Authentic Corfu Travel: Discover Old Perithia & the Syriotis Honey Family
If Corfu’s coast is the island’s glittering postcard, its mountain villages are the warm, lived-in chapters behind the picture — slow, fragrant, and full of people who still make things by hand. For travelers who want authentic Corfu travel, few places tell the story better than Old Perithia and the tiny honey shop run by the Syriotis family. This is a place where jars of honey carry the scent of wild thyme, olive groves, and the island’s limestone terraces — and the people behind those jars are as much a reason to visit as the village itself.
Take a look at the map to plan your visit.
In this post we’ll walk Old Perithia’s cobbled lanes, meet Vasilis Syriotis at his beehives and shop, learn about the family’s handmade products — from pure honey to beeswax lip balm, honeycomb soap, face cream, propolis and royal jelly — and map out the surrounding villages that reward the curious traveler. If you love village walks, artisan producers, and sustainable travel experiences, this is your guide to the Corfu that stays with you.
Why village life matters — and why Corfu’s artisans deserve a spotlight
Modern travel often feels fast: checklists, photos, and the next highlight. But the villages of Corfu invite you to do the opposite: to slow down and let everyday craft tell its story. Traditional villages preserve skills — beekeeping, olive pressing, weaving, pottery — which give a place its taste, texture and meaning.
When you taste honey from a single hillside, you’re tasting place. When you hold a beeswax candle a local made, you’re holding weather, flowers, and a family’s care. That’s why local artisans matter: they keep these connections alive, and visiting them is the best kind of travel — small, real, and sustaining.
Old Perithia — where stone houses sleep and beehives hum
Perched high on Mount Pantokrator’s slopes, Old Perithia is a village that seems to have been paused in time. Narrow, stone-lined streets, centuries-old chapels, and terraced plots of herbs and olives form a quiet maze. For many years the village was nearly empty; its younger generations moved nearer the coast. But in the soft revival of traditional tourism, Perithia has found new life — not as a crowded attraction, but as a place of memory, restoration, and small-scale craft.
Drive up and you’ll feel the change in the air: cooler, herby, touched by the wind that moves across the island’s hills. Walk the lanes and you’ll spot bees — pale blue boxes tucked among rosemary and thyme. Follow the hum and you’ll probably find the Syriotis family.
Meet the Syriotis family: beekeepers of Perithia
The Syriotis family has been tending bees here for generations. Today the business is best known as Vasilis Syriotis’ work — a man who trained in formal beekeeping and then returned to the family hills to continue, refine and expand the craft his grandparents started.
Vasilis is the kind of host who’ll hand you a spoon, open a jar, and watch you discover the honey’s story: spring honey that’s pale and floral, summer chestnut-tinged honey that’s richer, and artisan blends that reflect the island’s wild herbs. He’s proud but humble; his joy is in the bees and the taste they produce more than in anything else.
Why his honey stands out:
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Local, single-place origin: the nectar comes from plants that grow on the immediate slopes — thyme, chestnut, wildflowers — not from some anonymised blend.
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Seasonal character: jars change colour and flavour through the year, so buying a jar is like bottling a particular moment of Corfu’s wild calendar.
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Small-scale care: the family controls the harvest, extraction, and bottling, so what you buy is unblended and honest.
The shop in Old Perithia — a tiny treasure trove
Vasilis’ shop is not a glossy showroom; it’s a small, welcoming place — a wooden counter, shelves of neatly labeled jars, beeswax candles, and a warm greeting. When you step in, there’s a distinctive, gentle sweetness in the air. The space is intimate, the kind of place where you instantly feel you’re buying from a person, not a brand.
Here’s what you’ll typically find on the shelves — and why each product makes you want to take a piece of the village home:
1. Pure mountain honey (seasonal jars)
What it is: Raw honey taken directly from the family hives. Expect colour and intensity to vary by season.
Why it’s special: Because it’s from bees foraging on the island’s wild herbs and chestnut trees, each jar tastes like a summer slope or a spring morning. It’s unprocessed and typically uncooked, retaining the enzymes and aromas that industrial honey loses.
2. Bee pollen (in jars)
What it is: Granules collected by bees as they gather pollen — a nutrient-dense supplement.
