Greece Guide
The Ionian Islands
Kefaloniá
Kefaloniá is the largest of the Ionian islands – a place that has real towns as well as resorts. Like its neighbours, Kefaloniá was overrun by Italians and Germans in World War II; the "handover" after Italy's capitulation in 1943 led to the massacre of over five thousand Italian troops on the island by invading German forces, as chronicled by Louis de Bernières in his novel, Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Virtually all of its towns and villages were levelled in the 1953 earthquake, and these masterpieces of Venetian architecture had been the one touch of elegance in a severe, mountainous landscape. Whether it was due to a feeling the island was thus difficult to market or due to their notorious insularity and eccentricity, the Kefalonians paid scant regard to tourism until the late 1980s.
There are definite attractions here, however, with some beaches as good as any in the Ionian islands, and a fine (if pricey) local wine, the dry white Robola. Mercifully, the anticipated "Corelli factor" did not lead to the island becoming either oversubscribed or over-expensive, despite some predictable theming. Moreover, the island seems able to soak up a lot of people without feeling at all crowded, and the magnificent scenery speaks for itself, the escarpments culminating in the 1632-metre bulk of Mount Énos, a national park.