
Ionian Islands
The islands were under European rule (Venetian, British etc) which is why architecture and the arts developed at a very different pace here and created distinct cultural traits.
The Ionian islands are scattered along the Western Greek coastline and are made up of the better known, bigger islands of Zakynthos (Zante), Itaca, Kerkyra (Corfu), Kefalonia, Lefkada and Paxi, as well as a number of smaller islands. The islands’ tall mountains were once part of the Pindos range on the mainland which is what accounts for how deep the water is here, the deepest in the Mediterranean in fact. The islands were under European rule (Venetian, British etc) when the rest of the country was part of the Ottoman empire, which is why architecture and the arts developed at a very different pace here and created distinct cultural traits. Film and television programmes like Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and The Durrells have shone a fresh light on this beautifully lush landscape, with its emerald waters and it seems Odysseus’s travels continue to inspire the thousands who choose this part of Greece for sailing holidays.