CORFU, GREECE-The young couple kiss and cuddle on the worn walls of the watery moat guarding the Old Fortress. Could their heated embrace be inspired by the Greek legends, ancient history, beautiful buildings, quaint squares and graceful plaza of Corfu's Venetian-inspired Old Town? Are they swept away by romantic views across the sapphire sun-kissed sea, separating this, "greenest of the Greek islands" from the nearby Greek and Albanian mainland? Have they been sipping the local liqueur, a bright-orange kumquat concoction believed to be an aphrodisiac? Or maybe they're moved by the Mediterranean magic of the Corfu of Homer - the beguiling island where Odysseus was shipwrecked on his way home from Troy. 6. Corfu countryside You'll need to rent a car (there are also scooters and motorcycle rentals but insist on a helmet even though locals don't wear one) to explore this second largest and greenest Ionian island. Flat in the south, craggy mountains loom over Corfu's northern half, with steep, dramatic coastlines, and rolling peaceful countryside swathed in silvery green olive trees and stately cypresses. I'm told the road snaking up the slopes of Mt. Pantokrator has some harrowing hair-pin turns, but the views from the top are worth the drive. Squeezing through the narrow, one-way street in the lofty village of Lakones, the rear-view mirror of our tour bus almost brushes the buildings. "I haven't hit one yet," boasts the bus driver. I'm not sure if he's talking about the walls or the locals, who must take their lives in their hands stepping out their front doors each day. 7. Fabulous feasts come in a maze of Meze in Corfu - dish after dish after dish of local favourites. "Greek salad with bread is a typical meal for us," says our guide. But that's just the beginning of this feast of traditional Greek appetizers, such as dolmades (stuffed vine leaves), tzatziki (yoghurt and cucumber dip), taramosalata (fish roe dip) and saganaki (fried cheese). The groaning trays keep coming, with local favourites such as pastitsada (pasta with veal sauce), bourdeto (fish in a spicy red sauce) and sofrito (veal in white garlic sauce with fries or rice). And just when you can't eat another bite, a plateful of home-baked, honey-dripping baklava and kumquat cake proves you wrong. For a Corfu feast with godly sea views as mouth-watering as the food, you can't beat the Golden Fox taverna-with-rooms in Lakones, a village known locally as "God's Balcony". www.corfugoldenfox.com...

10 REASONS TO GET PASSIONATE ABOUT CORFU: Greek island is what legends are made of