Pontikonisi Island

Pontikonisi, or Mouse Island, is a tiny, densely wooded islet at the mouth of the Halkiopoulos Lagoon on Corfu's east coast, close to the village of Kanoni and the island's airport. Its name is thought to come from its shape, which from a distance is said to resemble a mouse. The islet's best-known feature is the small Byzantine chapel of Pantokrator, dating from the 11th or 12th century, which is opened to the public only once a year, on the feast day of 6 August.

Pontikonisi also holds a place in Greek mythology: local legend identifies it with the ship of Odysseus, said to have been turned to stone by Poseidon after the hero blinded the Cyclops Polyphemus, the sea god's son, in Homer's Odyssey. The islet is most often photographed alongside the neighbouring Vlacherna Monastery, a small whitewashed chapel connected to the Corfu mainland by a narrow causeway, from which boats also depart for the short crossing to Pontikonisi itself.

Swimming is not permitted around the islet, and there is little more than a small kiosk and no public toilets, so most visits are brief. Given its position at the edge of the lagoon and its easy access from Kanoni, it is best reached during a Corfu gulet cruise that takes in this stretch of coastline before moving on.