Vlacherna Monastery and Pontikonisi

From the Kanoni terrace two islets sit in the lagoon: Vlacherna, a small seventeenth-century monastery joined to the shore by a narrow concrete causeway, and beyond it Pontikonisi, mouse island, a rock covered in cypress with a thirteenth-century chapel of Pantokrator among the trees. Legend identifies Pontikonisi with the Phaeacian ship that carried Odysseus home and was turned to stone by Poseidon. Small boats run across from Vlacherna in summer. The view from Kanoni is the classic Corfu postcard, though it now includes the airport runway, which crosses the lagoon behind, so aircraft land directly over the scene, a spectacle in itself. A causeway and a floating bridge link Kanoni to Perama across the lagoon for walkers.

The main sights

• Vlacherna monastery - a white chapel and cells on a causeway islet.
• Pontikonisi - the cypress-covered rock with its medieval chapel.
• The Kanoni terrace - the viewpoint over both islets and the lagoon.
• The landing aircraft - planes passing low over the lagoon into the airport.

When to go

Spring and autumn for light and fewer visitors; the site is busiest late morning when tour buses arrive. Sunset from Kanoni is popular. Boats to Pontikonisi run only in season.

What to expect

Aircraft noise is constant and close, which some find spoils the calm and others come specifically to watch. Vlacherna is tiny and can be seen in ten minutes. Pontikonisi's chapel is often closed even when the boat runs.

Nearby

Corfu Town is a short bus ride north; the Achilleion palace lies south.