Kefalloniá is the largest of the Ionian islands - a place that has real towns as well as resorts. Like its neighbours, Kefalloniá was overrun by Italians and Germans in World War II; the "handover" after Italy's capitulation in 1943 led to the massacre of over five thousand Italian troops on the island by invading German forces. These events form a key episode in Louis de Bernières' novel, Captain Corelli's Mandolin , a tragicomic epic of life on the island, which takes place mostly during the occupation and whose film version was made on the island in 2000.

 

Until the late 1980s, the island paid scant regard to tourism; perhaps this was partly due to a feeling that Kefalloniá could not easily be marketed. Virtually all of its towns and villages were levelled in the 1953 earthquake, and these masterpieces of Venetian architecture had been the one touch of elegance in a severe, mountainous landscape. A more likely explanation, however, for the island's late emergence on the Greek tourist scene is the Kefallonians' legendary reputation for insular pride and stubbornness, and a good measure of eccentricity.

Having decided on the advantages of an easily exploitable industry, however, Kefalloniá is at present in the midst of a tourism boom. Long favoured by Italians, it has begun attracting British package companies, for whom an airport terminal was constructed in the mid-Nineties, while virtually every decent beach has been endowed with restaurants. There are definite attractions here, with some beaches as good as any in the Ionian islands, and a fine (if pricey) local wine, the dry white Rombola . Mercifully, the anticipated Corelli factor has not so far led to the island becoming either oversubscribed or over-expensive. Moreover, the island seems able to soak up a lot of people without feeling at all crowded, and the magnificent scenery speaks for itself, the escarpments culminating in the 1632-metre bulk of Mount Énos , declared a national park to protect the fir trees ( Abies cephalonica ) named after the island.

Kefalloniá's bus system is basic but expanding, and with a little legwork it can be used to get you almost anywhere on the island. Key routes connect Argostóli with the main tourist centres of Sámi, Fiskárdho, Skála and Póros . There's a useful connection from Sámi to the tiny resort of Ayía Efimía , which also attracts many package travellers. If you're using a motorbike, take care, as the terrain is very rough in places - although an increasing number of roads are being surfaced - and the gradients can sometimes be a bit challenging for underpowered machines. The island has a plethora of ferry connections, principally from Fiskárdho to Lefkádha and Itháki, and from Sámi to Itháki, Pátra and Italy, as well as links from Argostóli and Póros to Kyllíni and Pessádha to Zákynthos.