A small village that is not included in tourist routes.

If you don’t want to drive far, but just around Corfu town, I suggest driving to the village of Sinarades. It’s only about 14 km from the city center, but it will make you feel like you’re in the distant past.

People lived in this area a thousand years ago, back in Byzantine times, the first inhabitants were probably from southern Italy, the village even got its name from the old Byzantine noble family Sinares. Later the village was abandoned (the inhabitants moved to the city), It was revived in the 17th century, when refugees from the island of Crete settled here.

Why is it worth visiting? This is one of the traditional mountain villages that has preserved its old architecture: stone houses, Byzantine-style ochre roof tiles, small doors with relief marbles, stone stairs that end in a veranda (they were called “bonjo”) and, of course, arches on the first floor of the house. Another distinctive feature of Sinarades architecture is the very dense arrangement of houses, one next to the other.

There are 12 churches here, it is worth visiting Agios Nikolaos and Agios Spyridon. There you will see impressive church organs brought from Italy. 

Visit the folklore museum, located in a traditional house (be careful climbing the stairs to the museum, as they are exactly as they were a couple of hundred years ago), where visitors can admire the furnishings of an 18th-century village house. 

Cost: 3 EUR, open until 2 p.m. http://laografikomouseiosinaradon.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_17.html

At the beginning of the village you will pass the Vasilakis mansion (orange brick). It is said that the Vasilakis family lived at the beginning of the 20th century and was once the poorest in the village. One day a woman was washing clothes in the stream and found an old box. When she opened it, she saw a pile of money stuffed inside… Their mansion was built in the 1940s and is one of the most impressive in the town. By the way, Vasilakis probably came up with the legend himself that the house is inhabited by ghosts and the evil spirit Moras, who eats anyone who enters it unwanted…

And another impressive sight in Sinarades (maybe a kilometer from the town center) is the Aerostat. It is a large observation deck from which you can see the resort of Agios Gordios.

On the way to Aerostat, you can stop by the Gramena winery, they plan to open to visitors after Easter.

Tastings are held here, if anyone wishes, they should book in advance. https://grammenosfamily-wines.com/

You can have lunch or dinner in Sinarades at the Archontariki tavern, which is open all day from 11 a.m. The food there is really traditional and good. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1191150-d4507715-Reviews-Taverna_Archontariki-Sinarades_Corfu_Ionian_Islands.html

And for a snack or some good wine, ouzo and meze – I recommend stopping by and taking a break at the traditional shop-cafe KLIMATARIA (just like in the old days – shop, coffee, tsipouro, wine, ouzo, and locals sitting at the tables).  

You can see more photos of Sinarades here:  

A couple more kilometers and you can watch the sunset in Pelek, the seat of the Kaiser .