The Old Fortress of Corfu Town.
This was built by the Venetians upon the remains of a Byzantine
castle and was completed in two stages. During the first period
(1400-1500) the Venetians strengthened the Byzantine walls and
dug the Contra Fossa moat, turning the promontory into an artificial
island accessed by a movable bridge. In more recent times the
Contra Fossa became notorious as the classic site of romantic
suicides.
The second period (16th- 18th centuries) began with the completion
of this work (1546-1588) and ended with the additions and alterations
made by the British.
Today two impressive bastions remain, which bear the names of
the Italian engineers Martinengo and Savorgnan, as well as later
British buildings and accretions, such as the church of St. George,
built in 1840 as a basilica with Doric columns. Most of the churches
and other buildings have however been destroyed, most important
amongst them the Palace of the Venetian Proveditore. |
