About Us
History
Join us on a journey through time to explore the tapestry lying behind the villa’s history, as Posillipo has been an establishment for inspired political and military individuals, foreign diplomats and guests credited with shaping the course of their time.
With a history traced back as early as 1700, the house in its vast estate was used by the Venetian Republic as an invaluable defensive asset during the 1716 Siege of Corfu by the Ottoman Empire, due to its strategic location and proximity to the Republic’s naval arsenal. The property’s records and title deeds reveal that the estate’s first owners were local aristocrats engaging with the Venetians and their allies, and were rewarded with the fishery management of the adjacent to the estate lagoon for their distinguished contribution during the 1716 Siege. Nowadays, this lagoon stands as one of the largest natural Yacht Marina’s in the Mediterranean.
For the next hundred years marked with conflicts and social changes, undoubtedly, the estate retained its role on the coast of the Corfu Channel as a defense asset to the Venetian, and later to the French and British empires that held power in the Ionian islands. In 1804 and for a decade, the estate was a refuge for General Marcos Botsaris, a renowned leader of Greece’s War for Independence and Sovereignty. The house served as a location of seclusion for fruitful diplomatic and political activities that took place within its walls, especially as Corfu was a neutral enclave far from the mainland’s conflict zones and never conquered by the Ottomans.
In 1889, Spyridon Geracaris, a prominent lawyer and descendant of the Geracaris family bought the estate that would become his permanent residence. The family had origins from Constantinople and had resided in Cephalonia since the 13th century. Spyridon Geracaris’ son, Nicolaos, a visionary historian and lawyer, inherited the estate, and together with his wife Letizia, daughter of the Italian government envoy in Corfu, brought new life to the villa. After 1909, both Nicolaos and Letizia, cultural connoisseurs and travelers to Malta, Rome, Paris, and North Africa, they appreciated and engaged in history and art, renewed their residence and interacted with influential circles that fostered cultural relations with the Italian and French states. The villa was furnished with signature works of art, gilded furniture, antiques and embroidered textiles from Europe, and was named Villa Posillipo after Nicolaos’ visit to Naples.
Until today and for five generations the estate belongs to the same family, and stands as a testament of the contributions made by all those who formed and preserved its history. As the cultural significance of Villa Posillipo goes beyond its physical structure, its owners strive to promote the stories and experiences it represents, spreading joy to all those they have the privilege of connecting with, creating meaningful and lasting memories to their guests and setting an example for future generations.
Name
Posillipo originates from two Greek words pausí [pause] and lypi [worry], signifying pause of worrying. The name Pausílypon in Greek or Pausilypum in Latin or Posillipo in Italian, forever etched in the estate’s history, beautifully captures the essence of grandeur and elegance that defines the villa as a symbol of joy and blissful escape in an unrivalled space where land, sea and light blend with heritage.
The Durrells
If Posillipo strikes a chord within you, it is because you have seen this enchanting villa staging for four years the awarded British TV series “The Durrells” with starring actors Keeley Hawes, Josh O’ Connor and Milo Parker. Perhaps you feel a sense of familiarity from another delightful experience; the 2005 BBC movie with starring actors Imelda Staunton and Eugene Simon, where the villa staged the Durrells family house in “My Family and Other Animals”.
Handpicked by the producers for the villa’s authentic architectural character and untouched natural environment, the estate reflected artfully in both television projects the essence of the Durrells’ unconventional and idyllic life in Corfu in the early 1930s.
