# Campiello: The Oldest Quarter of Corfu Town > Campiello Corfu guide: history of the oldest quarter, the Kremasti well, Saint Nicholas of the Elders, the 1447 house, a walking route and practical tips. URL: https://theauthenticgreece.com/campiello-corfu/ Last updated: 2026-10-30 --- Campiello is the oldest quarter of Corfu Town outside the Old Fortress: a tight knot of high Venetian houses, stepped lanes and tiny squares on the low hill above the northern seafront. It has no ticket office and no single headline sight, which is exactly its appeal. Give it an unhurried hour or two, ideally early in the morning, and you will see the old town as it looked long before the cafés and souvenir shops arrived. ## Quick facts - **Where:** the northern part of Corfu Old Town, between the Spianada, the Old Port and the seafront road of Arseniou. - **Name:** from the Venetian word campiello, a small square. - **Time needed:** 1 to 2 hours on foot, longer with a museum stop. - **Best time:** early morning or late afternoon, when the lanes are quiet and the light falls between the houses. - **Good for:** slow walkers, photographers, anyone interested in architecture and church art. ## How Campiello began In the Middle Ages the town of Corfu lived inside the walls of the Old Fortress, on the double rock east of today’s Spianada. As the population grew, there was simply no room left, and people began building on the higher ground just to the west. This first settlement outside the citadel grew into Campiello, and for a long time it was the main residential district of the town while the fortress remained the seat of power. The hill already had a history. The island’s older Jewish community, the Greek speaking Romaniote Jews, had lived on this rise for generations, and Corfiots once called it Ovriovouni, the hill of the Jews. Later arrivals, including Jews expelled from Spain after 1492 and others from southern Italy, lived elsewhere in the town, and in the 17th century the Venetian authorities confined the community to a separate quarter further south, near the New Fortress. By then the Venetian name had taken over. A campo is an open field or square in Venetian, and a campiello is a small one, which suits a neighbourhood where every few steps the lanes open into a pocket sized piazza. ## What makes the quarter distinctive Space was always scarce here, so houses grew upwards instead of outwards. Many buildings rise four or five storeys over lanes barely wide enough for two people, and their facades in ochre, rose and faded yellow lean so close that neighbours could almost shake hands across the gap. Laundry strung between balconies, green wooden shutters, carved stone doorways and the occasional coat of arms over an entrance give Campiello a look that many visitors compare to old Naples or Venice. These narrow passages are the [kantounia of Corfu](https://theauthenticgreece.com/corfu-kantounia/), and in Campiello they are at their most intricate: some lanes end in staircases, some pass under houses through vaulted arches, and a few seem to lead nowhere until a small square appears around a corner. The district suffered in the German bombing of September 1943, which destroyed many houses in the old town, so you will notice some rebuilt plots and later facades among the older stone. ## Sights to look for ### Kremasti square and the Venetian well The most photographed corner of Campiello is the little two level square in front of the church of Panagia Kremasti, also known as Desylla square. At its centre stands an octagonal carved stone well, the Venetian well. Its inscription dates it to 1699, and it was paid for by Antonios Kokkinis, a member of a noble Corfiot family, and given to the community. Before running water, wells and cisterns like this were the centre of daily life in the quarter, where people drew water, met and exchanged news. The church itself is older than the well. Panagia Kremasti existed before the 16th century and was rebuilt in the late 17th century. Only part of its outer porch survives, and on the north wall you can make out raised geometric patterns in the plaster, a decorative technique borrowed from Italy. The name means the hanging Virgin, and local tradition links it to a lamp that once hung by the entrance, though the real origin is uncertain. ### Saint Nicholas of the Elders A few lanes away stands Agios Nikolaos ton Geronton, known in Venetian times as San Nicolo dei Vecchi. Its foundations go back to the 14th century and it reached its present form in the 17th. Until 1712 it served as the church of the Great Protopapas, the senior Orthodox priest of Corfu, at a time when Venice did not allow an Orthodox bishop on the island. According to tradition Ioannis Kapodistrias, who became the first governor of modern Greece, was baptised here in February 1776. Why the elders? One explanation is that the council of the town’s leading men once met here, another that it was simply the oldest church in the district. Inside, look for the stone iconostasis with icons of the 16th and 17th centuries, some attributed to the Cretan painter Emmanuel Tzanes. During the First World War the church was lent to the Serbian army, which had retreated to Corfu. Opening hours are irregular, so you may find it closed outside service times. ### The oldest house in the old town On