Secret Greece: picturesque stone villages and olive oil with health benefits

In this episode of Explore, we head off the beaten track on the island of Corfu and visit the Zagori mountains with their picturesque stone villages and bridges in the northwest of the country.

We begin in Corfu, a popular summer holiday destination known for its stunning sandy beaches. However, the island’s unique natural beauty and the huge diversity of flora and fauna make it an inviting destination all year round. It is one of the greenest Greek islands, known as Greece’s Emerald island.

Hilary Paipeti is the founder of the Corfu Trail, a walking route that stretches the length of the island, taking in dramatic landscapes and rustic villages away from the tourist hotspots.

“It’s really like places used to be thirty or forty years ago” Hilary explains, “out of the resorts, unspoilt, beautiful nature and everywhere’s different. You can go to different parts of Corfu and the landscape is completely different, and the Corfu Trail links all those areas.”

The trail was founded in 2001 and since then, thousands of walkers have hiked its 220 kilometres length.

The trail takes in a huge variety of different landscapes from the coastline and calm, unspoilt beaches to juniper dunes, mountains, forests and olive groves, making it a rewarding destination for hikers..

Walking the trail can often feel like stepping back in time, as Euronews presenter Naomi Lloyd discovered when she met a local villager walking along the path with his donkey.

Out of high season, when the spring flowers are in bloom, is the perfect time to visit for hiking.

Corfu boasts an abundance of wildflowers including more than 30 varieties of orchids.

For those who like more extreme sports, the Corfu trail hosts an annual ‘ultra’ trail run covering a distance of 103