Why it’s special: Locals often add a teaspoon to yogurt or morning porridge. It’s nature’s multivitamin: full of protein, vitamins and tiny floral flavours that tell you what was blooming when it was collected.
3. Beeswax lip balm (handmade)
What it is: Beeswax blended with olive oil or other local oils, lightly scented with honey or herbs.
Why it’s special: Beeswax is protective and soothing; in a balm it protects lips from wind and sun. Because it’s made locally, the balm carries a subtly herbal scent unique to the island.
4. Honeycomb soap & face cream (natural body care)
What it is: Skincare made from honey, beeswax, and local plant extracts. Honeycomb soap is gentle, naturally antibacterial, and pleasantly scented; face creams often use a touch of royal jelly or propolis.
Why it’s special: These are small-batch products, made to nourish with minimal processing. They’re often kinder for sensitive skin because they avoid harsh chemicals.
5. Propolis and propolis tinctures
What it is: A resinous substance bees make from tree sap and their enzymes; used traditionally for its antiseptic and healing qualities.
Why it’s special: Locals use propolis for sore throats, minor wounds, and to boost immunity. The propolis from mountain beehives is often rich and fragrant.
6. Royal jelly (special harvests)
What it is: The nutrient-rich substance fed to queen bees — a luxurious, prized product in tiny jars.
Why it’s special: Royal jelly is valued for its nutritional properties; a little goes a long way. It’s an artisan product, often offered by request or in small seasonal batches.
How the products are made — a peek behind the jars
Visiting the Syriotis shop gives you more than a taste — it gives context. Vasilis is usually happy to explain the process in simple, generous terms: how the bees forage on wild thyme and chestnut blossoms, how frames are lifted and gently brushed, how honey is spun out and rested before bottling. No industrial heat. No additives. Just careful handling.
Some production details you might hear:
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Spring harvests produce lighter, floral honeys.
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Summer/late summer harvests tend to be darker because of chestnut and denser nectar sources.
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Propolis collection involves carefully scraping or harvesting tiny amounts from hive frames and processing into tinctures or salves.
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Beeswax is rendered down and used for candles, balms, and skincare. The wax is naturally antibacterial and gives products a slow, pleasant burn.
The family will often show you jars labelled by date — a small archive of seasons: “May 2024 wild thyme”, “July 2024 chestnut”, and so on. That transparency is part of the product’s charm.
What makes the Syriotis experience memorable
It’s one thing to buy a jar of honey; it’s another to taste it with the person who watched the hives. With the Syriotis family you get both product and story. A few highlights most visitors mention afterwards:
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Personal connection: Vasilis remembers faces, explains how weather affected the harvest, and will happily show you a photo of the bees on a wild thyme slope.
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Taste education: He’ll give small spoon tastings so you can compare a spring jar to a chestnut jar and actually hear what difference season makes.
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Small gifts: Often a tiny beeswax candle or a honey sample is included — a lovely personal touch.
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Authenticity: Everything is local and traceable — a rarity in today’s anonymous food markets.
Practical visitor tips — how to plan your visit to Old Perithia and the Syriotis shop
Get a car. You’ll want one. The winding roads up the mountain are part of the experience, but they’re best enjoyed with your own schedule and a small, nimble vehicle. (Rent a car in Corfu is a suggestion I repeat because it genuinely unlocks these places.)
Timing matters. Arrive mid-morning when the light is soft, the shop is open, and Vasilis has time to chat. Avoid late afternoons in high summer if you intend to drive narrow mountain roads in the dark.
Bring cash. Some small producers prefer cash; card readership can be inconsistent in remote spots.
Ask to taste. One spoon of honey can convince any undecided buyer — and Vasilis loves the reaction when someone tastes chestnut honey for the first time.
Respect the village. Old Perithia is a heritage site. Walk gently, shop locally, and take away memory — not litter.
Nearby villages and artisan stops — a 1–2 day slow-travel loop
If you’re carving a day (or two) out of your itinerary for artisan villages, here’s a gentle loop that pairs Old Perithia with nearby pockets of craft, food and view.
Morning: Old Perithia
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Walk the lanes, visit the Syriotis shop, taste honey.
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Sit for coffee at a small taverna, watch the light over the terraces.
