When the families of Bambis and George Hadjimichalis invited us to Corfu for Easter, some images that are well-known in Greece started to form in my mind: the famous Corfiot philharmonic bands and choirs with their full-bright uniforms, historic streets and squares, suffocatingly full of crowds of visitors and, of course, the famous custom of the “botides”, those flying clay ponds, which break with a thud on the ground, filled with water. A custom, the effectiveness of which in relation to the institution of marriage we all admired with plenty of laughter, in the film of the unforgettable Georgia Vassiliadou.
This is about what I had in mind at the beginning of Holy Week. When we started the journey to Corfu. It was impossible to imagine that very soon, the primacy of our choices would be taken over, not by the formalities of the city, the world-weary and beaten streets and squares, but by the pure beauty of the Corfiot countryside, the humble paths and the remote villages. Uniquely decorated, however, not by the hand of man but by the countless, colourful wild flowers of nature.

When the families of Bambi and George Hadjimichalis invited us to Corfu for Easter, some images that are well known in Greece started to form in my mind: the famous Corfiot philharmonic bands and choirs with their full-bright uniforms, historic streets and squares, suffocatingly full of crowds of visitors and, of course, the famous custom of the “botides”, those flying clay ponds, which break with a thud on the ground, filled with water. A custom, the effectiveness of which in relation to the institution of marriage we all admired with plenty of laughter, in the film by the unforgettable Georgia Vassiliadou.
That’s about what I had in mind at the beginning of Holy Week. When we were starting the journey to Corfu. It was impossible to imagine that very soon, the primacy of our choices would be occupied, not by the formalities of the city, the world-weary and beaten streets and squares, but by the pure beauty of the Corfiot countryside, the humble paths and the remote villages. Uniquely decorated, however, not by the hand of man but by the countless, colourful wild flowers of nature.
UPPER KORAKIANA AND AGIOS MARCOS
The approach, on the big island of the Ionian Sea, was not the most ideal. Cloudy atmosphere and African dust in Igoumenitsa, Beaufort and turbulence in the Ionian waters, heavy rain in Corfu and darkness. With Bambi’s guidance we leave the port heading NW towards Sidari and 14.5km just from the port gate we meet a fork in the road on the left with a concrete alley. A few tens of meters later we are in front of “Villa Rodia”.
The grass is well-cut and moist, with such a characteristic and pleasant smell. Trees, bushes and flowers. Large pool filled with water. Its still surface is occasionally disturbed by small circles of the last drops of rain. Then the night sky of Corfu clears.
Our hosts welcome us like friends they have known for years. They ask us to feel at home. A house so beautiful, so functional and so fully and quality equipped that promises to give us a wonderful stay.
With the first light of day, Corfu nature is revealed in all its spring beauty. A wide range of shades of green, bright purple from the flowering pigeonpea trees, tall wisteria cypresses and a little further away, a picturesque village. It is Ano Korakiana, built amphitheatrically on the southern foothills of a lush mountain range with steep slopes. The western part is called Korakion, while the eastern part is called Korentis. These two mountains are in fact the south-south-west extremities of Pantokrator, the largest mountain complex of Corfu, which with an altitude of 911 m. is also the highest.
Within a few minutes we cross the one and a half kilometer of the century-old olive grove that separates us from the village. The parish church of Agios Athanasios almost welcomes us at the entrance. According to Kostas Apergis(1) the church already exists since 1554. We are impressed by the ornate tall bell tower of 1911, the courtyard with the abundant trees and flowers. An imposing entrance with marble pilasters leads us to the spacious interior with the women’s loft and the wooden ceiling with its complex decoration. The walls are covered with frescoes from 1766. The north wall depicts the Passion Week from the Last Supper to the Crucifixion, while the south wall is dedicated to representations of the Second Coming. Some of the frescoes on the lower frieze of the north wall appear to be older, but with much damage. The chancel is built with numerous old portable icons. Also important is the “Skola”, the banner of St. Athanasius, painted on canvas by Antonios Skeyi in 1909 at the expense of the Korakiana Community.
Our walk in Ano Korakiana reveals a large and beautiful settlement, built in a stepped and densely built, at an altitude of 130-180 meters on a steep slope. The road Democracy, although it is the main road crossing the village, is in most places so narrow that it is problematic or even impossible for two cars to pass simultaneously. Even narrower and more picturesque are the steeply sloping vertical alleys, which a few decades ago were cobbled streets.
