The magic of Corfu has been repeatedly praised by lovers of its natural beauty. The diversity of its landscapes creates a special place for tours that start from all kinds of walks, some of which end up in ascents to inaccessible peaks and mystical caves. In this rich environment, an unusual phenomenon is the public gardens that exist in the web of the historic city of Corfu. On the east side of Spianada square, between the historic church of Mandrakina and the entrance of the Old Fortress is one of them, the Municipal Garden known by the place name Boschetto.
Its name comes from the Italian bosco (forest) and the diminutive boschetto (woods).
This flowery little paradise “Boschetto”
with its manicured flower beds, various shrubs, large perennials and other smaller trees creates an environment of rest and tranquility and offers another remarkable summary of the character of the city and its aesthetics. The symmetry of its design refers to a Renaissance Italian garden. To the right of the entrance is the bust of the heroic patriot and poet Lorentzos Mavilis (1860 – 1912) and to the left of Konstantinos Theotokis (1872 – 1923), one of the most important short story writers of modern Greece.
Central feature of the garden are the two impressive marble semicircular kiosks that are decorated around the perimeter with a colonnade which consists of 8 ionic style columns. Among them stands the statue of the English Philhellene, great Hellenist and founder of the Ionian Academy, Count Frederick Guilford (1766 – 1827) and behind him Contra Fossa with the bastion Martinego named after the then commander of the Old Fortress.
In 2006 a commemorative plaque was erected with its new name “DURRELL BOSCHETTO” in honour of the two English brothers writers LAWRENCE & GERALD who lived in Corfu during the period 1935 – 1939 and whose books made our island world famous. The fountains and a small beautiful playground complete the image of this favorite spot of the historic centre of the island.
Source
ΣΟΥΡΤΖΙΝΟΣ, Γιώργος Χ. (2008). “Τοπωνύμια: γλωσσικές μαρτυρίες στην ιστορική διαδρομή της Κέρκυρας“, Ιστορική – Λαογραφική Εταιρεία Κέρκυρας, β’ έκδοση
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