Midday: Lakones (Paleokastritsa area)
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Drive down to Lakones for panoramic views over the Paleokastritsa bays. Stop at a family taverna for lunch.
Afternoon: Doukades & Ano Korakiana
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Explore Doukades’ stone houses and small olive-press traditions.
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Slide into Ano Korakiana for honey or local jams, and maybe a small pottery or textile stall.
Optional: Kassiopi (for late afternoon & seaside)
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Finish with a short drive to the coast at Kassiopi to watch the sunset over the harbour.
This loop showcases both highland craft and coastal culture — the kind of balanced day many readers tell me becomes their favourite memory of Corfu.
Exploring the authentic villages of Corfu gives you a taste of local life, and nearby, you can also relax at the most beautiful beaches in Corfu for a true island experience.
Sustainable tourism — how visiting artisans helps communities
When you buy honey from Vasilis, your money does more than fill a jar — it supports a family who lives on the land and keeps a fragile village alive. That’s the essence of sustainable tourism: choosing experiences and purchases that benefit local people and the environment.
A few ways to make your trip more sustainable and meaningful:
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Buy local (small jars, a beeswax candle) rather than imported souvenirs.
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Stay locally if possible — a guesthouse or family B&B keeps income in the village.
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Ask before photographing people working — respect their livelihood.
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Walk and explore — avoid diesel tours that thrash narrow lanes.
The story of resilience: why Old Perithia and its artisans matter now
Old Perithia’s revival isn’t just about tourism — it’s about communities refusing to disappear. Families like the Syriotises stayed when others left, and their work is a living link between past and future. The honey jars are tangible proof of continuity — of craft surviving modern pressures, of the landscape still providing.
When you leave with a small jar of pollen, a beeswax lip balm, or royal jelly, you’re not just buying a product — you’re taking home a story: of careful hands, seasonal patience, and a village that’s been coaxed back to life with respect, not spectacle.
How to tell the story back home — shareable moments
If you want to write an Instagram caption or tell friends about this visit, here are authentic, shareable lines you can use or adapt:
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“Met Vasilis in Old Perithia today — he and his family have been tending these hives for generations. I tasted thyme honey that tasted like sunshine in a jar.”
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“Small shop, huge flavour: beeswax lip balm and raw chestnut honey from Old Perithia — the real Corfu in a jar.”
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“If you love food with a story, visit the Syriotis beehives in Old Perithia. The family are pure gold.”
Final thoughts — why this visit will stay with you
There’s an energy in visiting a place like Old Perithia and meeting keepers of craft like the Syriotis family. It’s slow and small, but it’s the kind of travel that returns in memory: a spoon tasting honey that tastes different to anything you can buy in a supermarket, a lip balm that smells faintly of thyme, a chat about bees that turns into a larger conversation about land and care.
If you’re planning an island trip that values Corfu villages, local artisans, and sustainable tourism, don’t miss this. Pick up a jar, ask how the bees did this year, and listen. The story in the jar is the kind you want to take home.
And if you’re mapping more of the island — from beach days to mountain trails — be sure to check the Ultimate Corfu Travel Guide for practical planning, where to stay, and how to build a trip that mixes sea, stone, and small-scale craft.
FAQs
1. Can I visit the beehives or watch the extraction?
Many visitors can talk with Vasilis and sometimes see the frames or hives at a distance. For safety, full hive tours often require a prior arrangement — ask politely in the shop.
2. What’s the difference between propolis and royal jelly?
Propolis is a resin bees collect and use as a sealant — it’s used as an antiseptic and in tinctures. Royal jelly is a secretion fed to queen larvae — nutrient dense and used in small amounts as a health supplement.
3. Are the sugared/crystallised honeys okay?
Yes — crystallisation is natural and does not harm the honey. Warm the jar gently in a bowl of warm water to re-liquefy.
4. How much should I bring back?
A small jar (200–400g) makes a great souvenir. If you fall in love, larger jars store well and make handsome gifts.
5. Is Old Perithia walkable and accessible for older travelers?
The village has uneven stone paths and some steps. If mobility is an issue, take it slowly and choose a guesthouse or taverna with easy access. A small car makes moving between points easier.
