Corfu Old Perithia

Location: Kasiopi

Old Perithia (or Palea Perithia) is a ghost village on the northern side of Corfu, just 8 km from Kassiopi. Constructed on the slopes of Mount Pantokrator, at an altitude of 650 m, Old Perithia is a wonderful place to visit.

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The village was originally established in the 14th century, during the Byzantine times. Its location shows the need of people at that time to move from the coastal side and protect themselves from pirate and enemy attacks. Another issue that made people move to the mountainside was the diseases caused by mosquitoes on the coast. When piracy was confronted from the Mediterranean Sea in the late 19th century, some inhabitants started to gradually move to the coasts.

However, the main motif to leave the village was tourism which started to develop after the mid-20th century. Gradually inhabitants abandoned Perithia and moved to the coast. Just a few elderly eventually stayed back to take care of the houses and the livestock, and today only 4-5 old people live there all year round, making Old Perithia an abandoned village.

A walk around the village will impress visitors. Most houses and public buildings were built in the Venetian style. Today these houses are almost ruined, so visitors will see broken window shutters, rusted doors, crumbling stone walls, closed churches and gardens with broken flowerpots. Only in the central square of the village, there is some life due to the five taverns that work in Old Perithia.

Very impressive is also the fact that the village is surrounded by eight churches, showing the deep religious faith of the locals. At the entrance of the village, you can see the bell tower of Saint Jacob from Persia. The school building is also very elegant with the coat of arms of a local noble family at the entrance door. In fact, the school of Old Perithia worked till 1940.

To go there, visitors can take a bus tour or drive to Kassiopi and then follow the road to Loutses and Old Perithia.

How to get there

The Old Perithia is located in Kassiopi Village.

Private transfers: We recommend using an online pre-booked Corfu transfer service, which provides transfer by taxi, minibus, or private VIP car and arranging a pickup directly from the airport, port, or your hotel. Alternatively, there’s the option of arranging a pickup by a local driver directly at the following numbers: 0030 26610 39911, 0030 694 5452 338, 0030 697 3372 289, or booking your taxi online.

Car rental: Τhere’s the option of renting a car in Corfu and picking it up directly from the airport, port, or your hotel. Using a rental car allows visitors to discover Old Perithia and many other places of interest in Corfu at their own pace.

Public transport: The central bus station of the island is located at Corfu Town. There are several buses from Corfu Town to Kasiopi during the day. Consider that time schedules might change according to the season. Check the official timetables here.
Tip: Since buses don’t always stop at every scheduled stop of their itinerary, our advice to visitors is to inform the driver about their final destination so that he makes a stop there.