Scattered along the western coast of Greece lie the islands which derive their name from the Ionian Greeks, their first colonizers. They were never subjected to Turkish rule and the graciousness and civilized formality of Venetian life still lingers on there. For British visitors the most interesting sights are the traces of the Protectorate which lasted half a century (1815--64), an interlude that also left its mark on these islands. Corfu and ZSkynthos are renowned for their fairytale setting; Levkas and Ithaca both claim Homer as their own. The small island of Meganisi is a rich digging ground for the amateur archeologist. Almost everyone in Cephallonia has a relative in the U.S., which makes American visitors especially welcome. Unfortunately, only Corfu escaped the devastating 1953 earthquake.
The experienced skin-diver will find the sea around these islands ideal ground for his activities and there is opportunity for the beginner to learn the finer points of this exhilarating sport at one of the holiday camps on Corfu. You can sail from island to island by the occasional local craft-the caique-and touch such out-of-the-way places as Kythira (Cythera), south of the Peloponnese.