Kanoni
Kanoni is a famous suburb of
Kerkyra (Corfu), located south of the Peninsula Paleopolis (Old Town), after
Garitsa, and five kilometers from the city center. The place was named in 1798,
when a French tactical artillery unit was stationed here. There is a cannon of
the artillery battery standing near the tourist pavilion, to which the whole
area owes its name “Kanoni”, which means a cannon.
The cannon stands on a small
square, which is, in fact, a viewing platform offering breathtaking views of
the Monastery Vlahernon located directly opposite and is connected to the
mainland by a cement pier, built in the 17th century.
Pontikonisi - "Mouse
Island"
You can reach a green rock
located at the entrance of the Halkiopulu lagoon by using one of the boats
moored at the marina of Vlahernon monastery. This is a tiny island Pontikonisi,
which translates from Greek as “Mouse Island”, named so due to its
“microscopic” dimension.
Any stay or walk in the island
is prohibited by the local authority in order to preserve the natural museum.
According to a legend,
Pontikonisi was a ship of Phaeacians which, after it delivered Odysseus to his
native Ithaka, turned into a tone (according to a myth, the ships of Phaeacians
had no rudders and were governed by mental instructions of their captains).
If we are to follow Homer, the
island represents the ship of Odysseus which was crashed during a raging storm
just off the island of Phaeacians. This was the last stop before Ithaka and the
ship was turned into a slab of rock by Poseidon.
The island has a small
Byzantine church built in honour of the Pantocrator (Christ the Creator of
All), dating from 11-12 centuries. The church is “hiding” behind thick bushes
of fir and pine trees.
Kanoni opens a stunning view,
which inspired Swiss artist Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901) to paint the picture
“Island of the Dead”, which received wide popularity among all his works. The
artist created five versions of this painting.
Kanoni as a place of unique beauty
Kanoni is regarded as the most
beautiful part of Corfu. It is a wonderful place for hiking, with all its
stunning panoramic views of the sea as it is situated in front of Pontikonisi.
It offers direct views on Perama and Halkiopulu lagoon, and also has an
unobstructed view of the runway of the airport “Ioannis Kapodistrias”.
It is very beautiful
throughout the entire day, especially during the sunset, when the blazing disk
of the sun is immersed into blue waters of the sea whilst its orange rays are
glowing in the sky.
Cosmopolitan suburb of Corfu
is located on the peninsula near most beautiful beaches. In addition, Kanoni has
many restaurants, cafes, bars, supermarkets and a variety of shops. There are
also a golf club, riding school, water park, casino and the summer palace of
Mon Repo with its beautiful park open to visitors – all located at the vicinity
of 10 kilometers.
However, Kanoni is not only a
place of magical beauty. It is also famous as a landmark of the island. Apart
from the legendary cannon, there is an ancient city of Corfu, which was founded
in the 8th century BC and the ancient Temple of Artemis.
Halkiopulu Lagoon
Kanoni connects with Perama by
a narrow bridge, which resulted in a lagoon, later called Halkiopulu Lagoon.
Residents and tourists of this place like to have a walk across the bridge as
it became one of the most famous destinations for residents and guests of
Corfu.
Despite the tourist
development of the region and expansion of the local airport, Halkiopulu Lagoon
remains an important wetland, which has rare species of migratory birds, such
as, for example, wild heron, which was in danger of extinction. There are
organized breeding and rearing of fish across 200 hectares of the lagoon.
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