The Spianada square owes its design and form to fortification purposes. It is a large area created for defensive purposes between the Old Fortress and the city. In the square, someone can distinguish three different historical periods: the English one in the Palace, the Venetian one in the Old Fortress and the French one in the vaults of Liston. A walk at Spianada gives the visitor the opportunity to enjoy some of the most important monuments of Corfu.
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History
The Spianada square is not similar to other squares, as it owes its design and form to fortification purposes.
It is a large area created for defensive purposes between the Old Fortress and the city. In 1576, the demolition of the houses around the Old Fortress began so that the defenders could better supervise the area. In just a few years, more than 2,500 houses were demolished in order to form this large area, the current Spianada square, that was later planted with trees by the French. The square was named after the Italian verb ‘spianare’, which means ‘to demolish’.
It took its last form in 1628, when its boundaries were expanded and more buildings were demolished. Nowadays, in Spianada someone can distinguish three different historical periods: the English one in the Palace, the Venetian one in the Old Fortress and the French one in the vaults of Liston. A walk at Spianada gives the visitor the opportunity to enjoy some of the most important monuments of Corfu, too.