The Campiello is the Venetian heart of Corfu Town, a dense network of narrow lanes, arched doorways, and tall ochre-painted houses that feels more like a quarter of Venice than a Greek island town. The streets are too narrow for cars and in many cases barely wide enough for two people to pass — you navigate by instinct, emerging unexpectedly onto small squares with wells or into the sunlight of a view across the rooftops to the sea.
The district is best explored without a map. Get lost in the lanes behind the Esplanade; follow the sound of church bells; climb any staircase that looks inviting. The Church of Saint Spyridon — housing the mummified body of the island's patron saint — is the main orientation point. The main market street, Nikiforou Theotoki, runs through the district and has the best concentration of food shops.