Apart from Paleopolis, the ancient Greek metropolis of the island which is an archaeological treasure, many later buildings show the cultural history of Corfu.
As there are so many of these monuments in Corfu, here we will try to describe the most important of them.
This was originally a natural promontory offering in its rocks protection for the residents of the 5th century AD when the ancient city of Corfu was moved here after the destruction of the ancient city by the Visigoths.
Converted into a fortress by the Byzantines in the 8th century AD and contained all of the small medieval town.
The rock was always further reinforced to protect the city from the numerous invasions of the Middle Ages, and gradually the town grew around it.
Later the Venetians, because of the Turkish threat, strengthened its fortifications, extended the bastions and dug the moat known as the kontra fossa separating the fortress from the land.
This way the Venetians created an impenetrable triple line of defense both by land and from the sea.
Inside the old fortress in 1840 the Doric church of St. George was built by the British as a garrison church.
Most buildings that were inside the fort have now been demolished but deserving attention is the central gate, the bastions of Savornian, Martinengo, and Mandraki, the towers of the land and the sea at the east, the English hospital and the English barracks, the clock tower and the lighthouse.
There is still a prison built in 1786 by the Venetians, which was later expanded by the British, the military chapel and the two English barracks in 1850.
The military hospital now houses the Music Department of Ionian University.
The fortress also contains the historical records of more than six centuries of history, the Byzantine collection of sculptures and images of the Byzantine era, and the public library.
At the entrance of the fortress on the upper Esplanade is the statue of Prussian Marshal Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg, built by the Venetians in his honor after he successfully repelled the Turkish invasion of 1716.
Today the fortress is a masterpiece of architecture and fortification art while offering visitors the best views of the city, its harbor, and over the sea to the mountains of Epirus.
Another example of the high capacity of Venetians in fortification, and an architectural marvel of art built by the Venetians and with physical labor of the inhabitants from 1576 until 1645.
Venetians due to the permanent threat of the Turks felt that it was necessary to complete the fortifications of the city which meanwhile had been extended far beyond the old fortress.
They started the construction of the new fortress on the hill of San Marcos extended south with walls and ramparts reaching the sea at Garitsa Bay, Corfu is now all within the walls, it was then that Corfu took the name Kastropolis.
To become a fortress, except the exhaustive work of the residents, 2,000 houses in particular where now stands the vast Esplanade square had to be demolished.
The reasons that this happened was not only to find building materials but primarily defensive, the Venetians wanted to create a large buffer zone between the old fortress and the city which would help better their defense plans.
Corfu has plenty of pristine, beautiful and vast beaches, most are crowded, although many peaceful and quiet beaches are not missing, especially those in small bays of the northeast coast.
In Corfu there are the endless long sandy beaches of the west coast and the tourist mainly pebble beaches at the eastern coast.
It is certain that the visitor has many options and can arrange to visit all or the best of them, for this purpose it is advisable to choose the place of residence to be close to all and Benitses is the ideal place for it.
If you stay in Benitses means that you have easy access to most of them.
By car, bus, or bike you need a 10-20 minutes drive to the best sandy beaches which are all well worth visiting, you will be amazed by their enormous size, the purity of the sand, the beauty and sudden changes in the landscape.
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