Most readers of Gerald and Lawrence Durrell’s books on Corfu feel the urge to visit the island – I know I did. The brothers wrote very differently about their youthful experiences, but their influence in attracting people to Corfu is strong.

Lawrence’s books about Greece were both factual (well, almost) and amusing. Prospero’s Cell is set in Corfu and Reflections on a Marine Venus describes Durrell’s stay on Rhodes. Gerald Durrell wrote almost exclusively about his obsession for animals in any shape or form and it is his most famous book, My Family and other Animals, which has retained the most devoted audience – in fact the book was made into a popular television series.

Today the Durrells are still fondly remembered; Corfu resident Hilary Whitton Paipeti has written a guide to locations in their autobiographies, In the footsteps of Lawrence and Gerald Durrell in Corfu, and there are walks that trace their path on the island.

Flying in to Corfu now, there are those that may be saddened by the built-up resorts on Corfu’s shores, but there are still lovely and tranquil places to be found. These are mainly in the west and northwest of the island, where it is still the Corfu familiar to readers of the Durrell brothers.

If you are thinking of buying property on the island, the English are always welcome on Corfu. Indeed, the game of cricket is still played on the island, a throw-back to the fact that Corfu was a British protectorate in the early 19th century, so you will feel very much at home!

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