Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ionian Islands Highlights
Explore world-class museums, fortresses, restaurants and Venetian, French and
British architecture in
Corfu Town
(
Click here
)
Hop from one gorgeous harbour to another in pastoral
Paxi
(
Click here
)
Treat yourself to top restaurants in Kefallonia's charming
Fiskardo
(
Click here
)
and striking
Assos
(
Click here
)
Learn to windsurf at
Vasiliki
(Lefkada;
Click here
) or kayak and cave in
Kefallo-
nia
(
Click here
)
Rank your favourite beaches, from the busiest on Corfu or Zakynthos to the
quieter joys of Paxi or
Lefkada's west coast
(
Click here
)
Walk the paths of Homer in
Ithaki
(
Click here
)
Discover the tiny villages, waterfalls and remote coves of
Kythira
(
Click here
)
History
The origin of the name 'Ionian' is obscure, but it's thought to derive from the goddess Io.
One of Zeus' paramours, Io fled the wrath of a jealous Hera, passing through the waters
now known as the Ionian Sea.
According to Homer, the islands were important during Mycenaean times, though only
tombs (no villages or palaces) have been unearthed.
By the 8th century BC, the islands were in the hands of mighty city-state Corinth. A
century later, Corfu staged a successful revolt. The Peloponnesian Wars (431-404 BC)
left Corfu as little more than a staging post for whoever happened to be controlling
Greece.
By the end of the 3rd century BC, the Romans ruled the Ionian region and, following
the decline of the empire, the islands suffered waves of invaders: the Byzantine Empire
(until the fall of Constantinople), Venice, Napoleon (in 1797), Russia (from 1799 to
1807), Napoleon again. In 1815, after Napoleon's downfall, the Ionians became a British
protectorate.
The British constructed roads, bridges, schools and hospitals, established trade links,
and developed agriculture and industry. But their rule was oppressive, nationalists
wanted independence, and by 1864 Britain relinquished the islands to Greece.
WWII was rough on the Ionians and the islands saw mass emigration, and again fol-
lowing devastating earthquakes in 1948 and 1953. By the 1960s foreign holidaymakers
were visiting in increasing numbers, and the tourist trade flourished.
