Ionian Islands - Isole Ionie

Ionian Islands

Location
State	Greece
Capital	Corfu
Surface	2,307 km²
Inhabitants	207.855 (2011)
Institutional website

The Ionian islands constitute a group of islands Greek in the Ionian Sea. Administratively they constitute a region with a capital Corfu. The island of Kythira depends on the prefecture of Piraeus.

To know

Geographical notes

They are mostly mountainous islands.

When to go

They have a hot and humid climate.

Background

The historical region of the Ionian islands was made up of seven major islands (and the surrounding islets), which formed the so-called "Eptaneso", that is "Seven Islands" (Greek language: Επτάνησα, Heptanēsa, or Επτάνησος, Heptanēsos). From north to south, they are: Corfu (Κέρκυρα), Step (Paxos or Paxi, Παξοί), Lefkada (Lefkada or Santa Maura, Λευκάδα), Ithaca (Ιθάκη), Kefalonia (Κεφαλλονιά), Zakynthos (Ζάκυνθος), Kythira (Κύθηρα).

Territories and tourist destinations

The major Ionian islands are

Corfu - The island of Feaci is one of the major destinations of European tourism. To the tourists from Western Europe, to be honest a little tired of its charm, enthusiastic hordes from Eastern Europe have joined.
Island of Passo (Paxo) - Although small, it absorbs a large number of tourists, being very pretty.
Lefkada - Mountainous island linked to the name of the poet Sappho who committed suicide here.
Kefalonia - A very large and very varied island with a booming tourism in its numerous seaside resorts.
Ithaca - The island of Ulysses, separated from Kefalonia from a narrow arm of the sea.
Zakynthos - The island where Ugo Foscolo was born who celebrated it in a sonnet of yearning nostalgia that we all learned at school.
Kythira (or Kythera) - Island where, according to legend, Venus was born. It is included in the group mainly for historical reasons but geographically it is part of the Peloponnese.

The islands or smaller groups are

Aerial view of the island of Skorpios

Antipasso (Antipaxos) - An islet just south ofIsland of Passo. A paradise for those who love to get away from the world.
Tilevoides Islands - This strange name indicates a group of smaller islands between Lefkada and the mainland. The group includes the island of Skorpios, linked to the splendor of Jacqueline Kennedy who spent long holidays there at the time of her marriage with the shipowner Aristotle Onassis. The island with the greatest tourist flow is that of Meganisi
Echinades - Group of islets between the mainland (Astakos) is Ithaca, all uninhabited and often privately owned. They are only accessible by boat. Atokos is an uninhabited islet in the Ionian Sea, between Ithaca and the mainland. It is a private island and belongs to the owner Panaghiotis Tsakòs. There was a plan to make this small island a first-rate "resort" but it failed as the owner refused to sell it. Yachtsmen will still be able to enjoy the magnificent beach of "Kavourotrypes" (literally: "the crab holes"), away from annoying glances.

Urban centers

Argostoli - The capital of Kefalonia is a pretty provincial town, nestled on the banks of a lagoon.
Corfu - Regional capital, Corfu is the only center of the Ionian islands to be able to boast the title of city. In fact, there are many testimonies left by the Venetian, French and British rulers. In 2007 its historic center was included in the list UNESCO of the World Heritage Sites.
Zakynthos - Capital of the homonymous island.

How to get

How to get around

On boat

Skip (hopping) from one island to another is feasible even if not always easy because hydrofoils do not allow you to carry your car or two-wheeler with you. Here are some indications.

From / to Corfu
- TO Island of Passo with motor ships (only passengers, no cars) of the company Ionian Cruises.
- TO Sami (Kefalonia) embarking on the ships of the Agoudimos coming from Bari.

From / to Kefalonia
- TO Zakynthos embarking at the small port of Pessada.
- TO Lefkada with a hydrofoil service active on the route Nydri-Fiskardo is Basilikì-Fiskardo calling at Frikes (Ithaca)
- TO Ithaca with the ferries of Strintzis coming from Patras and making a stopover a Sami

What see

Corfu Old Town
Mon Repos - The villa where Philip of Edinburgh, consort of Queen Elizabeth II, was born.
Achilleion - The villa that belonged to Empress Elizabeth II, better known as "Sissi".
Castle of San Giorgio - In Kefalonia in the Leivatho area it was the seat of the governor and the Venetian garrison until 1757. It cannot be visited inside but from the top of the hill on which it stands you can enjoy an exceptional panorama from Zakynthos to the coast ofElis