Located in Gastouri village 10 km from Corfu Town.
This luxurious villa was built for the Empress of Austria, Elisabeth von Wiltelsbach (more familiarly known as Princes Sissy), by the Italian architect Raffaele Carito in 1892.
The loved Queen - whose life became a movie- gave preference to Corfu over all the other islands of the Ionian Sea, during her cruise in the Mediterranean islands, when she wanted to overcome her personal problems. After loosing her family members, she decided to buy the place, where today the palace is built, and reside in Greece, which she so loved so much because of its natural beauties, its greek history and mythology.
Sissi , fascinated by the mythology of Ancient Greece, named her Palace in honour of the hero Achilles and adorned the halls and gardens with statues depicting gods and heroes.

Greek mythology is present everywhere:
In the grounds, the statue of Hermes stands on a rock. Sappho, Apollo, Aphrodite nad Artemis appear on the parapet of the garden staircase. After the death of the Empress, the Palace was bought by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, and now is one of the island top attractions, functioning as a museum.
Gastouri itself is a picturesque village which preserves its heritage both in its architecture and in the lifestyle of its people. Here the first philharmonic orchestra outside Corfu Town was established in 1898, an institution which, in the 110 years since its inception , has contributed greatly to the cultural and musical life of the locality.
If you visit the village , do not fail to buy some bread baked in the wood-fired oven at Hector'2 Bakery, which you'll find in a picturesque corner of the village. From this spot a ravine lined with pine trees leads you to the neighbouring hamlet of Pachalatika, where Sissi's Spring is sited. The old folk say that Sissi used to drink from this spring.