Paxi trivia: 40 amazing facts about this Greek island!

Paxi or Paxoi is the smallest of the Ionian islands. And one of the most beautiful Greek islands that you should visit!

So let’s dive into some more trivia and facts about this island!

1. Paxi or Paxoi and Antipaxoi or Antipaxos is the smallest island group within the Ionian Islands
2. In Greek it is a plural form
3. The largest islands are Paxos and nearby Antipaxos
4. Antipaxos is famous for its wine and two of the finest sand beaches in the Ionian Sea
5. The main town of Paxoi, and the seat of the municipality, is Gaios
6. The municipality has an area of 30.121 km2
7. The area of the island is 76 square kilometers, just under 30 square miles
8. In Greek mythology, Poseidon created the island by striking Corfu with his trident, so that he and his wife Amphitrite could have some peace and quiet
9. Although it was possibly inhabited from prehistoric times, the Phoenicians are traditionally held to have been the first settlers on Paxos
10. The name is believed to be derived from Pax
11. Which meant trapezoidal in their language
12. This island is noted for the Battle of Paxos, fought between the ancient Greek and Illyrian fleets during the First Illyrian War in 229 BC
13. The battle is recorded by the ancient historian Polybius
14. The Romans ruled the island from the 2nd century BC
15. And during the Byzantine period and Middle Ages it was constantly attacked by pirates
16. After various rulers and Crusaders had passed through, the island was taken by the Venetians at the end of the 14th century
17. During the Napoleonic wars, the Ionian Islands were taken by the French and the Russo-Turkish alliance
18. On 13 February 1814, the island of Paxos surrendered to the Royal Navy frigate HMS Apollo
19. And 160 troops from the 2nd Greek Light Infantry from Cephalonia and the 35th Regiment of the Royal Corsican Rangers
20. In 1815, the United Kingdom established the Ionian Union
21. In 1864, together with the rest of the Heptanese, Paxos was ceded to Greece
22. There are around 30 beaches on Paxos
23. But some of the most popular among them are
24. Mongonissi, Kali Langada, Levrecchio, Kips, Gianna, Soulanena, Bolas, Monodendri and Glyfada
25. The province of Paxoi was one of the provinces of the Corfu Prefecture
26. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipality Paxoi
27. It was abolished in 2006
28. Among well known semi-permanent British inhabitants were Audrey Good, former commander of the UN refugee bases in Epirus following the Greek Civil War
29. The late actor Peter Bull (author of ‘It isn’t all Greek to me’) and actress Susannah York
30. Some members of the Agnelli family (of FIAT fame) have built a palatial holiday home, complete with faux medieval tower, on a small island (Kaltonisi) situated near the southernmost tip (‘the heel’) of Paxos, close to the popular beach of Mongonissi
31. The presence of such residents, and the development of the coastal area (mostly by Italian nationals) explains why Paxos has now become one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in Greece
32. One of Loggos’s landmarks, the so-called ‘Manor House’ was put on sale for 1.6M€ in 2006
33. Paxos is part of a European network called Cultural Village of Europe
34. It hosts a yearly classical music festival
35. It was founded by John Gough
36. And now organised by the Guildhall
37. It attracts some of Europe’s finest young performers
38. This festival usually takes place in late August/early September
39. However the 2010 festival is in doubt as sponsorship cannot be determined
40. Concerts are usually held in the now-disused school of Longos, Paxoi.