According to the beautiful description of the architect Aphrodite Agoropoulou-Birbili (2) “the villages, with their usually stepped layout, the restless interplay of the roofs against the altitudinal curves and the dense greenery that surrounds them, compose a truly charming image. Narrow and picturesque streets, small squares. Vaulted passages, cut-outs at the corners of buildings are their characteristics”
Old stone wells, small and large, appear every now and then either on the side of the roads or in the courtyards of the houses. The houses of the village impress us with the elements of their traditional architecture, their large dimensions and the frequent appearance of the characteristic and so spectacular “Venetian red” in various shades.
Ano Korakiana is very lively, with polite and extroverted residents, most of whom whitewash and maintain their houses and streets, so that everything is spotless at Easter. As we stroll along Democracy Street, impressed by the volume of the three-storey houses, we come across the familiar type of signboard of the Byzantine Antiquities Tax Office, referring us to the Byzantine church of Archangel Michael.
-Do you know if the church is open? We ask a lady who is tending her yard.
-It is closed, but my husband, who is a commissioner, has the key. But come and have a cup of coffee.
We meet Lefteris Ionas on the ground floor of his house. The house is old, Lefteris shows us a brick found at the back of the house dated 1590.
He finds the church key and we start. A narrow path climbs uphill between orchards and in three minutes leads us to the church. The monument is built with clay masonry and outside the north wall there are remains of the masonry of a smaller, older church. Few frescoes survive on the walls. The best preserved ones are in the sanctuary area. According to K. Apergis (3) “Little is known about the oldest church of Korakiana. According to Professor P. Vokotopoulos, the four hierarchs painted in the niche of the sanctuary and hidden under limestone are of the 11thth or 12th century.
We thank the Iona family, cross the eastern quarter of Korakiana, Venice and three km later we reach the smaller but equally traditional settlement of Aghios Markos. Built amphitheatrically, the small village is built on a verdant slope, has old and beautiful houses, but many of them are dilapidated and uninhabited. The main road is again narrow. An alley with steps leads us to the church of Agios Antonios. A staircase leads us to the church of St. Mark with two bell towers. From the square of the church the view is unique to the plain and the sea, the town of Corfu and the mountains opposite. Another narrow path, with several steps in between, leads to the old Monastery of Pantokrator, at the highest point of the village. Although the courtyard door is closed, the fallen wall at the back allows us to enter the courtyard of the monastery and see the frescoes of Odigitria, Pantokrator and John.
WANDERINGS IN THE MOUNTAINS OF OLD SIENA
The information speaks of a mountainous and ruined medieval settlement on the slopes of Pantokrator. The desire to discover it is irresistible and becomes even greater when we read from Spyros Katsaros (4) that “in the Venetian years, Palies Sinies or Palio Chorio was a settlement concentrated on the first descents from the top of Pantokrator to the east.
It was one of the oldest villages of Corfu and most of its inhabitants practiced the profession of marble carvers. On April 11, 1867, Sinies offered 2000 marbles for the construction of the “Loggia” of the present Town Hall. In return, they were forever exempted from all service and chores in the Venetian fleet.
After Agios Markos we exit to the coast and continue towards Nisaki. Here, a sign on the left directs us to Viglatouri (0.8km) and Palies Sinies (6km).
We ascend on a very narrow road, with steep gradients, constant hairpin bends and perennial olive trees. At 1.8km we meet the sign for Paleo Horio on the left. A few hundred metres further up, a passable dirt road begins and the top of Pantokrator appears, dominated by antennae. At 3, 2km after Nisaki, we turn right uphill (on the left the road descends to a stable). The low vegetation consists mainly of sparrows, which are just beginning to open. On the coast, of course, they are in bloom. Countless wildflowers decorate the stony, steep slopes.
7 km after Nisaki we reach the first houses of the ruined settlement. Unseen until the last moment, the settlement is a real revelation, a large settlement unit extending on the slopes, hills and glades of a beautiful and verdant valley, the only smooth, friendly terrain that dares to interfere with the absolute dominance of the rugged S-SE slopes of Pantokrator. We enter by car as a small plateau in the centre of the village. In front of us is an impressive two-storey building that must have been a manor house. This is suggested by several elements: the floor paved with slabs, as opposed to the trodden earth that was common in farmhouses, some traces of painted decoration on the plastered walls and, of course, the large dimensions of the house.
20 meters next door is the main church, unfortunately closed. The church has clay masonry, in good condition, including carved cornerstones. The bell tower is fine, though with a good deal of wear and tear. Strong stone masonry in the first few metres and then lighter with yellowish solid blocks. A second, smaller chapel is led to a few steps down the road, and this too is sadly closed. Its roof of old Byzantine-type tiles is preserved unchanged, and a large relief cross dominates the outer niche of the sanctuary.
