Local History

The name Paleokastritsa literally means "Old Fortress" or "Old Castle" and indicates that there was once such a building on the rocky promontory where the present day Monastery stands. Originally the name Paleokastritsa referred only to the monastery and the surrounding area but the name now covers the whole resort as we know it today.

The original settlement of Paleokastritsa (Paleochora) was on the rocky outcrop that protects the marina. Excavations there have unearthed an ancient settlement, including four churches, some of whose foundations can still be seen, which is why many scholars believe that this area maybe the site of King Alcinous' fabulous palace from Homer's Odyssey.

Eventually, due to attack by seafaring enemies, the local inhabitants moved up into the hills and built the village of Lakone behind a rocky crag which hid its location from ground level. Paleokastritsa at this time was basically farm land and fishing grounds for the villagers. During the time of the Venetian occupancy the villagers in the area, like the whole of the island, were encouraged cultivate olive trees with payment dependent on the number of trees planted.

During Corfu's years as a British Protectorate, as well as leaving the recipe for ginger beer and giving us cricket, the British built a road to Paleokastritsa, thus paving the way for the first tourists. It became a popular visiting place for the Kaiser, the Greek royal family and famous politicians of the day (a sign at the "Bella Vista" vantage point proclaims these visitors) and the lobsters from Paleokastritsa Bay were so popular that the Greek royal family had them shipped to the mainland to be eaten when entertaining in their palace.

Over the years Paleokastritsa became popular with other types of travelers. Firstly it was the independent travellers that came to explore the unspoilt island of Corfu that was written about in the books of the Durrells and their compatriots and slowly over the years its popularity spread and it became a popular destination for many British package holiday makers which led to the creation of today's holiday resort. The first buildings were around Aghios Spiridon beach and many establishments in Paleokastritsa have old black and white photographs or etchings of the area, as it once was, proudly displayed on their walls. The good thing is that because of the geography of the area the development of the area is not that of the large complexes that are seen in many Mediterranean tourist resorts but instead small villa, apartment or studio accommodation that are set in their own private garden areas. Although the resort has several hotels these are quite small in size compared to many other resorts. The resort has also retained a Greek atmosphere (missing are the English bars, the fish and chip shops etc.) as it has never been a British only resort having visitors from most European countries.

The area also became a popular backdrop for many of the classic Greek films. Anyone who has a chance to watch old Greek Movies will have realized that many of these used the spectacular and varied scenery of Corfu to as the background to the action. Although most of these were filmed in and around Corfu Town many of them visit Paleokastritsa at some point in the story. This gives the viewer the chance to see how the area has changed as the films change from black and white to the more modern colour movies.

The James Bond Film “For Your Eye’s Only” also used Corfu for much of the movie and people familiar with Corfu scenery will be able to pinpoint where the action took place. The scene in the village with the local bus was filmed in Pagi to the north of Paleokastritsa. Similarly the car chase through the olive groves was filmed in the surrounding area.

In 1976 the BBC used Corfu as a back drop for the special edition of the series “Outside Edge”. During the course of the story the traveling cricket team paid a visit to Paleokastritsa.
Despite its size Paleokastritsa has produced its fair share of famous inhabitants. Of these the two best known are Nikos Kourkoulos, the famous Greek actor, was born in Makrades to the north of Paleokastritsa and has the new municipal amphitheatre is named in his honour. Vicky Leandros, whose real name is Vassiliki Papathanasiou, was born in 1949 in Paleokastritsa and went on to win the Eurovision Song Contest in 1972 representing Luxembourg.