The legend says that Paxi was formed when Poseidon hit Corfu with his trident, which caused its southern tip to come off and form this small island.
After this, Paxi become his favourite refugee, because there he could hide his secret romance with the nymph Amphytrite.
When it comes to real history, the island of Paxi has been inhabited from the prehistoric times, in spite of its small size. It is believed that the first settlers |
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During these centuries, Paxi suffered repeated pirate attacks, which resulted in kidnapping residents, selling them as slaves and stealing goods.
In the 13th century, Paxi was conquered by the Venetians, who ruled for about 400 years.
The traces of their influence remain until today. There are some churches and ruins of oil presses that date from that period. In fact, the Venetians started an extensive program of
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In 1821, the residents took part in the Greek War of Independence, but it was only in 1864 when the Ionian islands, and Paxi in particular, were united to Greece. In 1922, the island received many refugees, after the destruction of Asia Minor.
During the Second World War, the Ionian Islands were under the Italian control but the oil trade gave prosperity to the people and saved them from the difficult situations that other Greek places were going through. |
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