What is love? It is madness when reason no longer has power.”

Giacomo Girolamo Casanova

If you ask what Corfu has to do with this biggest heartthrob in history, I’ll tell you – absolutely.

There was no woman who could resist his charms… except for one…

And that story is related to the period of Casanova’s life on the island of Corfu.

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 Giacomo Casanova was born in Venice, studied law at the University of Padua, his parents were actors, and were not particularly rich, but the young man managed to win over the nobility of the time with his knowledge, eloquence, and intelligence. 

His knowledge of the world and his refined presentation charmed women. When he was not flirting, he wrote memoirs and traveled around Europe. The famous man, whose name has gone down in history as a synonym for lover, described his adventures in Corfu in his book “Histoire de ma vie” (The Story of My Life). An entire chapter of Book IV is devoted to the Corfu phase, divided into the following categories:

“Signora F. Pseudo-prince. My departure from Corfu. My nonsense in Kassiopi. I am imprisoned in Corfu. My speedy release and my triumph. My success with Signora F.

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Young Casanova’s first time in Corfu Town

Giacomo Casanova first visited  the Ionian island,  which was then still under the rule of the Republic of Venice, in the spring of 1741, while serving as a junior officer in the Venetian army. He was only 16 years old at the time, but his first visit was enough to make him return.

At one party, Giacomo got into a fight with a man, claiming that he was an impostor and a pseudo-prince. The man was actually a former prefect and ordered Casanova to be arrested. Casanova managed to escape, stole a boat and sailed along the coast of Corfu to the north. He stayed in the town of Kassiopi.

Kassiopi gathered a group of tailors to make him beautiful clothes, as he had left his own in Corfu. In his book, of course, he does not describe how he got the money to pay the tailors.

However, the authorities soon tracked down where Casanova was hiding, found him, and brought him back to Corfu Town.  

However, to Casanova’s relief, he was praised for exposing the con artist.

After staying on the island for a while, Casanova sailed to  Constantinople.

Second stay in Corfu.

In 1745, Casanova returned to Corfu.

In his book, he describes Signora F. This was Adriana Foscarini, the 17-year-old wife of Vincenzo Foscarini, a Venetian judge in Corfu. The love affair infuriated her husband. This time Casanova was arrested and imprisoned, but not for long. He moved again to Cassiopi, spent some time there, and then returned to Venice.

In his book, Casanova fondly and nostalgically recalls his time in Corfu and Kassiopi. Casanova adored Adriana so much that he led him to the craziest acts. Of course, Casanova was a gourmet (he writes about this in his book). The strangest thing Casanova ate…  was probably a bonbon made from Adriana Foscarini’s hair. He ordered the sweets from a confectioner in Corfu, flavored them with amber and vanilla, and kept them in a crystal box. 

By the way, in his book, Casanova provides us with valuable information about the life and history of the Ionian Islands in the 18th century. He mentions famous wine names of the time, such as Corfu Skopelitiko and the exquisite Pantokrator Muscat.

“I love women madly, but I always want to be free.”