“My Family and Other Animals”. Corfu opens Durrell's Trail

Tourism in Corfu would not be the same without Gerald Durrell 's novel My Family and Other Animals, written by the British naturalist who spent part of his childhood on the Greek island, between 1935 and 1939, with his family and from which that world best seller, both entertaining and instructive, was born. He and his older brother, Lawrence, immediately adored the pure beauty of the landscape of Corfu, then obviously without mass tourism, immediately passionately exploring the flora and fauna and coming into contact with the local people and characters. Decisive. Like Spiro Hakiaoupulos, also known as the Amerikanos , a close friend of the Durrells and the family's trusted guide (the personal taxi driver, helpful and accommodating, above all, towards Mrs Durrell, a key character in the story), whose great-grandchildren today, with an insider's perspective, propose the tourist and cultural experience "The Durrell Trail", an original tour to discover the island by sharing stories and places that bring Kerkyra, as Corfu is called in Greek, back to life in the pages of My Family and Other Animals , published in 1956.

An intuition that from paper has become a reality and a unique and beautiful experience to discover the Greek island, famous not only for the sea, but also for its old city, perhaps one of the most precious and well-preserved jewels of modern Greece, an example of ancient Byzantine and Venetian art with its alternation of intimate streets and wide panoramic views of the sea. “Gerry” (as little Gerald was called by everyone) narrates in a humorous way the life of the Durrell family on the island and describes as a “naturalist in the making” also the rich fauna present. It is Durrell’s first and most famous novel and is part of the Corfu trilogy, together with Birds, Beasts, and Relatives and The Garden of the Gods. Book in hand, then, bathing suit and hiking shoes to set off to discover Corfu by retracing the autobiographical account of the five years that the future naturalist Gerald Durrell , 10 years old at the beginning of the story, spent on the Ionian island with his family and other pets. Like Achilles the turtle, Quasimodo the pigeon, Ulysses the scops owl (a small nocturnal bird of prey), numerous spiders, Alecko the seagull, two little dogs named Pipì and Vomito, the mother's dog, called Dodo, Dodo and Vomito's puppy, and the common magpies called Garze.

The human comedy, in fact, is interspersed with descriptions of the animal life that Gerald observed on his expeditions around Corfu and in the various homes where the family lived with those little animals that he often collected and kept in the house.

The book is divided into three sections, one for each of the three villas where they lived and where the thematic itinerary passes. The family was made up of the widowed mother and her children: Lawrence, 23 years old; Leslie, 18 years old; Margo, 16 years old and, of course, Gerald, together with Roger, the dog. They were all fiercely and lovingly protected by their friend Spiro, the taxi driver, great-grandfather of the organizers of the new tour, and by their mentor, the encyclopedic Doctor Stephanides Theodore, who initiated Gerald into natural history. Other very eccentric characters are Gerry's private teachers, the artists and men of letters that Lawrence (called Larry), the eldest, invited to stay, and the local farmers who befriended the family.

Among the large houses where they lived during their stay in Corfu, the most beautiful in Venetian style was the so-called “Villa Daffodil -Yellow” in Kontokali where a wealthy local family currently lives. But from a good distance the house is clearly visible from the outside. The villa is four floors high and the perimeter of the premises is marked by a high wall and is surrounded by a small pine forest where various species of birds live. It was probably a property of a wealthy Venetian landowner who may have owned large plots of land around Kontokali where olive trees were grown (an excellent extra virgin olive oil of the Lianolia variety, meaning small olive, is produced on the island, cold-pressed and there are guided tours), one of the most beautiful residences left.

On the picturesque north-eastern coast of Corfu , here is the White House of Kalami, the former home of Lawrence Durrell, Gerald's older brother, and his wife Nancy. They lived here for three years and it was in this serene environment that Larry wrote some of his most significant works. After a refreshing coffee break admiring the breathtaking views of the Ionian that inspired him, visit Kanoni, where one of the most emblematic places of the island is located: the monastery of Lacherna and the island of the Mouse (Pontikonisi), near the lake of the Halikiopoulos family, whose natural beauty of this area particularly impressed the Durrells and is mentioned in several episodes in the book.

A special highlight of the tour is the visit to the old house of Spiro the Amerikanos , now the family travel agency. It is worth stopping to look at the original photographs from the 1930s which offer a unique insight into the Durrells' real experiences on the island and their lifelong friendship with the legendary taxi driver who played a crucial role in their story.

To end the trip in the Durrell style, between pastitsada (a local meat dish) and kumquat (a liqueur made from the exotic fruit of the same name, a citrus fruit that grows only on the island) here is the delicious Taverna Tripa in the picturesque village of Kinopiastes. This historic stop, known for its authentic Greek atmosphere, was a favorite place of Gerald Durrell and the grandfather of tour guides, Michael Hakiaoupoulos , where they spent many an evening and still offers traditional Greek food, wine and music.

Leaving the path of the novel, the island of Corfu offers many other situations, of land, sea, art that are worth the walk. An unforgettable experience is to spend hours in the most fascinating and ancient neighborhood of the old city: the Campiello made of very narrow alleys (in Greek “kantounia”) bordered by tall buildings buying local products in old cellars, attracted by the suggestive charm of a Venetian well, stone stairways, paved squares and hidden courtyards. Between Campiello to the north of the historic center and the Spilia neighborhood further south there is via Filellinon where the oldest building in the city is located at number 18, dating back to 1497. In particular, it is said that the balcony is the same as that of Romeo and Juliet.

Walking up and down the streets of old Corfu will seem like you are visiting a sort of open-air museum, but every now and then the blue glimpse of the sea that appears between one building and another reminds you that the old part is alive and not something artificial to enchant tourists. Finally, the Spianada of Corfu is a large green area that separates the city from the Fortress; its name is due to the complete absence of buildings. Created under Venetian rule when the buildings were demolished, obtaining a large firing area for the cannons of the Old Fortress and a better defense of the city. Today, part of the Spianada has been used as a parking lot and another as a park with trees, paths and benches, while further north the cricket field, introduced by the English during their period of occupation, is still looked after. Walking along the Esplanade you can admire statues and busts of Corfiot personalities such as D. Solomos, N. Mantzaro, N. Theotoki, a monument commemorating the Union of the Ionian Islands with Greece and the Rotunda, created in 1816 in memory of the Englishman Sir Thomas Maitland , the first Crown Delegate.

A significant memory also comes from the period in which the island was under French domination: along the western part of the Spianada stands one of the most fascinating buildings in the city, the Liston designed by the French engineer Lesseps who took the long and famous Rue de Rivoli in Paris as a model: an arcade full of restaurants and cafes, today the centre of social life for all Corfiots.