Vidos Island The small, wooded isle of Vidos lies just half a mile from Corfu Town's Old Port, and offers a wonderful panoramic view across the water to the city and its historic buildings. Vidos Island had always been a strategic point in Corfu's defences, and following the departure of the Venetians, it was fortified by the French. The last foreign power in Corfu was the British, who turned Vidos into an almost impenetrable fortress, before destroying their own and all the previous fortifications on their departure. They also demolished the church of Agios Stefanos, which had been built by the Saints Jason and Sosipatros. A final chapter in Vidos' island history came during the First World War when the island served served as a quarantine hospital for sick Serbian soldiers who had arrived in Corfu following the epic retreat of the Serbian army and part of the civilian population through Montenegro and Albania in 1915. While the main camps of the recuperating army were on the Corfu itself the sick and dying, mostly soldiers were treated on Vidos to prevent epidemics. In spite of Allied material help, the conditions of both the improvised medical facilities and many of the patients on the island resulted in high fatality rate. Due to size of the island and its rocky soil it was necessary to bury the dead in the sea off Vidos. A monument of thanks to the Greek Nation was erected by the grateful Serbs in 1930s. The waters around Vidos are known by the Serbian people as the Blue Sea Tomb after a poem written by Milutin Bojić after World War I. There is a regular boat service to Vidos which leaves Corfu Town (Old Port) on the hour and Vidos on the half hour. Return tickets cost five euros. |
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