Corfu is the perfect place for a walking holiday, safe, interesting, with walks of all grades. Several good guidebooks and maps exist and the opening of the "Corfu Trail" has helped to encourage local communities to re-open and mark their own old footpaths. Walking opens the way to seeing the Corfu of the past as well as the present.
Golf
Corfu’s beautiful course (18-hole) has been praised by many as one of Golf’s best kept secrets in Europe. It was designed by the famous golf architect Donald Harradine in such a way that it is as enjoyable for the scratch player as it is for the handicap one. A modern irrigation system keeps the course in perfect condition at all times. The turf is very good and easy to walk on and every hole provides infinite variety-and its own problems. The course is open 7 days a week, the staff is on hand at all times to give lessons and make visitors feel welcome.
Facilities: bar, lounge with Sat TV, restaurant, lockers, changing room and shop.
Botanical Tours
The mild Mediterranean climate in combination with the high rainfall and high humidity are responsible for Corfu's rich vegetation. Although the island blooms all year round, the ideal period for a visit by botany groups is spring, when a multi-coloured carpet of wild flowers covers the island. A stroll along narrow, ancient footpaths, through valleys and along hill slopes, takes the breath away with the variety of flowers, including no less than 36 species of rare orchid, recorded on Corfu island alone.
Bird Watching
With its great variety of vegetation and landscape, Corfu is home to about 150 species of birds, both native and migrant. Species like the great white egret, the pygmy cormorant, the spoonbill and kingfishers can be found in Corfu's wetlands. Daily excursions are available for bird watchers utilizing the network of ancient mule paths that traverse the countryside.
Mountain Biking
Mountain biking is the most exciting way to discover Corfu's unspoiled beauty. A single day's cycling trip off the main roads, following tracks that are used by light local traffic only, can provide a safe, enjoyable and interesting way of discovering Corfu's exquisite countryside and villages.
The variety of tracks varies from the challenging routes of Mount Pantokrator to the less strenuous routes of central Corfu's lowland area.
Scuba Diving
Corfu's geographical position between East and West, its varied coastline with small bays and the blue-green crystal clear water, is ideal for scuba diving and snorkelling. Since Corfu was once on major trade routes, there are numerous scattered sea wrecks that are under the jurisdiction of port authorities. The extensive reefs that stretch along most of the southwest shores of the island are a unique phenomenon.
For beginners a special one-day "Introduction to diving" will be the highlight of their holidays, completely safe, totally enjoyable.
Gastronomy
Corfu's cuisine is typically Mediterranean, using ingredients like olive oil, pulses, pasta, vegetables, but differs from the rest of Greece's cuisine due to the influence of Venetian customs that have survived over the years.
Special dishes like Pastitsada, Sofrito, Bourdetto and Bianco are the specialties at all local restaurants.
Painting - Engraving
A number of great painters, who lived and worked in the Ionian islands, were responsible for the foundation of the Ionian School, a school that was far-removed from the traditional concept of ecclesiastical painting and which created for the first time in Greece an artistic style influenced by the Renaissance and Baroque movements.
In 1811 Paul Proussalentis founded a school that was the first School of Fine Arts in Greece. His contribution created new conditions for art education in the Ionian Islands. Portraits, compositions, religious paintings and landscapes were the main sources of inspiration for the artists who, apart from using traditional materials and techniques, experimented in watercolour and engraving too. A watercolour school still exists, with famous artists such as A. Kontis as pioneers. Zavitsianos and Koyevinas are among the foremost exponents of the art of engraving in Greece.
Today important artists continue to live and work in Corfu, who are inspired by tradition or create with new aesthetic criteria, following international trends, expressing their anxieties and their emotions in the modern artistic world. Small groups of artists can be organized according to your needs.
Grand Sea Services has started a friendly collaboration with art universities from the US, sending students to Greece, in a 10 day tour, producing paintings based on the Greek tradition and natural beauty.
Music
The music of the Ionian, largely based on ancient Cretan influences, changed completely under the influence of opera, which arrived from Europe to great success. The San Giacomo Theatre in Corfu, which was built at the end of the 17lh century and began to host dramatic performances from 1733, gave to its audiences the first known opera written by a Greek composer (the musical farce: "The confused lovers"). The 20th century began with the opening of the Public Theatre (1902) that eventually replaced the one doomed to be destroyed by bombing during WWII, the San Giacomo Theatre.
During this century many Philharmonic societies came into being, specializing in band music, as well as choral music and Mandolin groups. In addition a number of public and private conservatories were opened and during the last decade of the 20th century the department of Music Studies at the Ionian University was founded. At the same time Corfu experienced a renaissance in musical creativity and the number of Philharmonic societies on the island rose to 18. Every year musical events and Philharmonic meetings are organized, many of them with our support.
