Gastouri
Gastouri is a very beautiful, picturesque village at a distance of twelve kilometers from the city of Corfu, built on a verdant landscape, amongst olive groves, on the slopes of the mountain of Agioi Deka. It is not by chance that the Empress of Austria, Sissy, chose Gastouri in 1889 in order to build her palace, the famous Achillion which is one of the most significant and popular sights of the island.
Gastouri is full of mansions and summer houses dating back to the 18th and 19th century with coats of arms, verandahs, elaborate, characteristic doors and well-groomed yards. Such is the summer house of the Bulgari family, which is probably the most significant family in Corfu, whose members were politicians, scholars and teachers of the genus such as Evgenios Bulgaris. This mansion dates back to 1751. It was in Gastouri that the first philharmonic of the countryside of Corfu was established in 1898.
One of the sights of the village is the perennial plane-tree and the arched reservoir of the source, which belonged to the empress Sissy, located in the district Pachatika. The Achillion is also connected to the Kaiser’s Bridge. A bridge made of stone, which connected the palace to the sea that you will see on the road between Perama and Benitses. Only a part of the bridge has been saved.
Naturally, the existence of the Achillion attracts many tourists to Gastouri. You will find quite a few hotels and rooms you can rent, many touristy shops and also taverns, coffee shops and small bars inside the settlement as well as on the slope of the hill with a view of the sea.
