Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, fell in love with Corfu. She is recorded in the San Stefano visitors’ books, and her palace, the Achilleion, stands just 3 km from the house in the village of Gastouri.
A family connection
The Achilleion exists partly because of this family. The villa at Gastouri of Sir Peter Vraila-Armeni, one of the family’s ancestors, passed to the Empress, and it was there that she built the palace that is now one of the island’s best-known museums.
Following the Empress
- The Achilleion and its gardens, best seen early in the morning or on a private visit we can arrange with a guide.
- Gastouri village, which repays an afternoon’s wandering.
- Corfu Old Town, the Esplanade and the palaces of the British and Venetian eras.
- An evening on the balcony, where the Empress was once a guest.
German-speaking guests and heritage groups are very welcome; please ask about guided programmes.