Anyone who enjoys to see and to be seen while on holiday on the lush island of Corfu should make sure they take some time out and make their appearance felt along the fashionable cafe miles of Liston in downtown Corfu. It is a mixture of beautiful Italianate architecture, with arched colonnade lined with classical yet trendy cafes on the one side, and an English-sque Esplanade, with cricket grounds and an English style summer pavilion on the other side. This is probably the only place in Greece where you get to see a cricket ground in close proximity to rows of stylish cafes under the shades of tree canopy.
No visit to Corfu Town is complete without a sojourn at one of the cafes along the Liston. It is a popular hangout place for both the tourists and the locals. On a sunny day, the outdoor seatings under the tree canopy next to the cricket ground are full of smartly-dressed locals and casually dressed tourists sipping their coffee and other beverages while admiring the beautiful surroundings of this exceptional town.
I chose to have my afternoon latte at the aptly named Cafe Liston, which serves illy caffe under its arched colonnade with a good view of the Liston. It is always fun to be in this part of the Corfu Town, to observe the going-ons amongst the passer-bys while sipping your coffee in the comfort of your armed chair. Personally I feel a great sense of attachment to cafes in Corfu Town, because they still possess a lot of characters in spite of Corfu Town's status as a UNESCO World Heritage City and a place which sees millions of tourists every year. In other places with similar status, prices for food and drinks in such prestigious downtown settings would have already spiked out of control beyond affordability - just take a look at any cafes at Venice's Piazza San Marco or along the Left Bank of the Seine in Paris, where a cup of espresso and a small crossiant or pastry would cost you a fortune simply because they allowed you the 'privilege' to sit down at the place where one of those literary greats used to wine, dine and write. While most people seen at the cafes on Piazza San Marco are tourists armed with multiple cameras and expensive designer bags, at least a huge proportion of customers seen enjoying their coffee along the cafes of Liston in Corfu Town are local residents, and prices in this part of Corfu Town have remained modest and reasonable by European standards - 3 euros for an illy cappuccino is even cheaper than what you paid at many Starbucks anywhere in the world.
It is a good place to engage in people watching, and to get a taste of how local youths and students dress themselves and behave in public if you are interested in this. Otherwise, just sit back, relax, and enjoy your coffee surrounded by beautiful classical buildings and an elegant atmosphere.
Alongside an exclusive cluster of cities renown for its sophisticated coffee culture, such as Trieste, Turin and Thessaloniki, Corfu Town is amongst one of the few places in Europe with such a high concentration of quality and affordable cafes all within walking distance to one another. And Corfu Town's privileged location on the strikingly beautiful Ionian Sea, with its gorgeous seaviews and the picturesque fortress-castles, makes this place all the more alluring for a cup of afternoon latte. Just like its understated counterpart of Trieste on the Adriatic coast, there is almost everything you need in Corfu Town to make the coffee experience all the more genuine and enjoyable: lots of bright blue sky, warm sunny clime, beautiful open sea, a laid-back yet exceedingly elegant mindset, and a taste and appreciation for everything that is nice and beautiful in life.
Copyrights@2012. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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