Bioporos eco-farm

In southern Corfu, on the road towards Lefkimmi, past the village of Vragkaniotika, if you turn right after the sign for BIOPOROS - Open-to-visitors Ecological Farm, you'll find yourself in a magical place. The lovely Lake Korission lies before you, composing an enchanting view along with the wooded hill, well-tended vegetable gardens, beehives, and cats sunning themselves. It is the place where Agathi and Kostas Vlassis decided to buy 17 acres of land back in 1982, in order to create their own version of paradise, the Bioporos eco-farm.

The decision was not an easy one since they would be leaving behind their life in Athens but they shared deep ecological convictions and when their first son, Kritonas, was born in 1987 they packed up and moved to Corfu to create a natural and free environment for their children to grow up in. They succeeded brilliantly and have made a beautiful and peaceful place with wide horizons next to the wetlands which attract all kinds of birds, including pelicans, herons and wild ducks. A pair of binoculars lives permanently on the table for whoever wants to do a bit of bird-watching and they also have a telescope which is turned skyward at night.

Bioporos eco-farm has a restaurant, where Agathi prepares amazing meals using organic produce, most of it from the farm, as well as a couple of villas to let.

Guests can participate in all aspects of farm life, attend Agathi's seminars, walk trails, boat around the lake or visit the spectacular sand dunes at the neighboring Issos beach.

Agathi is a great cook and her breakfasts in particular are special with eggs from her 50 hens and honey from the beehives cared for by her son Genneos (which means Brave in Greek), to say nothing of the homemade bread baked in a wood-fired oven, juices, olives , pies and whatever fresh fruit and vegetables were picked from the farm. The rest of her cooking is in the Corfiot style of bourdeto and sofrito, but she also caters to vegetarians, vegans and those intolerant of lactose and glucose. Her vegan mousaka is to die for.

As she says, "Bioporos eco-farm is not a restaurant, it is not a farm, it is a way of life!"