The special village of Korakades, that dominates the hill with the wonderful sea view,
challenges us to travel back in time to the legends of South Corfu. Between Vasilatika,
the village of Petritis, but also very close to the coastal area of Boukari and a short
distance from the largest village of Argyrades, is Korakades.
One hundred and twenty one metres above sea level, the old village of Korakades in South Corfu, has pride of place on the hill and is reminiscent of a bygone era.
The names, the pirates and the life of the inhabitants
As with most villages, including this one, there are many names that have been given to
it. The original name of the village is Korakades, according to the Government Gazette
(Government Gazette) of 1652, while the names Petritina or Perotta appear in 1759.
Another of its names is the cape of Korakades which has been recorded in a book of 1943 by George A. Athanasainas.
However, according to popular tradition, it took its most prevalent and most common
name from the Crows, (Korakia in Greek), which nested on the hill, a name that
completes the association of the village with the times when pirates claimed pieces of
land. In the case of this particular village, according to legend, the Saracen pirates
founded a home.
The hill, on which the village is located, provided security against pirate coastal raids
and the elevated view from above gave good visibility to avoid attacks. The Saracen
pirates, chose to live a calmer way of life, the men predominantly engaged in fishing,
while women were mainly involved in agricultural work as farming was equally important
an activity to the inhabitants of the southern regions of Corfu.
The former pirates sold their fish in the surrounding villages and obtained their raw
materials from the land.
The years passed and the only thing that disturbed the quiet way of life of the inhabitants, were the forces of nature.
Landslides
About 40 years ago the settlement of Korakades suffered severe landslides. Most of the
residents were forced to relocate to their port, the seaside village of Petritis.
The village of Korakades today
Today, the few residents who remained in the village, despite the landslides, have
maintained their property, while importantly, in recent years moves have been made to
rebuild and create homes as well. It is worth wandering in the village, to admire the
beautiful old houses and the church that exists there and to let your gaze be lost in the
view of the sea from above.
Source
Pandis Porphyrios Odys. (1992) Notarial Deeds… and population data 1684 – 1991 of the prefecture of Corfu.
Pandis Porphyrios Odys. (1999) The evolution of the population of the prefecture of Corfu.
Athanasainas George A. (1943) History from the archives of the War. p.206
Kavvadias George K. (2017) From Korakades to Petriti, the beautiful seaside village of Korissia
Colleagues
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