For all registered participants and their companions, we are organizing a guided excursion on Wednesday June 8, 2016 in the afternoon. The excursion will start by visiting the Old Town of Corfu and will resume by visiting the Achilleion Palace located 10km south of the city of Corfu. The buses will depart from the site of the conference at 4:00 pm and at the end of the excursion the buses will return to the conference site (Corfu holiday Palace) and then to the city, at the point where the boats depart for the Vido island (where the dinner will take place).

People interested in participating in the excursion please sign up in the registration form.

The Old Town

The ensemble of the fortifications and the Old Town of Corfu is located in a strategic location at the entrance to the Adriatic Sea. Historically, its roots go back to the 8th century BC and to the Byzantine period. It has thus been subject to various influences and a mix of different peoples. From the 15th century, Corfu was under Venetian rule for some four centuries, then passing to French, British and Greek governments. At various occasions, it had to defend the Venetian maritime empire against the Ottoman army. Corfu was a well thought of example of fortification engineering, designed by the architect Sanmicheli, and it proved its worth through practical warfare. Corfu has its specific identity, which is reflected in the design of its system of fortification and in its neo-classical building stock. As such, it can be placed alongside other major Mediterranean fortified port cities. The Old Town of Corfu is listed as an UNESCO world heritage site.

The Achilleion Palace

Following the national road Corfu – Achilleion and turning left at Ponti, the twisting road ascends through the olive groves to the village of Agios Deka, and finally arriving in the village of Gastouri, where at the end of the road the visitor can find the iron gates of the Achilleion Palace. The Palace is located on a hilltop location  providing a panoramic view of Corfu city to the north and the whole southern part of the island.

The palace was inhabited by two figures from European history whose only common bond was their adoration for Corfu, Greece and its culture, Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Kaiser William II of Germany.

Empress Elisabeth built the palace to escape the tragedies of her life, and William II purchased it after her untimely death.

During the First and Second World War the palace was abandoned and inevitably pillaged by the invaders. After years of rebuilding and restoration, the palace was finally restored to its former beauty.

More info about the Achilleion Palace can be found at: Achilleion Wiki

and the Achilleion Palace museum: Achilleion Museum Site