One of the predominant landmarks of Corfu is the bay of Garitsa. Some say Odysseus himself once landed here, although others question whether Corfu is one and the same with Homer’s Scheria: the island of the Phaeacians and Odysseus’ last stop before his final destination of Ithaca. At the end of Alexandras Avenue – one of the most beautiful thoroughfares in Greece – and just adjacent to an affluent neighborhood of fine homes and tennis clubs, lies the working class district of Corfu. It has its own industrial history that long predates the age of tourism. Here if you sit at Agoris’s yellowed café for a cup of coffee or glass of tsipouro, you will hear some fascinating stories.

Alternatively, you can enjoy a breath of fresh air (known locally as “frescamento”) and happen across a quote from poet Lorentzos Mavilis in the park next to his home: “All young Greeks should come to Corfu to find the noble seed and cultivate authentic Greek philology.”

Away from the noisy tourist establishments, Campiello or the Old Town of Corfu (located near the Regional Administration building) is a joy to behold. Stroll through the winding cobbled alleyways or ‘kantounia’, where freshly laundered sheets hang between the buildings and breathe in scents of honeysuckle and jasmine. In the heart of the square in front of the church of Panagia Kremasti, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, have a rest by the old Venetian well built in 1669 and decorated with fine carvings.