New Fortress (Neo Frourio)

The New Fortress (Neo Frourio) stands on St Mark's Hill on the western side of Corfu Old Town in Kerkyra, Greece, close to the Old Port. The Venetians built it in the 1570s after the Ottoman siege of 1537 exposed the weakness of the town's western approaches, and it was later extended by the French and the British. Its heavy bastions, ramparts and vaulted interior spaces form part of the UNESCO-listed Old Town. Visitors enter through a gate on the Solomou Street side and move through a network of tunnels, covered galleries and storerooms that give a sense of how the garrison once lived and stored supplies. Several rooms are used for temporary exhibitions, while the stone corridors are cool even on hot days. The highlight is the upper terrace and bastion tops, which look over the Old Port, the harbour boats, the rooftops and bell towers of the Old Town, and across the water to the Albanian mountains. The western exposure makes the terrace a very good place for late-afternoon and sunset photography, with warm light on the town's pastel facades and the Old Fortress visible in the distance. A visit typically lasts about an hour. The site is smaller and quieter than the Old Fortress, and crowds are generally light apart from the hours when cruise passengers pass through in the middle of the day. It opens seasonally and, according to the Hellenic Heritage listing, is closed to visitors in the winter months, so checking the current schedule before travelling is wise. Last entry is 20 minutes before closing. Paths include uneven stone floors, short ramps and steps, and a few low walls at the edges of the bastions. The fortress is a five-minute walk from the Old Port and about ten minutes from the Liston, making it simple to pair with the nearby Byzantine Museum of Antivouniotissa and the lanes of the Old Town.