In the third chapel we are luckier to find it open. It is built 50-60 meters above the main one, at the highest point of the village. Slabs on the floor and two frescoes on the walls. More survive in the niche of the sanctuary but with considerable damage. From an altitude of 480m we can gaze at the fascinating topography of the village and the distant sea horizon. This horizon was watched night and day by the old inhabitants to detect any pirate sightings and warn the people to pull towards the mountain.
For at least three hours we wander among the stonewalls and the ruins of the Old Sinias. Whatever walls remain standing betray their careful construction, without luxury but with good clay masonry and one-piece stone pilasters on the windows and doors. A path, in continuation of the main road, leads us to the N-NE to a micro-creek with stone wells and cisterns. A little higher up, a hillock dominates with dense building, houses of fine construction, one even with a magnificent twin arch and fortress construction.
A divine silence prevails in the place which, when it was inhabited, must have been of unparalleled beauty. The only sound is the twittering of birds. Even a conventional car can reach Sinies, but the same is not true of the “road” that continues to Pantokrator. Two different people, a lady and a shepherd, had already warned us not to attempt this route. It was as if they were urging us fervently to the contrary
-I can’t go back without at least trying, I say to Anna, who unfortunately agrees with me.
What from a distance looked like a road is not a road. It’s the original carving, which, since it was paved, has apparently remained untouched by human care. With terrible waterfalls and rocks, the route is one of the roughest I’ve encountered, sometimes I stop to see where best to place the wheels. Eventually, after 2.4km, we reach a ridge. Across the sea we look out over the Albanian coast and low over the old settlement of Perithia. Finally, 5.5 km after Sinias, we reach the top. Here is the Monastery of the High Pantokrator, built in 1257 with the expenses and labour of the surrounding villages. I don’t know how the villagers of those old days would feel if they were alive today and saw their monastery. They probably wouldn’t believe their eyes if they gazed at the monstrous antenna that stands 40-50 meters high in the middle of the courtyard of the monastery. 100 meters further on, a forest of smaller antennas stands. We leave as if we were being chased, after taking a nostalgic look at the magnificent floor plan of the Old Sinias, which so soothed our souls a few hours ago.
We return to the neck and take the long, rough road to Aixeria, Porta and the wonderfully reconstructed settlement of Ru. Based on the old, traditional houses an English architect has created a residential complex of rented houses, with wonderful views and full amenities. As we reach the main coastal road we think that the tarmac is not bad either.
FROM PANTOCRATOR TO SPARTY WITH MONOPATI
The time has come to get to know some Corfiot paths. Our guide is not a local but the Englishwoman Hilary Pipeti, who has been publishing her English-language magazine “THE CORFIOT” every month in Corfu for 19 years now. A nature lover and hiker, Hilary organizes every Saturday carefully selected walking routes, announced through the pages of the magazine. On Holy Saturday on 18 April, the programme includes a descent from the Pantokrator plateau to the settlement of Spartyla. So at the time when thousands of locals and foreigners are pouring into the main streets and squares of Corfu to watch the much talked about “custom of the boots” (the clay pits) we are gathering at the Café-bar Asteria in Spartyla. Introductory coffee and at 10.20′ the 11-strong team is complete, with representatives from England, France, Germany, Zimbabwe and Denmark. JOHN WALLER represents Ireland and Anna and I represent Greece.
We board half the cars and drive uphill towards Pantokratoras. We cross the small traditional settlement of Strinyla, which with an altitude of 630m. is the most mountainous of Corfu and a few kilometers later we stop the cars. We walk leisurely for a quarter of an hour on asphalt as a small warm-up before the trail. 150m before the small PPC houses at the foot of Pantokrator we meet the path marked with a yellow arrow on the right of the asphalt. It is 11,05′ exactly and the altitude is 750m.
In a S. direction we start a downhill, rough path. We are in the middle of a wild plateau, covered with rocks. All that grows is low bushes, grass and countless flowers. The trail is distinct and well marked with yellow signs on the descent and small red ones on the ascent. Some small meadows, holly and flowering gorse begin. A German points out a rare wildflower, which he calls Fritillary. Here are some cows with four calves, free-range and perfectly happy. They are in no danger on the island. In a long meadow of about 150 metres the path becomes unclear for a while. We rediscover the signs as easily as before. Thick holly bushes begin. Among them are many laurels with straight trunks approaching 10 meters in height. Lovely trees with white little flowers and the characteristic exquisite fragrance as we rub the leaves in our hands. We walk continuously on a dirt path, protected by shade.
