Eco Corfu
Corfu is a very powerful island. The nature is breathtakingly abundant, the whole island is covered in luscious olive groves, cypress trees and wild flowers everywhere you look! The landscape is very diverse, from the beautiful beaches and olive-covered hills and valleys to the mountain ranges of Pantokrator, Agii Deka and Agios Mattheos. There are uncountable beautiful views along any road or footpath you take. The main impression the island makes on visitors (and locals to be honest!) is that of a verdant, green island. You can read more on our pages about Corfu Nature.
The main reason for this orgiastic vegetation are the winter rains and the high humidity all year round. According to one of the oldest organic farmers on Corfu, this high humidity is the result of a very early “terra-forming” experiment carried out by humans! More precisely, in the 18th century, while Corfu was under Venetian rule, the Venetians lost many oil-producing Greek territories to the Ottomans. As Venice needed olive oil to light the lamps of its Empire, they subisdised Corfiots to plant and cultivate olive trees. Millions of olives were planted, displacing grapevines and other crops. As the olive trees are huge, this changed the microclimate of the island, causing more rains and humidity!
This huge natural legacy has been neglected and exploited for many years in the name of tourism and its profits. But the last decades the ecological conscience of many people on Corfu has been rising. There is an organic shop on Corfu, Oikozoi, run cooperatively by local organic farmers. There are also more and more places offering eco-holidays, such as Bioporos, Honigtal, Dancing Tree Farm and many others. Other issues where Corfu is running late but trying to catch up are recycling and green energy. Read more about these on our dedicated pages. And, last but not least, there are initiatives starting up that aim to take ecology to a higher level, implementing permaculture, eco-building, sustainable living and art, such as Artemis Grove.
In conclusion, it looks like Corfu is slowly but steadily becoming “Greener”!
Holistic Corfu
Another aspect of Corfu that makes it unique is its energy. There are different definitions of energy, here we are talking about healing, invigorating energy coming from the Earth and Nature, called prana, chi or orgone, the kind of energy we still can’t measure with our conventional science.
Corfu is located along an important ley line, the line of St Michael and Apollo, which runs from Skellig Michael, an island to the south-east of Ireland, through Mont St. Michel in France, La Sacra di San Michele in Piemont, Corfu, Delphi, Delos and ending at Mount Carmel in Israel. You may or may not believe in ley lines and invisible energies, the fact is that a lot of people on the island do.
Corfu, and especially Arillas in the north west, is a place where you can find all kinds of alternative healers. Homeopathy and acupuncture, reiki, massage and bodywork of all kinds, yoga, qi-gong, tai-chi, shiatsu, watsu, DNA activation, crystals, flower remedies, naturopathy and all kinds of energy healing sessions are offered on the island.
One more aspect currently emerging on Corfu is conscious nutrition. Many people are following a vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, dairy free or sugar-free diet. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are an integral part of Greek cuisine and you can get a vegan meal in all Greek restaurants. If your dietary requirements are more complicated, there are centers and restaurants in Arillas that can cater to all your needs. Drop us a line and we will come with suggestions!
Last but not least, there is music! There is a new vision on the world, that says we are nothing but vibration. Music is vibration and can act healingly in many cases. Some of the biggest names in the “spiritual” music scene spend some time on Corfu every season, many of them offering workshops or participating in festivals like Sound and Silence. We are talking about people like Deva Premal, Mirabai Ceiba, Estas Tonne, Satyaa and Pari and many others!
So, if you want to explore the green and holistic side of Corfu, you are at the right place!