Pontikonisi Island - details and images

Pontikonisi Island, despite the fact that it is uninhabited, is among the most popular tourist attractions of Corfu. Few places in Greece have been photographed so extensively as this little piece of land, located near Kanoni Peninsula, about 5 km away from Corfu town center. Visiting this island is included in most programs and pilgrimage trips to Corfu.

This island, whose name in Greek means "Island Sun", is covered with Mediterranean vegetation abundance. Steps stone staircase that starts from the island, viewed from the outside, giving the impression of a sun tail. Hence the name of the island. The highest natural point of it is only 2 m altitude above sea level.

According to mythology, when Ulysses traveled to Corfu was cured by nausea, daughter of Alkinoos that after he did well in her father's palace, he gave a vessel to take him back to Ithaca. They say this so hard to angry Poseidon, that the petrified ship, which became a small island in the Gulf Paliokastritsa, where the palace of Alkinoos. This mythological story would be the basis of developing small islands Pontikonisi. However, its existence is recorded in all the old maps.

Pontikonisi Island is known for its Byzantine church that houses that was built in XI-XII centuries. The small Byzantine church dedicated to the Transfiguration, is cross-shaped plan registered with the dome.

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