corfu, and there is an almost constant bustle of movement and hum of voices all day, all the year round.

Moving to the southern end of the Spianada, visitors'-curiosity may be aroused by the shell of the building which stands at its furthest extremity. This was originally a barracks -the Grimani barracks- and after 1840 it housed the Ionian Academy, as which it is better known. The Ionian Academy, which was founded in 1808, re-founded in 1824 and closed in 1864, was Greece's first university and did much to elevate Corfu to the status of a major centre of Greek learning and culture. The building was ruined in the bombing of 1943.

This part of the Spianada is notable for one of Corfu's most impressive spectacles: the moment of the Resurrection at Orthodox Easter. The Bishop of Corfu and other dignitaries ascend the bandstand, and at exactly midnight on Easter Eve, when the officiating priest pronounces the words "Christ is risen!", his words are greeted with a roar of approval, fireworks, and the lighting of thousands upon thousands of candles by the vast crowd which has gathered. This is the only place on the island where the Resurrection is celebrated at midnight on Easter Eve, and so congregations from all over Corfu mass here to celebrate. The churches in the town and the villages celebrate the Resurrection at 12 noon on Easter Sunday.

Also on this part of the Spianada is the Rotunda, a pleasant structure built to commemorate Sir Thomas Maitland, first Lord High Commissioner (1815 -23).

The entrance to the Old Castle or Fortezza is almost directly opposite the Liston.

The castle is rather a sad sight today; the fortifications on its seaward side are crumbling and whole sections have already collapsed; the large building which stands on the saddle between its two peaks (once a British military hospital and until recently a Greek army training unit) is gradually falling apart and the whole site is overgrown and untended. Yet the fortifications themselves are a masterpiece of the art of the military engineer, and the Castle is well worth a visit for that reason and for the view from it.

It is easy to see why this site was chosen as the ideal place to build a fortified town. It is easy to defend against land attack, and because it juts out into the channel can easily serve as a point for controlling sea traffic.

To the north of the acropolis a small port was built, while still further in this direction was a natural bay which was used as a ship harbour.

The first fortifications were erected by the early 8th century and seem to have consisted of a landward wall and the first moat. No major alterations or additions were made to this plan until the period, in the 16th century when Venetian Corfu was being threatened by the Turks, when the whole town was fortified (see above). At this time, more bastions were built and the fine west gate was constructed and widened.

Leaving the Castle, we continue towards the north end of the Spianada, the whole of which is occupied by the Palace of Sts Michael and George.

This superb neo-classical building in soft Maltese stone which blends in nicely with the surrounding buildings has a curving Doric facade and was designed by Col. George Whitmore in 1819 as the residence of the Lord High Commissioner. The concept of the Palace stems from the country houses of the English aristocracy, on their estates. It is a unique example of Georgian architecture in the Mediterranean area. It also housed the Ionian Senate and the offices of the Order of Sts Michael and George. In the period 1864-1913 it was used by the Greek royal family as a summer residence, but subsequently fell into disrepair.

In recent years it has been restored -and currently houses the Corfu archives- but it is not open to the public.

Also in the building are the Museum of Asiatic Art and a branch of the police station (in front) and the Public Library and the Inspectorate of Classical Antiquities (from the left).

The carvings on the cornice of the Palace represent the seven Ionian Islands; Corfu is shown as a ship. The imposing hall on the ground floor is adorned with two rows of Ionian columns and paintings with scenes from the Odyssey. In the distance a magnificent staircase divides to right and left halfway up, leading to the antechamber on the first floor, which has Corinthian columns. Facing the staircase are the three main halls of the Palace: a circular central ballroom, a throne-room to the left and a banqueting hall to the right.

This walk has taken us right round the Spianada and back to the Liston - which is probably quite a good reason for making use of its facilities and having a cooling drink.

A Corfu Travel Guide is an essential item to find out where Corfu Traditional Villages and Corfu Pontikonisi are.

Hello everybody! I am really happy to be here sharing my experiences with you and learning things that I didn't know about. I hope you enjoy reading my articles as much as I enjoy reading yours!

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