Lefkimi river<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLefkimmi is built around the river that flows out near the Lefkimi port and is one of the oldest villages of Corfu.<\/p>\n
It is located in the southernmost part of the island, about 40 km far from the airport of Corfu.<\/p>\n
Its name was used in the 11th century by the Andegavs to name the entire area of southern Corfu.<\/p>\n
Until about 1980 it was the most neglected town of Corfu with dirt roads, old houses, and a sense of misery since it was almost the poorest area of the island.<\/p>\n
But these are a thing of the past because, after 1980, vertical development began with the construction of the ring road that bypasses the city and ends at the port.<\/p>\n
The large port of Lefkimmi is today the second largest port of Corfu. With a daily ferry service to the port of Igoumenitsa on the opposite mainland coast, the cost of the ferry is less than that of the port of Corfu and this may be of interest to those who want to travel cheaper.<\/p>\n
So today Lefkimi is a modern city, the second in Corfu after the capital, while the old streets have grown in size and quality and the houses have been renovated.<\/p>\n
There are narrow streets full of mansions and country houses as well as rooms for rent although the town has no tourist activities.<\/p>\n
Lefkimi has many interesting Italian-style churches located in the upper town.<\/p>\n
Very close by are also the salt pans that until a few years ago produced salt, today they are closed and the old buildings have become a wildlife refuge, where flamingos, egrets, and many migratory birds can be seen.<\/p>\n
The sea in the salt flats is impressively very shallow, warm, and sandy, even for kilometers away from the shore, so it becomes ideal for children.<\/p>\n
Historical detail: Lefkimmi was the scene of a daring rescue operation in World War 2 when a Lancaster bomber crashed. Some locals rescued the crew, hid them, and then drove them to Kontokali where they were picked up by a British submarine.<\/p>\n
In brief<\/h2>\n
In this short list, we certainly can’t cover all the beautiful traditional villages of Corfu, maybe we did an injustice to some that are missing from our list.<\/p>\n
We certainly missed many large, small, picturesque, or traditional villages of the northern and middle parts of Corfu. For instance, some of them are Avliotes, Karousades, Agros, Doukades, Upper and Lower Korakiana, Sokraki, Spartilas, Gastouri, Koinopiastes, and many many more. None of them is touristry and their inhabitants survive by agriculture and stock raising.<\/p>\n
So, the choice was very difficult, after all, Corfu has more than 200 villages, most of them unknown to tourists. Our objective is to encourage you to leave the beaches and crowded tourist places for a while and try to get to know the real Corfu.<\/p>\n
In the atmosphere of Corfu’s unique villages, the\u00a0turbulent history<\/a>, and the traditions and influences are still very much alive.
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