At 12.10 we meet a dirt road. We go straight uphill for 100m and then we meet the familiar yellow sign on the left. A rough path again, between stones and holly.
At 12.40′ an unexpected picture. A clearing in the woods with a magnificent old threshing floor. Its slabs are preserved in excellent condition and its diameter is up to 10 metres. All around, among the bushes and trees, you can see meadows with prominent terraces. At one time, before the area was wooded and left uncultivated, there must have been fields. This explains the existence of the threshing floor. This so characteristic and beautiful stone construction of the Greek countryside, which seems to be unknown to foreigners.
-A lot of Europeans, from different countries, ask me, wondering what this circular construction is for, Hilary tells me.
And I answer that it was used for landing helicopters in the Middle Ages!!
I look at her in disbelief and then address an Englishman and a German in turn.
-Do you know what this construction is? They shake their heads in the negative. Hilary is solemnly confirmed.
Apart from the agricultural heliport, the place also has things that foreigners are masters at. These are the tiny wild flowers, imperceptible and indifferent to the vast majority of Greeks, but so important to foreigners. They are the beautiful wild orchids! For several minutes they all lay on the ground, looking for and photographing orchids with their small, powerful digital cameras. With them, of course, is Anna, who has developed a remarkable ability to spot orchids in recent years.
At 12.50′ we face for the first time to the S-SE the city of Corfu and the sea from an altitude of 625m. The trail is narrow and beautiful, with thyme already smelling at our feet. Five minutes later, after the threshing floor, another unexpected sight awaits us. It is the amazing but half-ruined chapel of Taxiarchis, with a top view everywhere and especially of the vast sandy beach of Ipsos, which is unfortunately covered with mist. In 1537, the pirate Barbarossa landed in this bay, who with his Turks caused great destruction on the island.
We enter the chapel as pilgrims. Our footsteps echo over piles of wood and broken tiles of the roof, most of which has collapsed. It is a wonder how the walls still remain standing and how some of the frescoes on the walls, the built-up Beautiful Gate and the niche of the sanctuary retain their vibrant colours. Unfortunately, their destruction will come with mathematical certainty. No one is going to care about the restoration of this so remote temple!
We start the last part of the path. It is steep, rough and rocky. Just below, the magnificent Spartyla’s magnificent plan with its successive tiled roofs looms. We’re losing altitude rapidly. At 13.40′ we are already at 470 m. The vegetation is joined by asparagus and schistos, sage in bloom with a wonderful scent. Here are the first bendy cypresses, olive trees, vegetable gardens, some lilipotent vines.
The wild vegetation of the mountain gives way to human cultivation and the rocky path to the asphalt of Sartila.
It’s 2:00 p.m. sharp. With the rest of the cars we return to Strinylas.
-After the effort the reward, says Hilary. Let’s have a little wine.
Stamatis’ tavern is down from the road in the square, just opposite the huge karagachi, that amazing elm tree, which has been covering the village square with its shady foliage for centuries. The wine, white and red, from the mountain vineyards of Stamatis is wonderful, the omelette from the village eggs is delicious, and the feta cheese and freshly fried potatoes are delicious. The meat is absent but its presence is unnecessary. Everyone’s spirits are at a high level.
IN THE OLD CURIOSITY AND ON ITS BEAUTIFUL PATH
Ano Korakiana has three main districts. “Mourgades” in the west, the central village and “Vevetia” in the east. From here the road to the mountainous inland in the northern part of the island starts. It is very narrow, with steep slopes and successive “hairpins” that exceed 30(!) at a distance of 3.5 km, while there are several more open ones.
We continuously cross a vast olive grove, passing successively by the settlements of Sokraki, Zygos, Sgourades and Omali. Above Episkepsi, which is a large and beautiful village, we meet the private road of Desyllas, which very quickly turns into an uphill, good dirt road. It reveals to us a wonderful view of the village, the green “sea” of compact century-old olive groves and faintly in the background the Ionian Sea.
4km later the road descends to Strinyla. Apart from two points with waterfalls, it is accessible to conventional cars. A few hundred meters outside Strinylas there is a beautiful plateau with vineyards, walnut farms and especially the “Panagia of the Roads”, a Byzantine monument of 1230 with an excellent relief of 2 dragons at its entrance.
