Today, people from all over still come to Corfu, making it one of the country’s most-visited islands. This lush Ionian Island is world-renowned for its rugged mountains and beaches, some of the most beautiful of the latter being Paleokastritsa, Agios Gordios, and Barbati Beach. Corfu, aka the “Emerald Island of Greece,” is also one of Greece’s greenest islands, and is teeming with vegetation, wild flowers, and millions of olive trees, some of them quite ancient. For example, one olive tree on Corfu, known as “Evdokia,” is estimated to be between 1,086 to 1,200 years old. Due to its abundance of olive trees and their importance to the island, visitors can explore the groves and take olive oil tours.

Corfu is also dotted with magnificent monasteries and churches. Must-see monasteries include Paleokastritsa and iconic Vlacherna, which is picturesquely placed on an islet connected to the mainland by a narrow jetty. Lying in front of Vlacherna on another islet, Pontikonisi, is the Byzantine chapel of Pantokrator. According to myth the islet is the ship of Ulysses that was turned into stone by Poseidon in “The Odyssey.”

Paleokastritsa is a Corfu trifecta: picturesque village, picture-postcard beach, and preserved monastery perched on a promontory with panoramic views. The beach is one of the most popular and photographed on Corfu, while the Byzantine monastery, dating back to 1225, is steeped in history, can be accessed from the beach, and has some of the most awe-inspiring views on the island.

And no trip to Corfu is complete without visiting the Old Fortress. Built by the Venetians in the 15^th century, the Old Fortress, or Palaio Frourio, is separated from Corfu Town by a moat and is also home to the Church of St. George, which looks like a Greek temple but was actually built by the British in 1840 as a church.