the edge of the district, at 18 Filellinon Street, stands a two storey house that is often called the oldest in Corfu Town. A stone plaque by the entrance gives the date 1447. Look for the finely carved stone doorway with flowers around the heavy wooden door. The house survived earthquakes and the 1943 bombing and is still in everyday use, with flats upstairs and small shops on the ground floor, so admire it from the street. ### The Kokkinis arch On Navarchou Sofokli Dousmani Street, beside the building of the Corfu Reading Society, a vaulted passage lit by a skylight cuts beneath the houses. Corfiots call it the Kokkinis arch, after the same noble family that donated the Kremasti well. The Kokkinis name appears in the island’s Golden Book of nobility from the 15th century, and during Venetian rule a nearby street even carried the family name. ### Churches and museums on the edges Campiello is ringed by sights worth adding to your walk. Along the Arseniou seafront, the church of Panagia Antivouniotissa houses the Byzantine Museum, with a strong collection of post Byzantine icons. Further west, the Metropolitan Cathedral holds the relics of Saint Theodora, and the bell tower of Saint Spyridon church rises just to the south. From the Arseniou sea wall you look across to Vido island and the mountains of Epirus on the mainland. ## A suggested route 1. Start on the northern side of the Spianada near the Palace of St Michael and St George and walk up Kapodistriou Street towards the Reading Society and the Kokkinis arch. 2. Drop down to the Arseniou seafront for the view and the Byzantine Museum. 3. Turn back into the lanes and look for Saint Nicholas of the Elders. 4. Continue to Kremasti square and the Venetian well. 5. Wander west towards the Metropolitan Cathedral, then south past Filellinon Street towards Saint Spyridon. Do not worry about getting lost: the quarter is small, and any downhill lane brings you to the sea or the Spianada. This route links well with our longer [Corfu Town walking route](https://theauthenticgreece.com/corfu-town-walking-route/), and if you want the bigger picture of the period that built these houses, read our guide to medieval and Venetian Corfu. ## Practical tips - Go early. Before about 10:00 the lanes belong to residents, cats and delivery carts, and the light is best for photographs. - Campiello is a living neighbourhood. Keep your voice down, do not photograph people at their windows without asking and never block doorways. - Wear flat shoes with grip. The paving is old, uneven and slippery after rain. - Churches open mainly around services. Dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered, if you want to step inside. - Museum hours change by season. Check the current opening times of the Byzantine Museum before you plan around it. - For coffee, head to the edges of the quarter or to the [Liston and Spianada](https://theauthenticgreece.com/liston-and-spianada/), a few minutes away; inside Campiello there are only a handful of small cafés and tavernas. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Where is Campiello in Corfu Town? Campiello covers the northern part of the Old Town, on the low hill between the Spianada, the Old Port and the Arseniou seafront road. It is a few minutes’ walk from the Liston and Saint Spyridon church. ### What does Campiello mean? The name comes from Venetian: a campo is an open square and a campiello is a small one. It describes the tiny squares that open between the houses throughout the district. ### How long do you need to see Campiello? One to two hours is enough to wander the lanes and see Kremasti square, Saint Nicholas of the Elders and the seafront. Add an hour if you visit the Byzantine Museum at Antivouniotissa. ### Is Campiello worth visiting? Yes, if you enjoy architecture and atmosphere rather than big monuments. It is the best preserved and most authentic part of Corfu Old Town, and it is free to walk around. ### Which is the oldest house in Corfu Town? The house at 18 Filellinon Street, on the edge of Campiello, is usually described as the oldest. A plaque at its entrance gives the date 1447, and it is still lived in, so view it from the street. ## Frequently asked questions ### Where is Campiello in Corfu Town? Campiello covers the northern part of the Old Town, on the low hill between the Spianada, the Old Port and the Arseniou seafront road. It is a few minutes' walk from the Liston and Saint Spyridon church. ### What does Campiello mean? The name comes from Venetian: a campo is an open square and a campiello is a small one. It describes the tiny squares that open between the houses throughout the district. ### How long do you need to see Campiello? One to two hours is enough to wander the lanes and see Kremasti square, Saint Nicholas of the Elders and the seafront. Add an hour if you visit the Byzantine Museum at Antivouniotissa. ### Is Campiello worth visiting? Yes, if you enjoy architecture and atmosphere rather than big monuments. It is the best preserved and most authentic part of Corfu Old Town, and it is free to walk around. ### Which is the oldest house in Corfu Town? The house at 18 Filellinon Street, on the edge of Campiello, is usually described as the oldest. A plaque at its entrance gives the date 1447, and it is still lived in, so view it from the street.