Katie and I decided that I would tell you about our first
stop on our tour of Corfu, the Achilleion Palace. This lovely place was built by Empress Elisabeth of Austria,
also known as Sissi. Elisabeth was
the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph.
She was actually quite a tragic and melancholy figure. She lost one daughter to what was
probably typhus and her son Rudolf in the Mayerling incident which was most
likely a murder-suicide.
Elisabeth probably suffered from anorexia and she essentially ate only
liquids. Her waist was only about
15 inches in circumference despite
having borne 4 children. Our guide
told us an interesting anecdote about a dinner the Empress held at the
palace. She had 300 guests and
served a meal consisting of 25 courses.
She wanted the meal to last only 1 minute per course. Guests could only
eat after Elisabeth had begun her course.
Essentially most of the people never got to taste anything because by
the time they were aware she was eating, the Empress had put her utensil down
and the course was whisked away.
Her tragic life ended when she was assassinated by an Italian anarchist
while she was visiting in Geneva, Switzerland.
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| The Entry Portico of Achilleion |
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| A statue of Elisabeth of Austria at the entrance |
Elisabeth was
enthralled with the stories from Greek mythology and named her palace
after Achilles. The building is
surrounded by lovely Italianate gardens.
After her death, the palace was bought by Kaiser Wilhelm II and it
became one of his summer residences.
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| Statue of the dying Achilles |
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