The Grand Lady of the Ionian, is characterized  by a series of mythical images: Nausica, the daughter of King Alkinoos, the man who saved Odysseus when he was shipwrecked in the Country of Phaeacians, Sissi, the Empress of Austria and the Achilleion palace she built; the majestic Mon Repos, the 19thcentury summer residence built for the British High Commissioner and  the Kaiser’s Observatory, from where Wilhelm II looked out upon the iridescent Ionian. Venetians, English, French, Russians, Greeks  all lived and flourished here, and left their mark  on the island’s numerous sights and attractions. Unesco has declared the island’s historic centre a world heritage site. The stately buildings with neoclassical influences will dazzle you. In the famous alleyways of Campiello, with washing lines hanging above you, and in the opulent hotels, you will feel like a star in a period movie. Corfu – or Kerkyra as it is known in Greek – will certainly seduce you.