Like all Greek cities, Corfu Town – Kerkyra to the locals – is fairytale pretty. The UNESCO-protected island capital is a kataifi tangle of paved streets bordered by pastel-splashed homes and stores, and flanked by imposing Venetian fortresses. Tumbles of crimson bougainvillea cascade over apricot walls. Bechamel-coloured awnings ripple over grand archways, the latter an architectural style that can be traced back to the Ionian island’s two brief French occupations around the time when Napoleon Bonaparte was planting le Tricolore across much of the continent.

Unfortunately – also like cities everywhere – a lot of this prettiness, at least at eye-level, is obscured by tourist tat. If you’re able to elbow your way through the crowds in the town centre, your primary reward is likely to be row upon row of identical stores selling thongs, fridge magnets, T-shirts and tea towels. The restaurants serve globally homogenised ‘Greek food’, such as moussaka and souvlaki, which you could find in any other tourist hub in the country. You’d be forgiven for thinking you’d wandered into a living, breathing TripAdvisor entry.