Page 55 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Greek Islands

A couple visting the famous Blue Caves on Zakynthos

THE IONIAN

ISLANDS

Lying off the west coast of mainland Greece, the
Ionian islands are famous as the homeland of
Homer’s Odysseus. The islands were colonized
by the Corinthians in the 8th century BC and
flourished as a wealthy trading post. But by the
5th century BC, Corfu sought independence from
Corinth, and allied with Athens. The subsequent
battles between Corinth and the united Athens
and Corfu sparked the Peloponnesian War, and the
eventual downfall of Athens. Later occupied by
Venetians, whose rule began in 1363 and lasted
until 1797, the islands saw a brief period of French
occupation before the British took over in 1814.
The islands were finally ceded to the Greek state in
1864. Evidence of the various periods of
occupation can be seen throughout the islands,
especially in Corfu town, which contains a mixture
of Italian, French and British architecture.
The islands were not politically grouped
together until Byzantine times and, as a result,
each island has its own distinct character, from
tiny Paxí, which is covered in the olive trees that
play a major role in Greece’s economy, to rocky
Itháki and the rugged beauty and spectacular
beaches of Kefaloniá.
55

054-055_EW_Greek_Islands.indd 55 28/11/2018 12:55