Old Fortress (Palaio Frourio)

The Old Fortress (Palaio Frourio) occupies a rocky peninsula on the eastern edge of Corfu Old Town in Kerkyra, Greece, cut off from the mainland by a man-made moat known as the Contrafossa. Its foundations are Byzantine, but the bulk of what visitors see was rebuilt by the Venetians in the 16th century to withstand Ottoman sieges, and later modified under French and British rule. Together with the New Fortress it forms part of the Old Town's UNESCO World Heritage listing. Entry is across a bridge from the Spianada, with the main gate leading into a sequence of vaulted passages, bastions and ramps. The fortress is divided into two summits. The lower level holds the former British garrison buildings, including the neoclassical Church of St George, built in the 1830s with a Doric portico and used by the garrison. A path climbs from here to the upper summit, topped by a lighthouse, where the view takes in the whole of Corfu Town, the Spianada, the red roofs of the Old Town and, on clear days, the mountains of Albania across the strait. The moat-side walls and the casemates give good photo angles, particularly the view back towards the Liston from the eastern ramparts. Visitors walk largely on stone ramps and steps, some of them uneven, so sturdy shoes matter. A typical visit lasts 1.5 to 2 hours, including time at the summit and in the small exhibition spaces, which sometimes host temporary shows. In summer the fortress is exposed to strong sun, so the cooler first hour after opening and the late afternoon are the best times, with the lighthouse terrace especially atmospheric at sunset. Midday brings cruise-ship groups and the hottest conditions, while winter weekdays are quiet. The site is open on a seasonal schedule with last entry 20 minutes before closing, and it closes on a handful of public holidays. A cafe and shaded benches near the entrance allow for a pause before or after the climb, and the site is a short, flat five-minute walk from the Liston.