Before we take the final uphill to the top of Pantokrator, we descend left down the rough road to Perithia. It’s almost 5 kilometres of road, only for 4x4s. At the entrance of the village we meet the beginning of a hiking trail, marked (with project funding) from Perithia to Krinias. The first 900m is a passable but in some places muddy dirt road. Immediately afterwards the path begins, unobtrusive and relaxing. It crosses a sparse oak forest, among countless wildflowers and asphodels. Every 100 metres there is a metal signpost recording the progress of the trail.
At 1300 meters we face the sea to the north. Here the trail becomes rocky and winds downhill in lush gullies. On the slopes with steep slopes the path is carefully built, which shows the great importance of the path for the communication of the Perrithians with the northern coast.
At 2000m the sun disappears. The trail enters a dense and shady forest of arias, schist and maple trees. Now paved, the path descends into the forest with successive bends. At 2,250m we meet the dry gully bed. We ascend slightly and continue up to 300m, where the path ends and gives way to a dirt road that crosses an olive grove and in 1km reaches Krinias. At a leisurely pace we just passed the one hour mark until here. (we covered 3 km). For the return, which covers an altitude difference of 250m, we need about an hour and a quarter. So here is a wonderfully well-used trail, a real pleasure for the whole family (just one observation regarding the metal signs, where some have come loose and are on the ground)
Equally pleasant, however, is our walk to the old and entirely traditional settlement of Perithia. The bell tower of the church of Ag. Simple architectural lines and beautiful stone construction of the year 1835. Lighter in colour is the church of 1852 with large dimensions, massive cornerstones and arched windows with heavy ironwork. A little lower down is the church of Agia Paraskevi. From here the tavernas of Perithia begin, which have grown considerably in number since the one we visited about a decade ago.
A fork of a cobbled path leads us to the “foro”, the square. A word derived from the Latin “forum”. Flowering cherry trees, houses with exquisite architecture, most of them uninhabited. Several, however, have been restored in recent years with great respect for the tradition of the place. In a flat clearing above the square, we pass under the imposing courtyard window of the mansion of Skordili. The “key”, at the upper central point of the archway of the door, remains unaffected by time, although at first glance it appears crumbling. The manor house, as indicated on its interior portico, was built in 1699
A few dozen meters across the road is the ruined school of the village. Theo Papagoggas, born in Perithia in 1940, remembers 150 children in the primary school with 4 teachers. It was the time when more than 1200 people lived in the village. In the early 1960s, with the development of tourism on the island, people started to leave Perithia. And how could they stay anyway? Electricity only arrived here in 1979! A decade before man had conquered the moon!
Uncle Thodoros still remembers that the whole village used to get water from the Pano Well, on the road to Krinia. Only one pitcher, about 20 kilos, was enough for each family. There were two guards 24 hours a day who ensured the fair distribution of water.
-How many people live permanently in Old Perithia today?I ask him.
-Only a breeder, he replies.
THANKS
Thank you very much:
Hilary Pipeti (tel. 6934 396335 www.thecorfiotmagazine.com e-mail: corfiotm@otenet.gr) for hiking with her in the wonderful nature of Corfu.
The Irish writer John Waller for his wonderful book.
From Ano Korakiana, the historical researcher Kostas Apergis for his valuable book and information, as well as the commissioner Lefteris Ionas for his kind guided tours.
Theo Papagonga from Palea Perithia for his information.
Finally, from the bottom of our hearts we thank the Hatzimichalis families, Bambi, George, Victoria and Zeta. The hours of the Resurrection in the picturesque village of Doukades, the traditional obelias in the enchanting nature of the estate, Corfu and the total number of hours we spent together, can be considered as one of the happiest experiences of celebrating the holy days of Easter that we ever remember.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
-Α. Agoropoulou-Birbili, “Kerkyra, GREEK TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE”, published by “MELISSA”, ATHENS 1982
-Spyrou Katsarou, “Chronicles of the Corps”, VOLUME 2th, CORFU 1979
-Minetta H. Laskari, “Kerkyra, A glance through time 1204-1864”, publ. I.SIDERIS, ATHENS 1997
-Nikos Garnelis, “OLD SINES, THE LOST PARADISE”, ATHENS 2004
-Kostas Stam. Apergis. “CORACIANA, Pages from the 15thth to the 18thth century” CORFU 2007
-Marios Angelopoulos, “THE OLD CORPHIAN LANGUAGE”, ed. “THE GREEK LANGUAGE OF THE POPULAR LANGUAGE”, PUBLISHED BY “UPDATE”, CORFU 2008.
-Editor EXPLORER, “Kerkyra”, ATHENS 2005